On invitation of the Swiss Embassy in Singapore the documentary “A Vaccine at the Speed of Light (The BioNTech Project)” will be screened at the movie theater “The Projector” on June 14. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Michael Schindhelm. Here more information about the film: With the help of mRNA technology, […]
Together with Filmerei Zurich we are currently filming and producing a documentary about Hong Kong’s museum for visual culture M+. After three years of isolation Hong Kong is open to international audiences again. We are taking a look at one of the most striking cities and its arts scene. M+ offers a complete range of […]
At the invitation of the Basel H. Geiger Cultural Foundation (KBH.G), we will develop a double exhibition in the spring and fall of 2024, which will take place both in the Foundation’s exhibition spaces and in collaboration with a number of institutions in Basel and elsewhere. An online presence is also planned. Preparations for the […]
Almost seven years after its release, the cinema documentary THE CHINESE LIVES OF ULI SIGG is still topical. It has recently been presented on Swiss television’s streaming platform PLAY SUISSE. Trailer Trailer The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg In order to better understand China, Uli Sigg, who entered the country in 1980 as an entrepreneur […]
Our BioNTech Documentary has been awarded at the 2022 German Business Film Awards, Category I, 3rd prize. “Mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit zum Impfstoff: Das Projekt BioNTech” (2021) Runtime 52-min. The German Industrial Film Award serves to promote German films that deal with topics of the modern industrial and service society in Germany. It has been awarded annually […]
As part of the further education programme EMAA (Eexecutive Master of Arts Administration), Michael Schindhelm once again taught at the University of Zurich. This time, the aim was to discuss how the massive social transformation of the People’s Republic of China is reflected in art and culture. Parallel to the Party Congress of the Communist […]
The film about the entrepreneur, patron and art collector Uli Sigg and his multifaceted history with China since the Cultural Revolution, which is now over six years old, will continue to be shown in cinemas. There will be a screening in Pforzheim on 24 October 2022 in presence of Michael Schindhelm. Trailer website movie theater
Original in German: Contemplating about Heimat Raw English translation: I have lived in Switzerland for more than twenty-six years and always on the border. In Basel it was still a few hundred metres to France and Germany, but for sixteen years the river passing by the house has been the only thing separating me from […]
Since 23 September 2022, the German Museum of Technology Berlin has been showing the exhibition “Project Lightspeed – With mRNA Technology to the Corona Vaccine” which has been developed in collaboration with BioNTech, the agency C4 and Berlin producers. At the same time, an online version of the exhibition was developed, which can be visited […]
On Sept 26 at Laufen Castle in Switzerland Dalya Mousa, Director for Culture at Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Riyadh, and Michael Schindhelm will talk about the role of culture and arts in the current social development of Saudi Arabia. The talk is part of the S.T.A.R.S. executive further education program hosted at the Switzerland […]
Project Lightspeed The German Museum of Technology will present the special exhibition “Project Lightspeed – With mRNA Technology to the Corona Vaccine” from 23 September 2022. The special exhibition “Project Lightspeed – With mRNA Technology to the Corona Vaccine” shows the development of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, which was implemented in record time. It […]
The Kulturforum Berlin will again present Michael Schindhelm’s sound installation “Wie es war wird” (What is was and will be) almost a year after its premiere on September 4, 2022. On one of Berlin’s most important public squares and cultural venues, a collage of voices and sounds will be heard that on the one hand […]
Broadcast of our documentary film about long-term migrants from Ticino, past and present, on RSI, the Italian Swiss TV Aug 7, 22.25. Since Aug 19 the film is available on the streaming platform Play Suisse: Film on Play Suisse Watch the trailer here: “People will never stop leaving their homes, by force or by choice, […]
