The Space Crone: On Aging
With hosts Berit Stumpf (Gob Squad / She She Pop) and Sarah Thom (Gob Squad), guests Erica Fischer, Suzanne Lacy, Wen Hui and Elisabeth von Samsonow, an embroidery station by Tatreez Berlin and a pop-up store by Other Nature
- Dialogue
- Film
- Performance
Minimum age: 16 years
German / English / approx. 300 mins.
German / English / approx. 300 mins.
“She was a virgin once … then a sexually potent fertile female, and then went through menopause. She has given birth several times and faced death several times – the same times.” (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Ursula K. Le Guin's essay “The Space Crone” (1976) deals with the social standing of aging women. Based on Le Guin's idea that women in old age are probably the most significant representatives of humanity, the Vessel of Love on 20 April brings together artistic works and stories on the subject of ageing. Together with hosts Berit Stumpf (Gob Squad / She She Pop) and Sarah Thom (Gob Squad), the two performers will bring guests such as Erica Fischer, Suzanne Lacy, Wen Hui and Elisabeth von Samsonow to the Vessel of Love. The event will use various artistic contributions (readings, films, performances, workshops) and a panel discussion to reveal perspectives on an older generation and celebrate forms of togetherness and feminist solidarity in old age.
Erica Fischer was a co-founder of the women's movement in Vienna in the 1970s and is the author of “Aimée & Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943”. In books such as “Spät lieben gelernt” (“Learned to Love Late”) and “Alt: Na so?” (“Old: So What?”), Fischer tells her own story, interweaving it with often taboo issues surrounding the process of ageing.
The ecofeminist artist and philosopher Elisabeth von Samsonow has founded a four-hectare “Land of the Goddesses” in Lower Austria with interested parties. Together with the research project “The Dissident Goddesses' Network”, the project is in favour of matriarchy as a political structure and asks what kind of solidarities we can establish.
Choreographer and filmmaker Wen Hui has long been concerned with the institutional control and suppression of the female body. In an intergenerational dialogue, she examines the body as a storehouse and archive of personal memory, exploring the traces it contains that have been left behind by social life.
Suzanne Lacy is a central figure in socially engaged performance art in the USA. For decades, the artist has been exploring experiences of ageing in her projects and in particular the public image of ageing women, their aspirations for the future and their opportunities in the labour market.
On 20 April, the choreographer Wen Hui will give the workshop “Being Able to Act for Yourself” for women 50 and up.
17:00 - 17:30
Performance “Divine Crone on (St)Age” by Elisabeth von Samsonow
17:30 - 18:00
Reading from the book “Spät lieben gelernt. My life” (2022) by Erica Fischer
18:00 - 19:00
Lecture by Suzanne Lacy followed by a talk (online)
Moderation: Petra Poelzl
19:00 - 19:30
Break
19:30 - 20:00
Screening
“Dance with Third Grandma” (2015) by Wen Hui
“Land of the Goddesses” (2023) by Elisabeth von Samsonow
20:00 - 22:00
Talk & Performance
Talk with Wen Hui, Erica Fischer and Elisabeth von Samsonow, hosted by Sarah Thom and Berit Stumpf
“Blessings for Present, Absent and Future Body Parts” – A final ritual with goddess vermouth by Elisabeth von Samsonow
Dates
Past
Notes:
An awareness team will be on site and can be contacted at any time.
Childcare is offered. Please contact us at anmeldung@hebbel-am-ufer.de to register.
Location
HAU1
Stresemannstr. 29, 10963 BerlinThere are two marked parking spots in front of the building. Access to the Parkett by means of a separate entrance with lift when necessary. Barrier-free restroom facilities are available. Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can be booked via the ticketing system. If you need any help, please contact our Ticketing & Service team at +49 (0)30 259004-27 or send us an email at
tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de.
