As Womanifesto is far away in time and space now – although well preserved digitally – the longing for art-related realgathering was and is strong in a situation of a virus-forced social distancing to save lives. Although Berlin became a crowned spot when the lazy time of summer and autumn turned into cold winter, some women found paths and places to gather – with all the care for our physical and mental health in the spirit of Womanifesto.
For me as the welcoming female artist it seemed important to relate to the ancient trinity of the young, maternal and senior woman. Therefore I was looking out for possible groups of three women I would like to meet and work together with. All ages have different ways of recalling and handling memories. Because touching was so restricted all year long objects became a vehicle of our project, meeting memories. Each of us should choose and examine three things of her daily life for memories revealed again or renewed. They should find their artistic manifestation on paper to be passed on as something tangible.
By chance and just in time I met two senior ladies like me, who are dismissed from everyday working life – and always interested in new creative activities. Susanne Dobrovoda and Ann Noël are both in good health that they could agree to encounter in their and mine apartment. Our final meeting on December 29th had the following performance: starting with a little welcoming drink – laying out all the nine works – touching the original objects – drinking coffee while deciding to keep the companying stories separate from the images – finding the right arrangement for the nine pages – each of us writing the three little stories of the chosen objects on small handmade paper pieces in our mother tongue – giving the memories our voices by reading them – moving over to the round dinner table and opening the wine, filling it with light food after all the heavy holiday meals – having long conversations with cheery stories from our long lives …
Gabriela Vasquez-Pacheco, an art teaching colleague and mother of two children and Lea Mattenklotz, a former student of mine at Kurt Schwitters School and now an art student were enthusiastic when I asked them but clamped in their life of working and studies. They found time for the project only now in the last few days of the year. Because Lea had not yet the result of a covid-test we decided to have a working meeting online after we had introduced already our objects via mail exchanges. Our meeting was on January 3rd, again with precautions. By chance both arrived at my door at the same time – it was snowing outside – Lea, her face covered with a blue mask, handed me over a black envelope from the top of the stairs while Gabriela took off her wet coat and shoes – because we all know each other we talked a bit before Lea left – after a small breakfast Gabriela and I arranged the nine works and discussed it with Lea via Jit.si – when Gabriela was ready to leave, Lea came again to sign her pieces …
As Womanifesto is far away in time and space now – although well preserved digitally – the longing for art-related real gathering was and is strong in a situation of a virus-forced social distancing to save lives. Although Berlin became a crowned spot when the lazy time of summer and autumn turned into cold winter, some women found paths and places to gather – with all the care for our physical and mental health in the spirit of Womanifesto.
For me as the welcoming female artist it seemed important to relate to the ancient trinity of the young, maternal and senior woman. Therefore I was looking out for possible groups of three women I would like to meet and work together with. All ages have different ways of recalling and handling memories. Because touching was so restricted all year long objects became a vehicle of our project, meeting memories. Each of us should choose and examine three things of her daily life for memories revealed again or renewed. They should find their artistic manifestation on paper to be passed on as something tangible.
By chance and just in time I met two senior ladies like me, who are dismissed from everyday working life – and always interested in new creative activities. Susanne Dobrovoda and Ann Noël are both in good health that they could agree to encounter in their and mine apartment. Our final meeting on December 29th had the following performance: starting with a little welcoming drink – laying out all the nine works – touching the original objects – drinking coffee while deciding to keep the companying stories separate from the images – finding the right arrangement for the nine pages – each of us writing the three little stories of the chosen objects on small handmade paper pieces in our mother tongue – giving the memories our voices by reading them – moving over to the round dinner table and opening the wine, filling it with light food after all the heavy holiday meals – having long conversations with cheery stories from our long lives …
Gabriela Vasquez-Pacheco, an art teaching colleague and mother of two children and Lea Mattenklotz, a former student of mine at Kurt Schwitters School and now an art student were enthusiastic when I asked them but clamped in their life of working and studies. They found time for the project only now in the last few days of the year. Because Lea had not yet the result of a covid-test we decided to have a working meeting online after we had introduced already our objects via mail exchanges. Our meeting was on January 3rd, again with precautions. By chance both arrived at my door at the same time – it was snowing outside – Lea, her face covered with a blue mask, handed me over a black envelope from the top of the stairs while Gabriela took off her wet coat and shoes – because we all know each other we talked a bit before Lea left – after a small breakfast Gabriela and I arranged the nine works and discussed it with Lea via Jit.si – when Gabriela was ready to leave, Lea came again to sign her pieces …
Karla Sachse