What is important? What was important? What were, seen from today, important events in my life? Asked to describe ten of the most important events in my life, which ones do I choose? What events do younger and older people, men and women, people with entirely different backgrounds and experiences choose – and what kind of narratives emerges through the images and blanks of these individual ten important events?
In his long-term project, Mats Staub aims to ask these questions to people from all walks of life. Guided by a clear set of instructions everyone is invited to investigate these questions and produce their own list of ten most important events in life.
As a whole, the lists transform into an alternative tapestry of life, into a strangely atmospheric collection of portraits. At the same time, the constraint of only being able to name ten events results in a compressed reality and leaves large gaps, which enable us to ponder over personal development and the different courses a life can take.
At ten-important-events-in-my-life.net an edited collection of portraits emerges: A place in which only events are mentioned that belong to a person’s most important ones.
Press
“It’s art – and everyone’s invited. This is wonderful.”
SRF 2 Kultur, 15.11.2014
“The individual entries are short and succinct and this laconic, direct style is enormously powerful. What happens is the whole of life – that sometimes consists of tiny poetic moments.”
SRF 2 Kultur, 13.03.2013
Stations
Basel, University Hospital / Kaserne on the move, October 2015
Weimar, Kunstfest Weimar, August 2015
Stuttgart, insight, May 2015
Braunschweig, Festival Theaterformen, June 2014
Frankfurt, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, February 2014
Chur, Theater Chur, November 2013
Aarau, Theater Tuchlaube, October 2013
Zurich, Zürcher Festspiele, Gessnerallee, June 2013
Basel, Basler Dokumentartage, April 2013
Bern, Festival Auawirleben, April 2013
Zurich, Gessnerallee, Theater Winkelwiese, Theater Rigiblick, Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik, March 2013
Lucerne, Kleintheater, Südpol, February 2013
Basel, Kaserne, Theater Roxy, January 2013
Credits
Initiative, Concept, Direction: Mats Staub
Collaborator, Editor: Anna Papst, Nadine Tobler, Evelyne Zinsstag, Catarina Schwendener
Design: Heé+Coboi (Krispin Heé, Katharina Reidy)
Website Programming: Philipp & Heé GmbH (Basil Philipp, Andras Heé)
Scenography: Luana Paladino, Nathalie Brunner, Moritz Lehner
Production Manager:Judith Rohrbach
Producer: zwischen_produktionen
Co-producer: ACT
In co-operation with: Kaserne Basel, Theater Roxy Birsfelden, Kleintheater Luzern, Südpol Luzern, Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, Theater Winkelwiese, Theater Rigiblick, Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik Zürich, Auawirleben Bern, Theater Tuchlaube Aarau, Theater Chur, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Festival Theaterformen Braunschweig, Kunstfest Weimar
With support from: Pro Helvetia, Migros-Kulturprozent, Fondation Nestlé pour l'Art, Stadt Zürich Kultur, Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur, Fuka-Fonds Luzern, Kanton Luzern Bildungs- und Kulturdepartement, Aargauer Kuratorium, Stadt Aarau, Swisslos-Fonds Basel Stadt, Jubiläumsstiftung der Basellandschaftlichen Kantonalbank, Swisslos Kulturförderung Kanton Graubünden, L'arc – Littérature et atelier de réflexion contemporaine