Michael Schindhelm has received the Herbert Quandt Media Award 2022 for his documentary “Revolution in Medicine – Project BioNTech” (literal German title translation : “A Vaccine at Lightspeed: The BioNTech Project“), broadcast on 30 October 2021 on ARTE. The award comes with a prize money of €20,000. Laudatory speech by jury member Horst von Butlar: “A […]
Our documentary about Project Lightspeed, BioNTech’s adventure to develop and produce the first vaccine against Covid-19, is now also available on the new Swiss streaming platform Play Suisse:
In January 2002, a new playhouse was opened under the leadership of Michael Schindhelm, then artistic director of the Theater Basel. One of the spectacular things about it was the local commitment to financial donations for the construction: over 400 Basel residents contributed more than 20 million Swiss francs to the building development. This year, […]
Talk Friday, 3 June 2022, 7:30 pm Monte Verità Congress and Cultural Centre, Ascona Introduction to the topic “For more than twenty-five years I have lived in Switzerland and always on the border. In Basel a few hundred metres to France and Germany, but for the last fifteen years we have been separated by the […]
Cinema Otello, Ascona, 20.15 13.5. 2022 Documentary OUTLAND (2021) by Michael Schindhelm. Followed by a conversation with the director Trailer:
Yawen Yeo and Michael Schindhelm have produced a short film in collaboration with Swiss artist Angela Lyn about her life and work. “On the Edge of Time” will be premiered on May 7 at Villa Arconati near Milan before the opening of the homonymous exhibition by Angela Lyn which creates a resonance between her life […]
As part of the Executive Master of Arts Adminstration (EMAA) at the University of Zurich, Michael Schindhelm will run a seminar on “Adhocracy and Crisis Management in Culture” on 7 May. Adhocracy is considered a promising concept of social organisation when conditions are volatile. In light of the fading pandemic as well as the war […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhz8IeqbGuI In this stars Webinar, stars International Board Member Michael SCHINDHELM, Writer, Filmmaker, Advisor on Culture and Arts, Lugano/Singapore, talks about leadership, the significance of culture and art for society and business, about innovation and human resources. Some take-aways are: Michael SCHINDHELM (MS) and Angela MERKEL, to become the Chancellor of Germany later on, shared in […]
Watch in English (short version, available depending on geo-location): https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VMZtG0O9sbU&feature=youtu.be Next transmission (German and French) on Arte TV, February 5, 2022, 11.10 pm (not available in Switzerland): https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/103509-000-A/mit-lichtgeschwindigkeit-zum-impfstoff/ Since the beginning of the 21st century, scientists Uğur Şahin und Özlem Türeci have pursued the goal of creating cancer treatments that are specific to individuals. The firm […]
The filmmaker is always in search of that relevant moment. One that may come to be symbolic of our era, or opens a window into the future. Film holds a special relationship to the present time, capturing the moment unlike any other medium. It attempts at distilling the essence of our time and to imagine what might come to […]
Leute is a talk show on Südwestrundfunk (SWR). The conversation with Nicole Köster revolved around, among other things, the film “Revolution in Medicine, the Project Biontech”, as well as other current cultural projects by Michael Schindhelm. Watch the video (in German only): https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/swr1-leute-oder-dokumentarfilmer-und-kulturforscher/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE1NzE1NTU/
Our documentary film about long-term migrants from Ticino, past and present, premieres on November 28, 2021. Watch the trailer here: “People will never stop leaving their homes, by force or by choice, despite closing borders and lockdowns. This film takes place in Ticino, the Swiss canton in the South, a place I came to call […]
Arte Documentary about BioNTech A Revolution in Medicine at the Speed of Light Michael Schindhelm in conversation with Dieter Kassel (in German)https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/arte-dokumentation-ueber-biontech-eine-heldengeschichte-in.1008.de.html?dram:article_id=504911 The Arte documentary “A Vaccine at Lightspeed (The BioNTech Project)” (German title : “Mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit zum Impfstoff (Das Projekt BioNTech)„) covers BioNTech’s rapid development of its vaccine against Covid-19. For this, filmmaker […]
