Experience culture rather than just consume it

“A festival that doesn’t just talk about culture, but is created together with the people who live it.” That is Filippo Armati’s vision for Afro-Pfingsten. He has been the festival’s new director since August. Armati grew up in Ticino, where he developed an interest in culture as a teenager. He studied cultural studies at the University of Bologna, where he was introduced to various artistic disciplines – from theatre and dance to visual arts, film and music. From the very beginning, these studies gave him an open-minded perspective on different art forms. At the same time, he developed a passion for contemporary dance, which he pursued intensively alongside his studies and which eventually took him to London, where he trained in contemporary dance.
 

“I want to support creativity without the constraints of form.”

- Filippo Armati

He began creating his own pieces and organising events. In the years that followed, Armati worked internationally, travelling to various cities within the European dance and performance scene. It was there that what had been with him since his studies finally began to take shape: a way of working in which different disciplines come together: “I want to support creativity without the constraints of form.”

A defining moment in his career was a stay in Egypt. Thanks to a grant from Pro Helvetia, Armati lived in Cairo for several months. He collaborated with a choreography centre, taught courses and organised a major multidisciplinary event featuring artists from the fields of dance, theatre and music. Looking back, this moment seems to him like an early starting point for his current work: “When I see that I am now running a festival for African culture, I realise that I actually started right there.” After many years abroad, Armati returned to Ticino: “It wasn’t my plan to come back. But then I thought that I’d grown up there and could give something back to the region.” He began to set up his own projects – including two festivals and a cultural centre in Bellinzona. His aim had been to create a “healthy ecosystem for the arts”, because the independent scene there was less established than in the rest of Switzerland.

Last year, Armati attended Afro-Pfingsten for the first time. He was particularly impressed by the festival’s atmosphere and the diversity of its cultural expressions. It quickly became clear to him that the festival had great potential. Now, as the festival’s director, Armati wants to place particular emphasis on encounters, workshops and discussions alongside the concerts: “Culture should not just be consumed, but experienced.” There should be more interaction between concerts, rituals, club culture, talks and workshops. For him, experience is the most important thing: “When people meet in new contexts, new ideas, connections and perspectives emerge that would never have come about without this setting.” Visitors shouldn’t just attend a concert and then go home again. Rather, it’s about meeting new people, discovering other cultures and broadening one’s own perspectives. “You step outside your usual circles a bit and perhaps discover a new side to yourself in the process,” says Armati. He is amazed at what Winterthur has to offer: “The city is very lively and there are lots of cultural events taking place.” Winterthur is more than just a suburb of Zurich. He was particularly impressed by the blend of down-to-earthness and cultural openness: “You can sense that here, culture isn’t just decoration, but part of the social fabric.»

“I’d like to see a festival that both celebrates and raises questions, and brings together people who might otherwise never meet.”

- Filippo Armati

Armati is still getting to know the city, and that is precisely what makes it so exciting for him. “I attend as many events as possible and enjoy getting to know other cultural practitioners,” he says. He rarely gets out to dance these days. Organising the festival takes up too much of his time. But he hasn’t given up on movement entirely. He continues to train for himself, for example with yoga, and is occasionally invited to lead workshops. However, his focus is currently firmly on his new role as festival director. His vision for the festival is clear: Afro-Pfingsten should be a place where music, audience and city come together in resonance for a few days. “I want a festival that both celebrates and raises questions, and brings together people who might otherwise never meet,” says the new director. For him, it is not just about big names on the programme. Armati emphasises that Afro-Pfingsten should first and foremost strengthen dialogue with existing scenes and communities. It is important to him to provide a platform for new voices from Switzerland. He is therefore cautious about “wish lists” of artists. Instead, he is interested in collaborations between established and emerging artists, between Africa, Europe and the diaspora.

He finds projects that combine music, performance and ritual particularly exciting. At the same time, he says, a festival must always keep its various target audiences in mind. Trends change quickly, says Armati. That is why he wants to showcase traditional aspects of African and Afro-diasporic culture, whilst also incorporating new developments. “In ten years’ time, my vision is for Afro-Pfingsten to be recognised as one of the most important festivals in Europe when it comes to African and Afro-diasporic culture in all its diversity.” As Switzerland becomes increasingly multicultural, Armati is convinced that interest in such festivals will continue to grow.

to the programme of Afro-Pfingsten.