BRACE survival kit performance
2008 Kunstfestival 48 Stunden Neukölln
mit angelina kartsaki | bélen moreno | mikado christine schütt | amy turton | sandra weber | judith zabel | albrecht fersch | moritz gramming | jan markowsky | daniel villwock |michael welskopf & the voice: ines michalek
photographs: christian reister
The protagonists of the BRACE-survival-kit-performence came together only for this particular project whin the scope of the 10th festival of art „48Stunden Neukölln“ in Berlin.
As a demonstration of survival training to avoid everyday crashes, a group of 10 performers shows a choreography of „safety exercises“ on the central place in front of the town hall Neukölln. The well known movements are refering to the repertoire of safety demonstrations in aeroplans. The (absurde) gestures are emblematising a „call for action“. Matching the urban context, the performer are wearing Designer costumes by Label as ALDI, LIDL, PLUS, Netto, Penny eg..
The plastic bags are used as identifying features for a society which suffers so largely from the given economic conditions. The plastik bag as an accessory of the consumer society reveals affilation to a certain social class and supposedly pretends to shed light on the purchasing power of its owner. While the bags of certain brands achieve cult status, others shamfully testify surviving thanks to special offers.
Within globalized societies, it is no longer a matter of retreating to the jar, as Diogenes propagated, but of life “in and out of the bag”.
It is interesting that the word “sackerl” or “sack”, as it is used in Austria and Switzerland instead of “bag”, comes from the Greek word “sákkos” and means “penitent robe”. (2008)
BRACE WALK IN BISHKEK | KIRGHIZIA
25.3.2008 in the scope of ‘Mail for Kyrgyz Republic’ | curated by Lätitia Norkeit and Maxim Neroda in cooperation with mit Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts.
Photographed by Christian Reister