A small, unknown start-up from the German provinces has won the race against time and the biggest pharmaceutical companies in developing a Corona vaccine. The incredible story of the Biontech founding couple, told first-hand. The full text here (only in German): MAG_2021_41_p012-mag1016_gte_Biontech
A Vaccine at the Speed of Light (The BioNTech Project) German title : Mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit zum Impfstoff (Das Projekt BioNTech) A film by Michael Schindhelm Switzerland, Germany, France, USA 2021 Length: 52 minutes First broadcast: SRF (Switzerland) 24.10.2021 22.30; ARTE (Germany/France) 30.10.2021 21.45, Deutsche Welle DW worldwide in November 2021. Website Swiss TV https://tinyurl.com/5urww5wj Website […]
In its application for the European Capital of Culture 2025 “Neue Heimat Dresden”, the city of Dresden, with Michael Schindhelm as curator, developed a concept for the Neue Heimat X-Culture, which is to establish itself in Dresden in the next few years. The focus is on strengthening the European dimension of urban identity and thus […]
Interview with German public radio, only in German available Deutschlandfunk Kultur – Interview 30.09.2021 07:37 Uhr Podcast here: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/expo-in-dubai-die-erste-weltausstellung-im-arabischen-raum.1008.de.html?dram:article_id=503678 EXPO IN DUBAI: Die erste Weltausstellung im arabischen Raum Michael Schindhelm im Gespräch mit Stephan Karkowsky Das Emirat Dubai lädt ab heute zur Expo ein. Sechs Monate, in denen Weltneuheiten präsentiert und Millionen Besucher erwartet werden. Kulturberater Michael […]
Mon 11 Oct 2021 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty Post-screening dialogue WATCH ON YOUTUBE WATCH ON FACEBOOK Rundown 18:15 Registration 18:30-19:55 Documentary Screening 19:55-20:30 Dialogue The documentary, The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg, brings us into a Swiss businessman, diplomat, and art collector’s journey in exploring […]
My neighbours and I in OUTLAND: Essay for DAS MAGAZIN (Zurich) about the making of the feature-length documentary OUTLAND, which will be screened in autumn this year. (text available in German only) OUTLAND Tagi Magi 7.8.21
WHAT IT WAS AND WILL BE. Voices in the Cultural Forum (A sound installation by Michael Schindhelm and Claudio Bucher) Voices: Corinna Kirchhoff and Michael Hanemann, Cornelius Rapp (sound engineering/audio production), Johann Otten (content collaboration/sound design), LORACS GmbH (LRAD technology) Utopias are the blueprints for imaginary spaces in time; the mythical golden age or a […]
Filmerei (Zurich) and Berlin Producers (Berlin) are producing a documentary together with filmmaker and author Michael Schindhelm about the invention, production and future outlook of the BioNTech mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. The film brings together BioNTech co-founders Dr. Özlem Türeci and Prof. Ugur Sahin, their colleagues who were directly involved in the development and production […]
A reading from “Walter Spies. An Exotic Life”, initiated by the Thuringian Literature Council. Where : Gallery Smend, Cologne When : 24 Jan 2021 Walter Spies, a free-spirited, highly talented painter and musician with a zest for life. In 1923 he was hired as a sailor and travelled to Bali, via Java, where he settled […]
New York (US) : From 30 April to 3 May, Asia Society will hold daily screenings in New York City of our 2016 documentary film “The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg”. An award ceremony will be held on 3 May in honour of Uli Sigg, with a discussion led by Uli Sigg and Michael Schindhelm […]
Together with Zurich-based producer Filmerei, Michael Schindhelm and Yawen Schindhelm-Yeo are starting work on the documentary about M+, the first museum of its kind in Asia. Produced for Swiss TV SF DRS and 3Sat, the film focuses on M+ Museum’s opening in summer 2021 in the midst of Hong Kong’s dynamic social situation. The M+ documentary completes a […]
OUTLAND : A documentary in the making. Ticino, Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland, is an unlikely refuge for non-conformists from all over the world who eventually settled there. The documentary traces some of these individuals in the present and near past. Ticino is a strange canton, both praised as a sunny state and snubbed as a […]
Together with Zurich-based producer Filmerei, Michael Schindhelm and Yawen Schindhelm-Yeo are starting work on the documentary “Museum M+: Art & Protest in Hong Kong”. Museum M+ is the first of its kind in Asia, the museum Asia doesn’t yet have. The film, produced for Swiss TV SF DRS and 3Sat, focuses on M+ Museum’s opening […]
