AAA Experiments

Seminars, talks and exhibitions from the 7 October 2024

AAA Experiments is an experimental exhibition developed in collaboration with students, researchers and professors of ETH Zurich, and curated by Daniel Baumann, director Kunsthalle Zürich, and Adrian Notz, freelance curator and former curator of the AI+Art programme at the ETH Zurich. ETH Professor Catherine De Wolf and her students will build the ‘Mehrwerk’ stand from reused building elements that will be used by audiences for public talks and seminars starting on 7 October. During the course of the exhibition additional projects and small exhibitions, developed by the students, will be added.

AAA Experiments is a real and imaginary building and an alternative academy where art and science meet, and where students, professors and visitors develop content. It is a testing ground beyond expectations, a place for success and for failure, and a platform that must find and adapt its form and purpose. Form will indeed be key, as it performs and defines our relationship to the world, and our everyday lives. In the words of visionary architect Yona Friedman: ‘act without planning’ and ‘intelligence starts with improvisation’.

AAA Experiments is open to all, and the results are not predictable. We ask you, our visitors, to be open minded, curious and generous – you may be bored, enchanted and inspired. Our agenda online provides the most up to date information about public talks on Thursday evenings, as well as different seminars and events at Kunsthalle Zürich.

AAA Experiments is made up of four chapters:

1. 'Mehrwerk'

The 'Mehrwerk' is designed and built by Prof. Catherine De Wolf together with her researchers, students and the Kunsthalle Zürich technicians using material from the former Huber Pavilion on the ETH’s Hönggerberg campus. The first iteration of Mehrwerk will be presented during the season opening on 27 September. Students will complete the design during the following week in order that the pavilion will be fully functional by 7 October when the educational programme starts.

2. Seminars

Weekly seminars, courses and workshops will be held from 7 October to 19 December.

Tuesdays 2.30–6 pm, Prof Catherine De Wolf (Circular Engineering for Architecture, D-BAUG), Digital Creativity for Circular Construction

Wednesdays 10 am–1 pm, Prof Philip Ursprung (History and Theory of Architecture, D-ARCH), Fachsemester “Peace Out”

Wednesdays 4–7 pm Tiziano Derme (Chair of Prof Benjamin Dillenburger, Digital Building Technologies (dbt), D-ARCH), Unterdecken-BIO: Mycelium as building system, between design iterations and living mockups.

Thursdays 11 am–1 pm, Adrian Christopher Notz (Mentor Prof Dr. Roger Wattenhofer, Distributed Computing Group, D_ITET), Creative Thinking Seminar

Thursdays 1-3 pm, Daniel Baumann (Mentor Prof Philip Ursprung, History and Theory of Architecture, D-ARCH), The School of (Sub)Curating

3. Public Talks

Public talks take place on Thursdays between 10 October and 19 December 2024. These talks start at 7pm; entry is free.

27 September: Grand Opening with Vanessa Schwarzkopf and students (Circular Engineering for Architecture, D-BAUG), 6.30 pm

10 October: Eleni Chatzi (Structural Mechanics and Monitoring) and Janiv Oron (artist)

17 October: Inge Herrmann (Nanoparticles Systems Engineering Lab, D-MAVT) and Liat Grayver (artist)

24 October: Alexander Mordvintsev (Entwickler und Künstler), Haro Combusyan (collector and social entrepreneur) and Yariv Adan (developer and investor)

31 October: Ruth Erdt (artist) and André Bideau (Head MAS GTA, D-ARCH)

7 November: Rosa Barba (artist) and Philip Ursprung (History and Theory of Architecture, D-ARCH)

16 November: Engadin Art Talks x Kunsthalle Zürich with Eleni Chatzi (Structural Mechanics and Monitoring), Günther Vogt (landscape architect) and Pamela Rosenkranz (artist)

21 November: Emily Cross (Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, D-GESS) and Manuel Hendry (filmmaker)

28 November: Catherine De Wolf (Circular Engineering for Architecture, D-BAUG) and Vanessa Schwarzkopf (Circular Engineering for Architecture, D-BAUG)

29/30 November: Futurological Congress by We are AIA, Martina Huber, Mareike Dittmer et al.

5 December: Bob Sumner (ETH Game Technology Center)and Fabio Zünd (ETH Game Technology Center)

12 December: Benjamin Dillenburger (Digital Building Technologies (dbt), D-ARCH) and Tiziano Derme (researcher and artist)

19 December: Vernissage School of (Sub)Curating. Party

Please refer to our agenda for further information.

4. Exhibition

AAA Experiments will also be an evolving exhibition of exhibitions, as the talks and seminars will produce artifacts, displays and micro-exhibitions developing over the course of the exhibition.