Áine Stapleton

When Life is Silent

When Life is Silent is a feature-length dance film that explores the artistic luminaries working between the Dada scene in Zurich and Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland, both significant sites in the development of early modern dance. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Europe, a time of deep societal disillusionment with modernity, the film traces how these cultural hubs gave rise to a radical artistic movement whose influence still resonates today.

Zurich and Monte Verità attracted key figures such as dance artists Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban, as well as poet and novelist Hermann Hesse and psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. These thinkers and artists created a unique crossroads of experimentation, where philosophy, psychology, and art converged to lay the foundations of avant-garde expression.

Told through the lived experiences of the dancers, the film also explores the wider impact of these cultural luminaries, revealing the symbiotic relationship between early modern dance and the interdisciplinary artistic movements of the early 20th century. Drawing from archival materials, including writings, photographs, objects, artworks, and testimonials, the film explores the everyday practices that shaped these artists’ lives: dance, vegetarianism, communal living, and a deep commitment to nature and the Swiss landscape during this time period. These practices embodied pacifist and libertarian ideals and offered responses to the crises of industrialisation, urbanisation, and growing societal divides.

When Life is Silent examines the lives of early pioneers of European modern dance, celebrating the transformative power of artists and their communities. The film is funded by The Arts Council | An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Wicklow County Arts Office Strategic Project Awards 2024.