Update : Watch the video highlights from the “Culture in the Time of Covid” webinar, organised by ASEF (Asia-Europe Foundation) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Singapore. Recorded on 21 & 28 Jan 2021, courtesy of ASEF. Culture in the Time of Covid: Episode 1 Thursday, 21 January 2021 16:00-17:00 SGT via YouTube live broadcast […]
Culture without Blueprint. EMAA at UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH Weekend Module 8 – 10 Jan, 2021, online Our cultural landscape is in a state of upheaval. Some critics see this exclusively as a threat, others celebrate the advance of the Popular Culture and the emerging digital forms of culture as a liberation from cultural paternalism. The […]
7th Digital Cultural Policy Expert Forum on 27 November 10.45 to 18 hrs in Berlin hosted by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Germany How can art & culture as well as cultural spaces be protected and strengthened, especially in view of the 2nd lockdown in November? How can creative artists design spaces for encounter, experience and debate […]
The collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate Development Authority is set to continue for three more years. The Board of Directors has re-appointed Michael Schindhelm along with three members of the Heritage and Culture Committee until June 2023. Diriyah Gate Development Authority was established by Royal Decree in July 2017 to preserve, celebrate and develop the Unesco heritage site At-Turaif and the area of Diriyah […]
A reading from “Walter Spies. An Exotic Life”, an initiative of the Thuringian Literature Council Unfortunately, this event has been postponed to a later date in spring 2021. The exact details will be announced later. Where : Gallery Smend, Cologne When : 04 Nov 2020 Walter Spies, a free-spirited, highly talented painter and musician with […]
In collaboration with Palladium Group and Fondazione Augusto Rancilio, Michael Schindhelm & Yawen Schindhelm-Yeo are developing a short film project featuring the historical Villa Arconati. The Villa Arconati-FAR is a heritage property of great historical, cultural and architectural value. It remains one of the most beautiful and majestic Villas in Milan. Together with its Garden, […]
“Echoräume des Schocks” (Echo Chambers of Shocks) : How the Corona period changes us Book presentation and reading When : 2 September 2020 Where : Palisa, Berlin In 25 contributions, cultural and creative professionals trace the echoes of this time, report on events in politics and society and share their fears and hopes in their […]
Anti-Tango. Essay about the future of the arts for DAS MAGAZIN, Zurich, July 2020 (in German) PDF – Anti-Tango
Essay about a new understanding of the contemporary to prevent an obsession with the future. Tagesspiegel Berlin, July 2020. (in German) PDF – Krisenbetrachtungen aus einem Tessiner Dorf
The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg (Dir.: Michael Schindhelm, Switzerland, 2016, 93 min., English) Uli Sigg is not a man who does things by halves. “My ego, my way” says a t-shirt he wears at one point in the film. When he took up rowing, he went to the world championships. When he negotiated a […]
The first part of this paper examines the geopolitical and socio-political situation since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, with a focus on Europe. The second part discusses possible consequences for the cultural sector within the European continent. The paper concludes by attempting to understand the role of culture in post-pandemic society. PDF: What […]
The USA’s National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian) will stream “THE CHINESE LIVES OF ULI SIGG” for the entire month of May 2020. On May 30, there will be a talk with Uli Sigg, Michael Schindhelm and Smithsonian’s host Tom Vick. Stream it here Promo Code: SMITHSONIAN The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg […]
Indonesian art meets Dresden stories: What does an artist need to live? “Summer 2019, a studio in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A young artist paints on an eight-meter painting. It shows an oriental prince on a horse, a smoking volcano and: a Dresden tram..” (continued) https://www.dresden2025.de/en/events/2019/the-curious-deal_215529.php
“On Thursday 12 December 2019, the European Jury officially announced its shortlist of which German bidding cities in the German national competition have gained a place in the final round for the title of “European Capital of Culture 2025”. The City of Dresden bid did not progress to the next candidate stage...” https://www.dresden2025.de/de/news/archiv/2019/even-without-title.php
