Biography

The choreographer, director, set designer and physical actor Martin Zimmermann (*1970) grew up in Widberg, a small village in Switzerland. After studying set design in Zurich, he graduated from the Centre National des Arts du Cirque (C.N.A.C.) in France, with distinction. For well over 20 years he has choreographed and produced visual and physical theatre without words, productions in which the body and objects collide amidst mobile set designs while magically blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. His work has been performed on prestigious stages around the world, such as BAM New York, Théâtre de la Ville Paris and Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, among others. Between 1999 and 2004 he created the trilogy Gopf, Hoi and Janei together with MZdP. In 2005 he produced and choreographed Anatomie Anomalie for Compagnie Anomalie. From 2006 to 2012 he created four pieces – Gaff Aff, Öper Öpis, Chouf Ouchouf (interpreted by Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger) and Hans was Heiri – in collaboration with Dimitri de Perrot. In 2014 he developed and interpreted Hallo at Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, followed by Der Besucher in conjunction with the Alexander Calder & Fischli / Weiss exhibition at the Foundation Beyeler in 2016. In 2017 he staged Bienvenue, the latest solo performance by Eugénie Rebetez, with whom he regularly collaborates. In the same year he and Augustin Rebetez were invited to Festival Images Vevey for the debut screening of the Mr. Skeleton short film series. Parallel to that he began working on his most recent creation Eins Zwei Drei, a piece for three high-ranking dancers and physical actors as well as the talented composer and pianist Colin Vallon. Eins Zwei Drei celebrated its premiere at Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne on April 24, 2018. All of his pieces are currently on international tour. Martin Zimmermann lives in Zurich.

About Martin Zimmermann work

The confluence of humour, magic and absurdity gives rise to the singularity of Martin Zimmermann’s artistic works. He creates whimsical, outlandish worlds for his pieces in which to stage his figures and bizarre objects. The ordinary is often extracted from reality and set in his parallel worlds, where it appears oddly misplaced and absurd. By wreaking havoc on conventions, challenging the customary and unearthing the hidden, he allows the improbable to emerge as plausible and prompts viewers to think differently. If Zimmermann himself does not perform in his pieces, then he brings together physical actors, extraordinary dancers and virtuoso artists to become accomplices in his tragicomic universe. The artist carves out the character silhouette of every individual figure with the same precision, care and passion for detail as he does with his set designs. Martin Zimmermann’s choreographic hallmark is distinguished by the taut rhythm which enables images and scenes to unfold. At the heart of his work lies the dialogue between the human body and objects which have a life of their own as they meet head-on and interact in a primarily unstable and unpropitious space. His work begins with a space which evolves in the creative process and gives way for a physical and visual theatre without words. The focus is on the complexity of human nature. Martin Zimmermann’s work is shaped by his beginnings as a circus artist.