MERMAIDS – WAS NUR MIR GEHÖRT (BITEMYTONGUE COLLECTIVE)

The film is part of the video installation from the intermedia theater installation: “WAS NUR MIR GEHÖRT (WHAT BELONGS ONLY TO ME). A Response to Henrik Ibsen’s ‘The Lady from the Sea’.“

A mermaid swimming class illustrates the practices of a heteronormative majority society that attempts to influence the sexual and psychodynamic development of children in order to reinforce the hegemonic self-image of bodies and femininity.

WAS NUR MIR GEHÖRT (WHAT BELONGS ONLY TO ME)
the artist collective bite my tongue explored various conceptions of romantic relationships with regard to their inherent power structures. A particular focus was placed on the treatment of the body: the body as something deeply personal that is repeatedly taken possession of. The centerpiece was Ellida, who has lived on a mound of earth for 150 years and told visitors about her eventful life. Trapped in a liminal world, she was forced to reflect on the past over and over again. The audience followed the ghosts from Ellida’s past through the Kesselhaus and experienced an interplay between Ellida and several video installations commenting on her.

Production: bite my tongue
Concept, Directing: Stefanie Hauser, Johanna Pigors
Production: Pauline Junginger
Text: Stefanie Hauser
Video: Johanna Pigors, Christian Limber
Performance: Anne Sauvageot
Poster: Chantal Kirch
Year: 2017
Premiere: Museum Kesselhaus Herzberge, Berlin
Review by Der Freitag

bite my tongue is a feminist collective that came together to create art collaboratively. bite my tongue aims to bring personal lived experiences to light and explore the social conditions under which these experiences emerge. bite my tongue is an attempt to experience, scream, write, ask questions, and above all: to create art together. Because: bodies don’t lie.
We see ourselves as a network consisting of core members as well as loose partnerships. Since working in a women’s* collective is a priority for us, we fill the leadership positions in our individual projects exclusively with women*.

 

Genre: Documentary form
Year: 2017
Duration: 4
Format: 16:9, Full HD, Colour
Sound: Stereo

 

Director: Johanna Pigors, Stefanie Hauser, Pauline Junginger
Concept: Johanna Pigors, Stefanie Hauser, Pauline Junginger
Camera: Johanna Pigors, Christian Limber
Montage: Johanna Pigors, Christian Limber
Sound: Johanna Pigors, Stefanie Hauser, Pauline Junginger
Production: bite my tongue

Fotos of the Performance by bite my tonge