summaery2023: Projects

Project information

submitted by
Hala Masri

Co-Authors
Ghida Masri

Mentors
Vertr.-Prof. Ina Weise, Lea Maria Wittich, Arijit Bhattacharyya, Jirka Reichman (Coordination), Prof. Dr. Sandra Noeth, Künstlerin Stephanie Lüning

Faculty:
Art and Design

Degree programme:
Public Art and New Artistic Strategies (english) (Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.))

Type of project presentation
Final project

Semester
Summer semester 2023

• Jorge-Semprúm-Platz 5 - Neues Museum Weimar
  (Gauforum Jorge-Semprún-Platz, 99423 Weimar)

attractive to children

Participation in the Centennial »23:ideas«

Contributors:
Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt

Project description

This storytelling dance is an autoethnographic take on systemic ableism. It comes as an exchange of perspectives between a non-hearing and a hearing sister. By recognising the ways ableism has affected their lives, they channel their research into a large-scale installation & dance in the public space of Weimar. They artistically collaborate to unravel and expose ableist and audist structures. While performing in between windblown hand sculptures, they revisit the damaging alienation ableism and audism inflict on individuals. They aim to raise awareness on ableism & disablism and challenge the oppressive concepts of normativity and «compulsory able-bodiedness» Robert McRuer (2006). Through this staged act/installation they want to bring the conversation about ableism to the forefront today’s social priorities.

The decision to intervene in the green enceinte of Gauforum is a statement against normativity and the monotone repetitiveness of ableist structures. Gauforum is the epitome institution of oppressing normativity and disablism. One can see its oppressive intensions through its orthogonal fabric, sequential façades and imposing scale. Eight «Wailing Hands» H. Biesold (1988) flowing with the wind to counteract the stiffness and rigidity of the space. Sparsely scattered around Weimar Platz each one unique with its movement and shape. The sickening repetitiveness and UnbearAble-Bodiedness is broken by the lightness of the wind.