What bodies do we want to be? I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess – said a scientist. I am a ghost – says Judith. We want to be witches – say Swoosh Lieu.
Bodies are studied. Studies make gender. Gender assigns us roles in society. Witches (in German: "Hexen") have been collecting alternative knowledge about the body for centuries and exploring ways of living beyond the nuclear family. Hackers (or: "Haecksen" – a self-designation of German feminist hackers, which resembles the German word for “witch” s. above) view gender to be technology and are researching how to re-code it. Swoosh Lieu conjure up the theatre as a place where "Hexen" and "Haecksen", witches and hackers meet the ghosts of the future and the past. They search for new human-machine connections based on care. They hack body images, forms of storytelling, sight lines and technical stagecraft, weave new webs and design queerfeminist concepts of kinship. Dea Ex Machina is the goddess born of the machine, the spectre of liberation, the mistake as opportunity and the glitch in our imagination.
#1 Nothing is connected to everything; everything is connected to something
#2 We will not conform. We will not obey. We will not be silent
#3 We have always woven against hegemonies
#4 Being a witch means living in this world consciously, powerfully, and unapologetically
#5 Make kin, not babies
#6 And now… Let the whole godamn thing short circuit!
To get you in the mood, we recommend episode six of the MULTIFON postcast. Here, the duo Jana Zöll and Steven Solbrig as well as Katharina Pelosi from the performance and media collective Swoosh Lieu talk about what changes they perceive in the discussion about care and care work - within the cultural sector but also outside of it. Language: German.
Infos
Duration: 75 Min.
Language: German
Minimum age: ALL IN/ 16 +
Be aware: The production deals with chauvinism, Christian fundamentalism, hatred, homo-/inter-/transphobia, physical and mental and sexual violence, abuse of power, bullying, racism, sexism, sexual harassment. As people react differently to these contents due to their individual experience and social positioning, we would hereby like to point this out before the performance begins.
From 25.11.2021 applies according to the current Coronavirus Protection Ordinance: This event will take place under 2G rules. A valid vaccinated or convalescent status must be presented for admission, including an official photo ID. Partial occupancy in the event room. Wearing a medical mask (FFP2 mask, makeshift surgical mask) is mandatory everywhere, including at the seating area.
Sponsors and Supporters
Ein Projekt von Swoosh Lieu
Konzept / Licht: Johanna Castell
Konzept / Sound: Katharina Pelosi
Konzept / Video: Rosa Wernecke
Bühne / Kostüm: Magdalena Emmerig
Performance / Puppenspiel: Frieder Miller
Technische Leitung: Jones Seitz
Fachliche Beratung: Hannah Fitsch
Outside Eye: Friederike Thielmann
Assistenz: Felix Giesler
Ausstattungsassistenz: Katharina Olt
Produktionsleitung: Annett Hardegen / Vierte Welt Produktion
Technische Produktion: Gefährliche Arbeit
Thanks to: Georg Castell, Benny Coppik / AES, Gilda Coustier, Manuel Glowczewski, Hans Hohmann,Verena Katz, Anna Kellermann, Ida Kellermann, Tom Kornis / Klangetage, Dietrich Krüger, Aminata Lorenz, Stefanie Lorey, Lani Tran Duc, Anton Waitz, Axel Wernecke
With text samples of: Bini Adamczak, Abeba Birhane, Silvia Federici, Evelyn Fox Keller, Verónica Gago, Gynepunk Donna Haraway, Lucile Olympe Haute, Gabriela Herstik, Ursula K. Le Guin, Audre Lorde, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Lynn Margulies, Sadie Plant, Paul B. Preciado, Deboleena Roy, Joanna Russ, Legacy Russell, Elvira Scheich, VNS Matrix, Judy Wajcman, Carolin Wiedemann, Jutta Weber
Eine Produktion von Swoosh Lieu in Koproduktion mit dem Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm. Gefördert vom Fonds Darstellende Künste, dem Frauenreferat der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, dem Hessischen Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst und der Rudolf-Augstein-Stiftung. Swoosh Lieu werden gefördert vom Kulturamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main.