An evening of classical music has been announced for the opening of the Zürcher Festspiele, with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and its former chief conductor David Zinman, as well as a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with pianist Radu Lupu at the piano.
In front of the entrance, at the ticket office, in the foyer, at the cloakroom, on the stairs, at the bar, on the terrace and at the VIP aperitif, before the concert, during the interval, after the concert: the message salon ensemble is visiting the Tonhalle and bringing comments, conversations and irritations of varying intensity to an unprepared audience.
The intervention by the ad hoc artist troupe tickles rehearsed poses and behaviour and is dedicated to observing the ritual of a concert visit. The artists irritate with charm, cheekiness, humour and playfulness, disrupting habits, interfering and subtly upsetting the well-rehearsed routine of a concert visit.
The intervention, the hijacking of the institution, not only hints at a critical, artistic view of the cultural institution from the outside and the relationship between the establishment and the art scene. The intervention is also an ironic self-questioning of the artists about their role and the place of art in society. They leave the protected area of the stage and expose themselves to the audience directly and without being asked.
message salon ensemble are: Annina Machaz, Teresa Vittucci, Nils Amadeus Lange, Evalyn Eatdith, Reni Hardmeier, Rahel Sternberg, Timo Krstin, Veli&Amos&Pink Panther, Marisa Godoy, Mark Divo and Laura Lazura. Intermission gong: Mario Marchisella. Poster art: Alexis Saile. ©Photography Ruth Erdt. A production by Esther Eppstein and Marc Walter Streit.
Tonhalle dramaturge Ulrike Thiele writes in the flyer, which is available to concert-goers (excerpts): “…. The Tonhalle Society Zurich has invited the artist Esther Eppstein to a “friendly take-over”.
For many years, Esther Eppstein herself has stood for the “other” Zurich art scene beyond the temples of high culture. The recently published catalogue “Esther Eppstein message salon” documents her work as curator and artist of the “message salon”: an art space in constant flux, where she has offered a forum to young and as yet unknown artists since its beginnings on Rennweg in 1995. ….”
“… But her “message salon” is more than a nomadic exhibition project, it is perhaps Esther Eppstein’s artistic life’s work, like “a kind of social sculpture” (NZZ, 2015) – albeit a very mobile one. With the performance in the Tonhalle, she conquers a new Zurich art venue, and the audience of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich becomes part of her artwork “message salon” for a short time. Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, June 2016