zürcher theater spektakel 2025
this year's campaign was developed together with the french-catalan company baro d’evel. in their production ‘qui som?’, they work with clay and the transformation of simple clay pots into hats, heads and faces, among other things.
(sound on)
for the visual realisation, the mouldable clay heads used in the piece were further developed into original motifs and staged photographically. the resulting images lend the campaign a strong visual language – creative, contemporary and witty.
sophisticated stop-motion sequences were created for the moving image media, in which the clay heads seem to deform plastically by themselves.
the visuals are used across different media: there are classic posters, the programme newspaper, city screens, advertising in trams and various cinema trailers. the images with the clay heads will also be prominently displayed on the festival site on the landiwiese, while loop videos on social media channels show the deformation of the masks.
since 1980, the zürcher theater spektakel has stood for interdisciplinary performing arts on the shores of the lake. today, it is one of the leading festivals for contemporary performing arts in europe. with its open grounds, international artists and a curious audience, it creates an unmistakable cultural venue in the centre of zurich. studio marcus kraft is responsible for the visual communication and campaign since 2018.
(sound on)
project details
-
zürcher theater spektakel is one of europe’s leading festivals for contemporary performing arts, presenting an international programme of theatre, dance, performance and interdisciplinary work. the challenge was to create a campaign with a distinctive visual identity that reflects the festival’s experimental spirit and captures the imagination of a diverse audience.
-
the 2025 campaign was developed in collaboration with the french-catalan company baro d’evel, whose production qui som? explores transformation and the expressive potential of everyday materials. inspired by the clay pots that become hats, heads and faces in the performance, the campaign turns these objects into original visual protagonists.
-
the clay heads were further developed into individual motifs and staged photographically by françois passerini. their sculptural forms, unusual expressions and playful transformations create a visual language that is contemporary, witty and slightly surreal.
for moving-image formats, stop-motion animation brings the clay faces to life. through carefully crafted sequences, the forms appear to deform and transform by themselves, extending the physical qualities of the material into a distinctive animated experience.
-
the campaign was rolled out across a wide range of festival communication, including posters, the programme newspaper, digital city screens, tram advertising and cinema trailers. the imagery also appeared throughout the festival grounds on the landiwiese, while looping animations extended the campaign across social media.
-
client: zürcher theater spektakel
year: 2025
location: zurich, switzerland
services: campaign concept, art direction, graphic design, visual communication, photography direction and stop-motion animation -
responsible for concept, art direction, design & animation: studio marcus kraft; baro d’evel (artwork), françois passerini (photography & video), michel fries (layout), highfive (web development)
zürcher theater spektakel: sarah wendle, veit kälin, matthias von hartz (co-direction), heike dürscheid (head of communication); selina stefaniak (assistance communication); rona schauwecker (marketing & head of campaign), josefine stähli (head of artistic administration)