As part of the CTM/transmediale Vorspiel Festival, 2022 the Vilém Flusser Archive is inviting you to join for an evening full of performative arts.

Programme: 

Zihern Lee: A History of Defiance: 반항의 역사 

Mina Büker, Judith Konitzer and Mascha Naumann: wet weapon

The event takes place in the gallery of UdK's Medienhaus (ground floor, right at the entrance). 

Important: Please register via email.

The 2G+ rules are applied for the event: being vaccinated 3x, or 2x with a fresh test or recovered with a fresh test.

More on the performances: 

Zihern Lee: A History of Defiance: 반항의 역사 

This work is a monologue dance theatre in six acts that talk about accepting death as the beginning of life.

The time when you thought you had to fight hard to survive was right then and wrong now. 

Media art, text, aphorisms, audiovisual, dance, music, all inanimate objects are animated by an only living creature. Or they are separated. Or be given life. Or do labour. Or. By her breath.

Special Thanks to Moritz, Polina, Berit Greinke, Federico Visi 

Mina Büker, Judith Konitzer and Mascha Naumann: wet weapon

The second performance is going to be an extended version of what you saw at the Vorspiel opening on 21 January.

In a state of Sadness or Trauma one's consciousness refuses to participate in momentary flow. It can be seen as an obstacle or a call to process the past events. Naturally the body asks to go in hibernation, the need to rest becomes apparent. But our society, the daily expectations and our social norms have so little tolerance to allow sadness to be present. The habit of excusing, apologizing and explaining the reasons of sadness presses hard before one can have a chance to introspect in presence of others.

Many grow up not learning any practices to take care of one's own sadness nor others. Mostly sadness is associated with weakness and vulnerability. More blankly speaking: No matter how one may feel about vulnerability or weakness, most likely they can find a defeatist connotation attached to it somewhere in subconsciousness or in the collective psyche. Socially; Sadness and Happiness are accepted as opposites. Frown up or frown down, not as a natural cycle but as a linear relationship, a border, a finish line. In sadness one focuses on getting to happiness and in happiness one is afraid of getting to sadness. We romanticize sadness with movies, music, art but rarely can we face it in real life. When it's stripped from its glamor we are alarmed. Sadness becomes a disorder and our expectation if it becomes unnatural.

The performance “wet weapon” sprung from the collaboration and research of Mascha Naumann and Mina Büker; by their interest in the collective psyche and mourning processes of our zeitgeist.They met through their study of Fine Arts at the UdK Berlin in Thomas Zipp’s multimedia class. In the midst of developing the concept, Multimedia Artist Judith Konitze joined them, furthering their research into the body and experience by bringing sound into the process. Coming together at the Vilem Flusser Archive the artists created a musical performance, where the viewer and the performers go through a cyclical emotional flow; one becomes the body, one becomes the mind and one becomes the environment. Inspired by gestalt therapy, the artists create a humorous performance, creatively investigating their resistance to sadness and negativity. Their queer bodies covered by heavy fabrics and moved by electronic music, immerge into sculptural, alienated objects. With enthusiasm and peace; They ''Work out’’ their personal sadness as they embody the collective phobia of it.

Production and visual creation: Mascha Naumann

Concept and lyrics: Mina Büker

Sound: Judith Konitzer

Costumes: She cant afford Mascara 

Vorspiel website