The far° in brief

The far° festival et fabrique des arts vivants, otherwise known as far° Nyon, has been renowned for 40 years for its festival, which takes place every summer in Nyon in August. The aim of this cultural and artistic highlight is to present and promote projects by artists from the contemporary performing arts scene, both in Switzerland and abroad. Audiences can see circus and dance performances, theatre productions, performances, exhibitions and open-air concerts, as well as taking part in group discussions such as workshops, meetings, workshops and debates. This makes the far° festival des arts vivants a very varied event in terms of artistic offerings, paying and/or free, accessible to everyone.

Since 2018, far° has had the distinctive feature of being a venue with two distinct temporalities; its activities extend throughout the year under the name of fabrique des arts vivants, whose main axes are support for creation – and more specifically for emerging contemporary artists – hosting artist residencies, long-term artistic accompaniment as well as mediation and cultural participation initiatives.

Since February 2022, Anne-Christine Liske has been the director of far° Nyon, supported by a team of 4 year-round staff and a larger team during the festival.

Laboratory for experimentation

far° Nyon is developing a perma-curatorial approach to the performing arts, with the aim of making them more sustainable – ecologically, humanely, artistically and socially. Positioning itself as a laboratory for experimentation in a world in transition, far° seeks to contribute, both through its operations and its programming, to current social debates.

 Supporting emerging artists

One of far°’s main missions is to support the creation of new works, in particular by accompanying artists at the start of their careers. This support takes the form of residencies and specific programmes. For example, the Extra Time Plus programme, run by far° in collaboration with Südpol (Lucerne) and partners from Ticino (FIT & LAC Lugano, Ticino is Burning), offers support for the production and distribution, at national level, of artists from the different language regions of Switzerland. In 2023, far° is launching a new residency in partnership with the CCD (Centre de compétences en durabilité, University of Lausanne): Récits du futur, a residency for research, writing and creation.

Promoting in situ creation

In its artistic project, far° aims to promote in situ creation. In the performing arts, situated – or in situ – projects are defined as works created in a specific geographical location, outside the conventional buildings where shows are staged. The challenge is to create a piece that interacts with the concrete realities of the site (spatial, topographical, political, social…), whether in the city or in the countryside. The creative process here is largely based on observing and gathering information in the field, researching and raising awareness of local cultural issues, establishing links and collaborating with local societies and, finally, making the artistic gesture resonate with more global aesthetic or societal issues.

Identifying places, meeting their inhabitants, both human and non-human, and putting them in touch with each other is an essential stage in the development of these projects. The fact that far° is firmly rooted in its region and the expertise of its team in putting these projects together means that artists can benefit from invaluable support in the creative process, particularly in the context of the residencies at the fabrique des arts vivants, which are offered in the run-up to the festival. In order to provide artists with the best possible support, the far° team has built up a vast network of contacts between artists, the public and private and/or institutional partners. Every year, around 1/3 of the artistic projects presented at the festival are involved.