Exhibition | An Acrobatic Journey — In Large Format
Throughout Aarau's city center this year, we are pleased to present memories from the project «Les Voyages» by the French company Compagnie XY, which was a guest at the 2023 Cirqu Festival.
Snapshots of the journeys taken by around 20 acrobats through Aarau and its surroundings will be on display. The photographs can be seen at various locations around the city – some prominently displayed, others almost hidden; sometimes small, and occasionally large-scale.
A map showing the locations of all the photography exhibitions is available below.
The images displayed at the Rathaus Aarau are the result of a collaboration between the cirqu’ festival and the Canton of Aargau's Department of Culture as part of the project «Hallo! Kulturerbe». In these photographs, Compagnie XY is joined by young acrobats from the circus schools LeZartiCirque in Sainte-Croix (VD) and Cirque Intense in Neuenburg am Rhein (Germany). The images document their journeys to various cultural heritage sites throughout Aargau.
The photographs were taken by geographer and photographer Samuel Buton, who has been documenting the «Les Voyages» project for several years. Some of his photos are also available as a postcard set at Aarau Info and at the Stadtmuseum Aarau.
EXHIBITION at the Rathaus: during the opening hours of the Rathaus
EXHIBITION throughout the city: May 29 – June 22, 2025
Shows
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WED 28.0519.00–Rathaus AarauVernissageFinishedVernissage
LES VOYAGES / EXP. 22 – Aarau – Compagnie XY | cirqu'Aarau
Samuel Buton
Samuel Buton Grounded in his education as a geographer, Samuel Buton juggles between celluloid film and digital pixels, depending on the project, to tell stories of the places he passes through and the people he meets.
Whether working with film or digital, his approach remains the same: Narrative lies at the heart of his work—expressed through photography, text, and sometimes sound recordings. His combination of artistic and documentary approaches blurs the line between reality and fiction.
Samuel Buton has produced several editions and publications and presents his work through exhibitions, installations, and multimedia creations—both in physical spaces and online.
Compagnie XY
For more than 15 years, the hand-to-hand acrobats of Compagnie XY have been creating productions and performing them on major stages around the world.
Firmly grounded in their circus technique, the artists of this collective play with rhythm, form, and imagery. The group deliberately works with a broad and diverse ensemble, consistently pursuing an artistic approach that places crowds and bodily interaction at the center.
In the project «Les Voyages», the acrobats venture into cities, engaging with their surroundings and members of the public. At times, they soar through the air; at others, they gently take passersby by the hand. All of this unfolds (almost) without a fixed schedule, without a set, without spotlights, and without a marching band.