Between performance and exchange

Editor Pascale Diggelmann

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A space for artistic exploration of social issues: the interdisciplinary SALON OUTSIGHT series is entering its next phase. The theme: the female body in science.

The perspective is feminist, the space is open to exchange, the performances span various disciplines, and the audience: feel free to be curious. Following the first edition of SALON OUTSIGHT on the theme of ‘Women on Stage – Perspectives and Outlooks’ (which also featured an article), the programme now features artistic works exploring the female body in academia. The evening comprises a theatrical concert about an eating disorder, a performance about artificial insemination, a participatory reading about the treatment of women in medicine, a video essay about abortion, and a short film about the formation of one’s own identity under social pressure.

The five performances invite you to share in the artists’ experiences. To immerse yourself in other realities of life, to broaden your own horizons. And: to allow oneself to be moved. For where science loses itself in abstraction and differing attitudes create distance, art and culture can create emotional access and connection.

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SALON OUTSIGHT 2nd Edition

The second edition of SALON OUTSIGHT on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, will focus on the female body as perceived in a medical and scientific context. Five works ...

SALON OUTSIGHT was launched in 2025 by Franziska Bruecker, musician and composer, as part of a carte blanche at Moods. It was a first for Bruecker, who was taking on the role of organiser and curator for the first time. The format was well received, and the wealth of feedback from people who were inspired to reflect provided further impetus: “I realised how much of a difference you can make when you give someone a platform,” said Franziska Bruecker of her motivation to continue the project.

Mit «frau heilt (party) – a rehearsal» von Julia Haenni unter der Regie von Giulia Rumasuglia entsteht eine partizipative Lesung, die sich auf humorvolle, bittere und zugleich poetische Weise mit weiblichen Körpern, Medizin und gesellschaftlichen Zuschreibungen auseinandersetzt.

For this second edition, she has brought on board the singer, artist and educator Dalia Donadio. “I’m interested in open formats like the Salon. In particular, how these formats can be used to engage with the audience,” says Dalia Donadio. Because that is the second part of this evening: exchange and discussion.

The idea is to encourage the audience to put into words what they have just seen. To form their own opinions through conversation. Especially on topics on which the audience may not yet have formed an opinion. “It’s meant to be an opportunity, a bit of fun. You can join in, but you don’t have to,” says Franziska Bruecker.

The first round is a speed-dating style conversation format, followed by a discussion at a long table. This way, you can test your opinion in a one-on-one setting first and then perhaps feel more confident about saying something in the larger group.

The two curators hope for as diverse an audience as possible: “It would be nice if it weren’t a homogeneous group, if there were different opinions and if people engaged in discussion through their differences of opinion,” says Franziska Bruecker. And anyway: “These are top-class artists performing on stage here. You don’t have to be a feminist to want to watch this.” Because: “We simply want to have a good time, bring people together and facilitate encounters,” says Dalia Donadio.

About the project

The Salon Outsight was launched in 2025 by Franziska Bruecker as part of a carte blanche at Moods. The catalyst for this was her solo piece *Essay on Distance*. Theme: What it is like to be on stage as a woman and as a singer. The more Franziska Bruecker explored this, the clearer it became that she was not the only one grappling with these issues. This is how the idea for SALON OUTSIGHT came about. It was already evident last year that the format struck a chord: 25 projects were submitted in response to the open call, and following the performance at Moods, the programme was subsequently shown at the Kaserne in Basel and the Neubad in Lucerne – the recap video. The overwhelmingly positive response has led Bruecker to continue SALON OUTSIGHT.