Phila Bergmann

Phila Bergmann (they/them) serves as a Senior Lecturer at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) within the School of Design, Film and Art, specializing in visual arts and performance. They concurrently hold co-director roles at Shedhalle Zurich since 2020 and the Bone Performance Festival in Bern for 2021-2022, integrating academic work with institutional curation.

Phila's educational background includes foundational studies at the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies, Justus Liebig University Giessen, complemented by specialized training as a Social Justice and Radical Diversity Trainer from Potsdam University of Applied Sciences in 2021.

Research centers on the collision of intersectional queer theory, ecofeminism, and science fiction within social justice frameworks, notably through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project 'Fleeting Collecting: Prerequisites and Possibilities for Incorporating Performance Art into Collections' at HSLU. This investigates archival methodologies for ephemeral performance works while challenging institutional norms, exemplified by lectures like 'How to Queer an Institution' in HSLU's 'Fluid Identities' series.

Scholarly output includes a 2020 review article in the Journal of Anthropological Films analyzing mortality representations, reflecting broader thematic concerns across performance documentation, visual anthropology, and critical theory despite limited published works.

As an educator, Phila has guest-curated HSLU's Art & Cultural Education bachelor program and led workshops on radical diversity training. Their SNSF research project constitutes a major grant-funded initiative examining performance art preservation challenges. Artistic collaborations span European venues including Hamburger Bahnhof, Mousonturm, and Zurich Theater Spektakel, with recurring engagement in festivals like SPIELART and Performing Arts Festival Berlin.