through the
rabbit hole (WT)
DOCUMENTARY (90MIN)
THROUGH THE RABBIT HOLE (WT) follows John, the founder of Ilegal Mezcal, who set out to live his 'non-American dream.' The film illustrates how professional spaces, based on strong values, trust, and community, have the potential to tangibly shape social change. John’s story serves as a source of inspiration for people who dare to challenge norms and redefine the notion of a purposeful life. It explores the transformative impact that comes from individual courage and collective creativity.
„We are all aware of the wildfires in California, the devastation in Haiti caused by Hurricane Irma, and the flooding in Louisiana and Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. We’ve seen the beyond bleak photos of the East African Drought. We see the fleeing refugees. It is already happening, and yet… Climate Change is the overarching, immediate issue that impacts all other issues. It affects the future of agriculture, food supply, water resources, air quality, economy, health care, migration, and human rights. It affects all of us and it does not recognize borders or walls. Most climate scientists say we have 10 years to right the problem, and if we don’t the consequences are catastrophic for future generations.“
(Source: https://www.ilegalmezcal.com/love/)
WOMEN IN TIMES
THAT ARE A-CHANGIN’
DIGITAL PHOTO SERIES
WOMEN IN TIMES THAT ARE A-CHANGIN’ is a digital photo series initiated in March 2020 due to the first lockdown in Berlin, Germany. The series follows women throughout Europe and captures their thoughts, feelings and reflections during the pandemic. The series combines a picture with a quote, date and location. I met with the participants via Skype for a digital photoshoot, as I also interview them about their current situation. How is the situation affecting them? What did they find out about themselves? How are they dealing with physical distance? Along with the black and white portrait that I captured during this session, I share significant quotes of our exchange. The result is a photographic portrait study combined with interviews about this unique moment in time. An intersection of art and anthropology.
LOUISE (Berlin, 26.05.2020): „I’d like to think that people will see this as a starting point of a new beginning. A life where we have more time and don’t rush and that is better to the economic system. It’s hard to know, I really hope it doesn’t go back to the way it was, for sure. It’s almost like a clean slate in the environmental aspect. It has been always a tiny step in moving forward and every tiny step was talked about. I think we could take this and use the opportunity to move on from here. Also we have the possibility to examine how our economy works. In a welfare state like Germany there is a way for us to look at how our world really works and a way for us to decide at what worked before and what we want to improve. It would be really sad if that would be wasted. Personally I think it’s a way to go inside and look into what we really want from life. When we work 24 hours we don’t really have the time to think about it. And now I have the time to think about what I really want professionally and personally.“
VIRGINIA (Lyon, 25.05.2020): „I think it was bad but we had positive and negative aspects of it. In the first weeks it was great for me. I know it’s bad to say it, but for the beginning I was happy to stay at home and do things that I never have time to do. I think we have a life where we are very busy and we never take a break. And at other times it was difficult. Because you don’t have anything to do anymore. You feel like you are not important when you don’t do anything and you loose yourself. It was important for me to stop a little bit and think about my life and our life. I like change and I always choose it. I’m curious in general and I want to make new experiences so it’s a positive thing for me to change. However I don’t think humanity is learning out of this pandemic. It’s hypocritical to think that the population is different now. It is very important to care about global warming, the environment, and I think that the global governments need to do something. I believe that this is the lesson that we can learn out of this.“
TINE (Brussels, 27.05.2020): „I think Corona pushed me in a faster way to think about a whole lotta things that I knew I had to think about and now I had to do it. There was no way out of it anymore. I learned tools to communicate on what is going in inside me. I’m almost thankful even if it was very hard at times. In the beginning of the lockdown here a friend said: ‚never waste a good crisis - we can learn something out of this‘. I’m a bit more pessimistic. I hope so much that things will change, that we think about consuming not so much, to have more value, people have been working so much. I hope that will change but I’m a bit pessimistic and I don’t see that happening here. People want so desperately to go back to normal. And I get that it’s hard, but they are so desperate for going back that they don’t think about the decisions that are made that will affect our lives for the long run. Also European wise there is no plan, there is no solidarity, there is just so little. I’m sure it’s all more complex than I say now but this is my gut feeling. I really hope I’m wrong though.“
