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): “During the corona lockdown and home office, I was no longer happy living alone. The feeling of no longer being welcome with my friends at home and limiting my social contacts made me anxious. Friends who lived with other people didn't get the idea that I might feel lonely. That has a lot to do with my confident appearance. But my good mood and sociability don't come naturally - they come about when I meet friends. If that's not possible, I feel down.”
USCHI (Köln/Bonn 15.05.2020): “The question is: what do we learn from the crisis? A lot of solidarity has developed between people during this time. Society should maintain that. Corona also shows that health is more important than money. But nobody can live here without money. That's why people and politicians should think carefully about this and find a general solution for our society. For me personally, all appointments were canceled at the beginning. I worked from home and never had this much time at home and in the garden. I saved two hours of daily commuting time. When I felt exhausted, I took walks in the forest close by. I draw my strength and serenity from exercise and meditation. It helps to be only with yourself.”
ANNE (Berlin, 07.06.2020): “For me as a mother on parental leave, not that much has changed. There is hope that something positive can come out of it. Even if it's 'just' the climate movement. Also this sense of community in the neighborhood, that it has become more social and that something is changing there too. I also hope that some professional groups get more recognition and that this is also expressed in money. Standing on the balcony and applauding doesn't help much. It's not enough, it's nice, but it doesn't change the wages. I really hope that the injustice in the healthcare system will change. Not even a rich country like Germany is able to do that.”
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
“I'm not interested in how people move, but in what moves them”. (Pina Bausch)
Following this impulse, Helena Klassen and Michaela Resch set up the workshop in.(e)motion. A workshop for people (with/without disabilities/experience of refuge). We open up a space for creative work and embark on a journey of discovery of our emotions. in.(e)motion offers space for people with different needs. We observe feelings, encounter them and represent them. Through creative practice, we create points of connection together and explore wound(er)points where we get a little closer to each other and to ourselves. Starting with the question of what moves us, we express these emotions through artistic methods of theater and movement pedagogy, media pedagogy and visual anthropology, poetry and music. In the mind, in the body, on stage, in front of and behind the camera. The focus of the subsequent analysis is the question: To what extent does artistic engagement with emotions contribute to interpersonal connection?