In the Face of Exhaustion

A journey through the history of the body as a political entity: Historical events are examined in the context of societal norms, and sensual experiences are juxtaposed against patriarchal expectations....

Have you ever asked yourself when stereotypes were born?

When did our social behaviour infiltrate our body language? 

Who embodies which standards? 

Who is disregarded in the process? 

Can we live up to what we have learned subconsciously?

Developing since 2022

Participatory-performative lecture

Procedure: 

• Introduction to my current research on the topic of  exhaustion with the help of
  historical excerpts and corresponding visual material. 
• Collective performance moment in which the visitors and I together take up
  positions until exhaustion. 
• Exchange about the perception during the performance moment. At this point,
  everyone can have their say, which opens up a multi-layered picture and reveals differences and
  similarities (age, perception of exhaustion, body perception, experiences). 

The focus of the performance is to create a space for exchange. 

As an artist, I am particularly interested in the perspective of the participants and the potential of the
moment to keep changing depending on the individual. In this way, the lecture-performance becomes
a unique experience each time, which offers the opportunity to exchange ideas and provides impulses for
the further development of my work. 

The pictures show the documentation of a participatory moment in the summer of 2022, in which other artists
also took part. I had already reached my own point of exhaustion, so I was able to observe Anais Chabeur (filmmaker)
using her camera as a performance tool. While she was pushing her physical limits with her tool, she was filming
Sarah Smolders (painter and sculptor) who was in turn using a stone as a performance tool.