Journalist Ferda Ataman and Michael Schindhelm discuss the possibilities of reconciliation on the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Some things might remain irreconciled.. Podcast – German [7m 28s] Audio Transcription – English
“The fall of 1989 appears grey and pale in light of current politics. Remembrance routines unbelievably mask the ongoing depression. The longer I am away from Germany, the more I get to see this successful, introverted country through the lens of others. Therefore, I don’t share the depression which hangs over our memories like a […]
The digital age not only dominates our everyday lives, but has also lastingly changed contemporary art: Artists and museums experiment with apps and algorithms or deal with virtual, augmented and mixed reality. Keynote speech on the Forum: PDF – UBS presentation
“My aim in this application is to define Dresden as a laboratory for a new concept of culture. It is a concept to bring culture back into the centre of society and social discourses. First and foremost, I want to listen to the people in Dresden, to find out what moves them, in order to […]
Upon invitation by organisers of the Platform, Michael Schindhelm, curator of Dresden’s European Capital of Culture 2025 campaign, attempts to answer the question: What is new in art today? Available in German : Wo ist das Neue? from Michael Schindhelm on Vimeo.
Dresden applies for “European Capital of Culture 2025” with the motto Neue Heimat. The bid book will be submitted by end of September. “Dresden has long since been a cultural hotspot, thanks to internationally famous landmarks like the Semperoper or the Frauenkirche,” said Mayor Dirk Hilbert about the application, due to be submitted on 30 […]
Following the Vernissage on 11 October and a talk by Michael Schindhelm, the Capital of Culture Office will reveal the full contents of the bid book. All cooperation partners in the application lead projects as well as actors from the platform process will be given the opportunity to exhibit their work, ideas and visions for […]
A pioneer of intercultural exchange: Walter Spies in Bali, seen from a contemporary perspective (by Michael Schindhelm, Talk and seminar, 8, 9, August 2019, Indonesian Art Institute Denpasar) This talk and seminar explore cross-cultural experiences on the case study of the German painter and musician Walter Spies who lived and worked in Indonesia (Dutch Indies) […]
The story of Uli Sigg, the Swiss manager, diplomat and art collector, who introduced 40 years ago market economy to China and created the largest collection of contemporary Chinese art worldwide. Screening Dates Tue, 16.4.2019 19:30 hrs Tue, 21.5.2019, 19:30 hrs
Andrea Gerk interviewed Michael Schindhelm about his recently published novel “Letzter Vorhang” for the literary magazine “Lesart”. The interview focused on theaters, such as the Volksbuehne, as specific structures, “that can also produce special forms of coexistence”: The theater can become a shelter “against a changing reality. And if that goes too far, it is […]
On February 16, the Basler Zeitung not only published an article on “The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg”, but furthermore an interview with Michael Schindhelm. Starting with Schindhelm’s career at various theatres, interviewer Raphael Suter addresses the latest documentary film as well. After working as cultural consultant for many years, Schindhelm admits that more and […]
Following a decision by German chancellor Angela Merkel, numerous refugees were granted access to Germany in September 2015. An article in the German weekly DIE ZEIT focuses on the consequences of the past weeks, both for Merkel’s legacy and for Germany. The author Tina Hildebrandt mentions a quote from the novel Roberts Reise (Robert’s Journey) […]
On June 1st, Uli Sigg – entrepreneur, diplomat and art collector – will give a lecture at ZHdK. Not only that Sigg founded the first joint venture between the People’s Republic of China and a Western company; furthermore he served as Swiss ambassador in Beijing from 1995 to 1998. An acknowledged expert on China, Sigg […]
On March 4, the Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano hosts a talk headed ART + CITY = ARTCITY? Hans d’Orville, Christoph Schenker and Michael Schindhelm discuss the impact of urban transformations on the work of cultural practitioners. Moderator will be Lorenzo Rudolf. ART + CITY = ARTCITY? March 4, 2015, 6.30 pm Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano
waahr.de, the so-called “online archive for literary journalism” (initiated by Joachim Bessing, Ingo Niermann and Anne Waak) features six essays and reports by Michael Schindhelm. The texts (available in German only) are available here.
