Yell, low high — a spatial transition
CIVIC, the social and experimental platform of the Basel Academy of Art and Design (FHNW), provided the site for the installation. Situated at the university’s entrance, CIVIC functions as both infrastructure and public interface, framing the work within an educational and cultural context.
Yell, low high was a collective spatial installation developed by MA Scenography students for CIVIC Basel in June 2024, presented in parallel to the Art Basel week. A retired hot-air balloon was reimagined as a sculptural environment inviting audiences into an immersive dialogue with sound, scent, and movement.The installation combined conceptual, spatial, and choreographic approaches. The performative segment included low – "loads of weight" unfolded as a duet around the monumental balloon, tracing a passage from separation to encounter and finally to absorption into the yellow entity.
Through this interplay, the transitional character of the space was revealed—sometimes enveloping, sometimes resisting, always in dialogue with material and audience.
The work became a site of encounter: between interior and exterior, between collective imagination and individual perception. The process required negotiation, trust, and openness within the group, highlighting the collaborative nature of transformation—both spatial and performative.”
Concept & Realization: Adelina Malekova, Connor Muething, Jimena Martel Bidegain, Marcial Koch, Martin Wöllenstein, and Renê Salazar
Mentoring: Martina Ehleiter, and Prof. Charlotte Tamschick
Support: Enver Pajaziti & Team, and Matylda Krzykowski, CIVIC Artistic Lead
choreography by Renê Salazar
Photo credits: Mahdi Hosseingholi, Charlotte Tamschick, and Martin Wöllenstein
