Research

TQW Research Affiliation is an in-house format for researchers and collectives from the fields of dance, performance or related disciplines to work on a specific research project. Research Affiliates get funding for working on their project as well as for holding events (e.g. curated guest lectures, workshops, discussions, reading groups) as part of the TQW Research program. Research Affiliation primarily supports aspiring academics and independent researchers of dance and performance theory.

The program is a tool for TQW to promote the establishment of a research community in Vienna – including in the longer term. At the same time, Research Affiliation acts as a go-between for the bidirectional transfer of knowledge and research practice between theory on the one hand and the local scene of artists on the other. Research Affiliation is aimed at both theorists and artist-researchers with a decidedly theoretical background. To apply, please send your résumé, research proposal and initial projected budget to research@tqw.at.

Every two months, TQW zine opens a new window into the local dance and performance scene by bringing in a changing roster of guest editors. It invites you to reflect and relate, asks questions and stays close to the processes at Tanzquartier Wien.

A particular focus is on the many formats we offer that frequently fall under the radar – theory, research, training. Each issue is created in the context of an in-house lab. The guest editors bring their perspectives to the table, invite stimulating voices and curate an issue together – open to creative experiments and unrestricted in terms of format.

We invite you to a kick-off event for the launch of each issue – to take a look, share, discuss, and fold.

TQW Online-Magazin opens up a space for discourse around the productions of our performance program. The detailed reflections of theorists, experts, artists and journalists are published online on an ongoing basis and can be accessed via the blog. Initiated in 2018 by Bettina Kogler and edited by Christina Gillinger, the Magazin sees itself as a service for artists and audiences and as a platform that focuses on the creation of texts about dance and performance itself.

TQW DOC+ is an interdisciplinary and interuniversity forum on the subjects of choreography, performance, body, art, and politics held once a month at Tanzquartier Wien. It is a meeting place for postgrad students, theorists who want to establish themselves in the field, as well as thinkers who are interested in discursive exchange (with or without a degree). In addition to a reading circle, there is room for open-minded conversations. You can present and open your research work up for discussion or try out new formats in a safe, amicable setting. For more information or to register your presentation, go to bibliothek@tqw.at.

The Lab program is held regularly at TQW Studios. It is dedicated to research and exchange between local and international artists and experts. Unhampered by the usual pressure to create productions and presentations, the participants are free to explore urgent, specific or even unusual issues in the fields of contemporary choreography and performance.

Sometimes, the topics refer back to Tanzquartier Wien’s current program, offering deeper insights into the subject at hand. However, they also provide an opportunity to discuss the pressing issues of our time without taking TQW’s program into account. The Labs are curated and supervised by experts or artists. The participants are free to decide whether there will be a public presentation at the end of a Lab and, if so, which form it will take.

OIL is a new site-specific experiment for Tanzquartier Wien, composed by Isabel Lewis and Dirk Bell. The setting installed in Studio 2 opens up a place for various processes: artistic and scientific research, somatic practice, listening, reading, film screenings, discussion, cooking and eating together. The artists counteract the separation of the senses proposed by modern art concepts and put forward an alternative space that appeals to the entire human sensory system.

The Winter School is a format developed by researcher Anna Leon. It brings a community of researchers together for three intensive days once a year to explore a central topic, including in public lectures, discussions and workshops.

The Library in the TQW Studios holds a collection with a focus on contemporary dance and performance that is the only one of its kind in Vienna. The central element is a carefully curated collection of books comprising over 2,600 titles and 2,100 journals. The Library is open to all during general opening hours.

In addition to general literature and anthologies on dance, performance, art and theory, there are also subject-specific works, for example from the fields of gender theory or philosophy, all of which can be found in the foyer and on the gallery level. A cosy, freely accessible loft space invites you to read, research and browse.

A computer workstation provides access to the entire digitized archive of performance recordings, lectures and labs that have been filmed at Tanzquartier Wien since its opening in 2001. A regularly updated selection of books and videos related to TQW’s program – whether a thematic focus, a company or even a current issue – invites you to read and watch (again). For more information and assistance with your research, please contact us at bibliothek@tqw.at.

Video archive

In addition to an extensive digital collection, older formats such as DVDs and VHS tapes are also available at TQW. You can watch these in the Library. Please contact us at bibliothek@tqw.at for more information or to make an appointment.

Tanzquartier Wien launched its online video archive in 2015. The archive now includes about 500 recordings of performances, lectures, lecture performances, artist talks, and research formats. The videos are available for streaming only (not downloads), and some require login requests due to copyright restrictions. The collection is continuously growing, but the entire archive can still be accessed in the TQW library.

Open Space Austria

Open Space Austria is an area of the Online-Mediathek, self-defined by Austrian dance and performance artists, where they can upload recordings of their artistic works. The platform intends to promote the international visibility of the local scene and work in the field of dance studies outside of Vienna.