In January 2015, Heilbronn University will host the 9th Annual Conference of the Association of Cultural Management in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Michael Schindhelm is among the speakers who will focus on the future development of cultural management, including the question what roles European cultural goods play in the globalized world. 9th Annual Conference of […]
In January 2015, Architektur Galerie Berlin presents the work of the Moscow-based office WOWHAUS. The exhibition introduces the oeuvre of Oleg Shapiro and Dmitry Likin, founders of WOWHAUS in 2007, as an architecture for communication: The projects of Shapiro and Likin focus on architecture’s capacity to not only enable, but to actually trigger social interaction. […]
On November 13, Michael Schindhelm gave a lecture at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin. Part of a talk called “Die Welt bei uns zu Hause”, the lecture focused on the Humbolt Forum which will be a part of the currently rebuilt Berlin City Palace. The keynote contemplates on the Humboldt Forum as a potential […]
In November 2014, the 8th Deutsche Bank Forum took place in Berlin. Various experts, including the former German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guido Westerwelle, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn, Rüdiger Grube and the chairwoman of the Bertelsmann Foundation, Brigitte Mohn, examined the issue “Welt im Wandel – Werte im Wandel”. Michael Schindhelm gave a lecture […]
On October 5, “Square” a programme by the German-French TV network ARTE focused on migration. Among others, the programme featured Michael Schindhelm, who initiated the project “Friday in Venice”, dealing with Europe’s most urgent question. Migration is definitely one of them. The same day, the radio station MDR also aired a talk with Michael Schindhelm. […]
In the recent edition of the “ZHdK Lectures on Global Culture”, the renowned architect Dominique Perrault, designer of the French national library in Paris, dealt with “The Disappearance of Architecture. Between Presence and Absence”. Addressing the issue of “absent” spaces, Perrault focused on subterranean architecture. That is, with the atrium of the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, […]
Being the INTENDANT, Michael Schindhelm appeared in a performance of Daniel Koetter’s state-theatre. In this monologue, performed by Michael Schindhelm in the Duesseldorf headquarter of the broke German bank WestLB, the INTENDANT ponders the strange contradiction between public sponsoring for the arts and the bail-out packages for European banks: How comes that pax payers willingly […]
Lavapolis, an island as large as Malta, deeper than any other island in the Mediterranean rift between the coast of Crete, Sicily and the Libyan coast, has been inhabited and visited by people who expose themselves deliberately a social experiment. Some of them speak here about their experience for the first time. Friday, who is […]
LAVAPOLIS.COM, the trans media storytelling website hosting the story about the heterotopic island Lavapolis and the debate game “Friday in Venice”, will be launched at the European Youth Media Days 2014 and on the occasion of the European Youth Event 2014 in the European Parliament of Strasbourg on May 8. Initiator and writer Michael Schindhelm […]
Rem Koolhaas, architect, author, teacher and curator of the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, gives an overview on the three „conditions“ examined within the framework of the exhibition. Under the comprehensive title “Absorbing Modernity”, the national pavillons shed a light on the modernization that took place during the past hundred years – a modernization which questioned, […]
The sun hovers over the Great Hall of the People like a Chinese lantern. Two huge screens show dancers in red and blue costumes flitting from side to side in the middle of the square. Their constant smile is like the porcelain dolls on a toy clock, where the mechanism has gone seriously wrong. I […]
