Biography.art: Questions About the Ethical Handling of Personal Stories

Biografie.art questions, examines and illuminates artistic collaborations that incorporate documentary and biographical material; it thematises hierarchies and explores ethical obligations in artistic projects. What are the reasons for working biographically and how? What guidelines apply when dealing with third-party stories? How do I create an appreciative and ethically responsible approach to the stories I share? And how do I deal with eyewitnesses, victims or actors? Relationship work in documentary and biographical work is the main focus.

What does this tool include?

The website offers reports on findings and experiences, questions approaches and encourages ethical reflection and action. Artistic projects are organised by phase. This provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s own artistic perspective through the experiences of other artists, story sharers and assessments from trauma therapy, investigative journalism and social anthropology. A working document is also freely available, which can be used to agree on a common work approach and ethical guidelines with all project participants. If you would like to delve even deeper, you can contact the Biografie.art team for workshops, coaching or discussion formats or similar.

The working document will initially be available for download in German starting in June 2025.

Tags

#ethical questions
#ethics
#fair-practice
#guidelines
#self-questioning #biography #biography-art
#documentary-theatre #documentary-film #trust #exchange-of-experiences #relationship work

For whom is this tool?

For all those who work (auto)biographically and who share their own or others’ stories as part of an artistic project. The project survey tool offers illustrative examples and space for self-exploration and strategic questioning for both project managers and project participants. It also lends itself to relationship work in documentary projects in the performing arts, such as documentary film.

Why is this tool needed?

To give all project participants trust, security, agreement and a feeling of appreciation. Personal stories, in particular, want to be in good hands. People want to feel accurately represented, and anyone working with such material is happy to have binding guidelines and ethical credentials that give all involved employees ethically responsible room for manoeuvre.

Impressum

Ownership:

Dennis Schwabenland, director and actor, and Katja Zellweger, cultural journalist and Germanist, are behind Biografie.art. Dramaturgical advice from director and playwright Anna Papst, production management by Ramun Bernetta.

Contact:

Info@biografie.art

Website

 

m2act × Burning Issues: towards a just, diverse & inclusive culture – Position paper

Artistic management teams are under fire, demands for social sustainability are getting louder and louder, and balancing family life and cultural work remains a major challenge. The Swiss theatre scene is on the move. From 15 to 17 September 2023, the «M2ACT × BURNING ISSUES – Performing Arts & Action» network meeting brought more than 400 cultural professionals from all over Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy together for three days. They jointly developed a position paper containing urgent demands for change in order to make working conditions in the performing arts more sustainable, fairer and more appealing.

What does the tool consist of?

The position paper formulates goals for a fairer, more equitable and more diverse world of work in the performing arts and details the framework in which these goals were formulated. It also lists the authors and first signatories. The position paper constitutes a list of jointly voiced demands, which must be positioned in the day-to-day work of the performing arts.

Tags

#responsibility
#action
#sustainability
#reporting
#collaboration
#fair practice
#contracts

What can this Tool do?

The position paper was published as a petition on the ACT CAMPAX platform within the scope of m2act x Burning Issues. Supporters can sign it here (509 signatures as at 30 April 2024). The phrasing of the demands can be copied, improved and used as a tool to drive change in your own organisations and institutions or in politics.

Who is this tool for?

The position paper is meant for all cultural professionals and people from other sectors who are campaigning for fairer, more diverse and inclusive conditions in their workplace.

 

Why is this tool needed?

Viele Menschen, die in den Darstellenden Künsten arbeiten, sind unzufrieden mit den Arbeits- und Produktionsbedingungen und mit der momentanen Verteilung von Geld, Zeit und Einfluss. Sie wollen sich vernetzen, gemeinsam Gehör verschaffen und gegenseitig unterstützen.

Impressum

From 15 to 17 September 2023, the M2ACT × BURNING ISSUES – Performing Arts & Action network meeting brought more than 400 cultural professionals from all over Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy together for three days. They jointly developed a position paper containing urgent demands for change in order to make working conditions in the performing arts more sustainable, fairer and more appealing.

 

 

 

FAIRSPEC Codex

GUIDELINES FOR WORKING ETHICALLY IN THE INDEPENDENT SCENE

In a series of events of the FAIRSPEC initiative in 2020-2021, artists of the independent performing arts in German-speaking Switzerland, as well as representatives of institutions and funding bodies explored urgent social, artistic and contemporary issues with the goal of developing a joint codex.

The «FAIRSPEC Codex» was published on Monday, 30.8.2021. This is one of the first guidelines in German-speaking areas for ethical work in the independent scene.

The codex enumerates the essential motivations which will be guiding future work in the performing arts. It covers personal competencies, aspects of communication and collaboration, and the commitment to comply with remuneration guidelines issued by professional associations.

WHY IS THIS CODEX NEEDED?

Through self-obligation and mutual support, FAIRSPEC wants to use this codex to address known problematic behaviour patterns in the performing arts.

The artistic work stands in focus. Every artistic process is also a social process that is accompanied by great responsibility with regard to artistic freedom, as well as respectful interaction with each other.

TAGS

#codex
#constructiveness
#transparency
#diversity
#sustainability
#esteem

WHAT CAN THIS CODEX DO?

Individuals and institutions can sign this codex and apply it independently in their daily work.

It helps to

  • reflect on actions and work practices
  • continually work on oneself and one’s own work structure

FOR WHOM IS THIS CODEX?

The signatories of this codex commit to guidelines that reflect their values and apply equally to all participants. They hope that this codex will be incorporated in as many different professional settings as possible within the independent scene, as well as within subsidised theatres and thereby firmly establish the values of respect and fairness.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Read the codex in German and English on the FAIRSPEC website.

www.fairspec.ch

Impressum

FAIRSPEC

Zurich, August 2021