FRANCESCA (Lyon, 25.05.2020): „For the first time I realized I wasn’t free to move where I wanted. Usually I would be able to take a plane to wherever I want to go. Now it wasn’t possible anymore and I felt a bit like in prison. Personally I had to cancel a lot of plans in France where I am currently for Erasmus. In this period nothing is sure, it’s hard to think about the future. I believe human kind in general doesn’t learn from the past. I thought people could learn from this pandemic and be kinder, but in my experience this didn’t happen. During the lockdown I learned that I really like cooking and taking pictures. I also found out that I can be a good flat mate and that I am open and clear. When I was younger I had problems to say what I wanted or to say ‚no‘. I learned to do it better and now I can do it. It’s good to be kind, but not always when it’s uncalled for.“
ULJA (Berlin, 14.05.2020): „Während des Corona-Lockdowns und Home Office war ich nicht mehr glücklich, alleine zu wohnen. Das Gefühl, bei keinem meiner Freund*innen mehr zuhause willkommen zu sein und meine sozialen Kontakte zu beschränken, machte mir Angst. Freund*innen, die mit anderen Personen zusammen wohnen, kamen nicht auf die Idee, dass ich mich einsam fühlen könnte. Das hat viel mit einem selbstbewussten Auftreten zu tun. Aber meine gute Laune und offene Persönlichkeit kommt nicht von alleine - sie rührt aus der Begegnung mit Freund*innen. Wenn das nicht möglich ist, geht es mir schlecht.“
USCHI (Köln/Bonn 15.05.2020): „Die Frage ist ja, was lernen wir aus der Krise? In dieser Zeit ist sehr viel Solidarität zwischen den Menschen entstanden. Das sollte die Gesellschaft beibehalten. Corona zeig auch, dass die Gesundheit wichtiger als Geld ist. Ohne Geld kann aber niemand hier leben. Also sollten die Menschen und die Politik genau darüber nachdenken und eine generelle Lösung für unsere Gesellschaft finden. Bei mir persönlich sind zu Beginn alle Termine weggefallen. Ich hatte Homeoffice und noch nie so viel Zeit zu Hause und iim Garten. Ich habe zwei Stunden Fahrtzeit gespart. Wenn ich fertig war, war ich sofort im Wald. Meine Kraft und Gelassenheit bekomme ich durch Bewegung und Meditation. Es hilft, bei sich selbst zu sein.“
ANNE (Berlin, 07.06.2020): „Für mich hat sich nicht so viel verändert als Mama im Erziehungsurlaub. Die Hoffnung ist da, dass sich daraus auch was positives entwickeln kann. Wenn’s auch ‚nur‘ die Klimabewegung ist. Auch dieses Gemeinschaftsgefühl in der Nachbarschaft, dass es sozialer geworden ist und sich auch da was ändert. Ich hoffe auch, dass manchen Berufsgruppen mehr Anerkennung ausgesprochen wird und das auch in Geld ausgedrückt wird. Da bringt auf dem Balkon stehen und klatschen nicht viel. Damit ist es halt nicht getan, nett gemeint ja, aber da ändert sich auch die Bezahlung nicht. Da hoffe ich wirklich, dass sich in dem Gesundheitssystem an der Ungerechtigkeit was ändert. Noch nichtmal so ein reiches Land wie Deutschland schafft das.”
GULIA (Lyon, 25.05.2020): „I think in general it’s a pretty challenging situation that I never experienced before. It’s weird especially not to be outside since I do a lot of sport. I feel kind of stuck and as if everything completely stopped and life doesn’t go on. I had a daily routine, get up, eat etc. It was really boring. I thought to go crazy and break the rules, but I could do it. I’m with friends and they are and were such a good support for me. Apart from my family it was the first time for me living together with others so close in such a small space. I liked the hour that we had per day to go for a short walk and I did creative things like painting to also bring some color to life. I found out I am stronger than I expected. I am sure and I hope that we will to get our lives back. People need people and we can’t be without friends and family. Talking about the pandemic… You can’t build the future when you’re pessimistic, I can only hope this will get better.“
in.(e)motion
ARTISTIC RESEARCH
„Mich interessiert nicht, wie die Menschen sich bewegen, sondern, was sie bewegt“. (Pina Bausch)
Diesem Impuls folgend, rufen Helena Klassen und Michaela Resch die Freizeitwerkstätte in.(e)motion ins Leben. Eine Werkstätte für Menschen (mit/ohne Behinderungen/Fluchterfahrung). Wir öffnen einen Raum für kreatives Schaffen und begeben uns auf eine Entdeckungsreise unserer Emotionen. in.(e)motion bietet Platz für Menschen mit unterschiedlichen Bedürfnissen. Wir beobachten Gefühle, begegnen diesen und stellen sie dar. Durch kreative Praxis, schaffen wir gemeinsam Verbindungspunkte und erforschen Wunde(r)punkte wo wir uns gegenseitig und uns selbst ein wenig näher kommen. Ausgehend von der Frage was uns bewegt, bringen wir diese Emotionen durch künstlerische Methoden der Theater- und Bewegungspädagogik, Medienpädagogik und visueller Anthropologie, Poesie und Musik zum Ausdruck. Im Kopf, im Körper, auf der Bühne, vor und hinter der Kamera. Im Fokus der anschließenden Analyse steht die Fragestellung: Inwiefern trägt die künstlerische Auseinandersetzung mit Emotionen zu zwischenmenschlicher Verbindung bei?