We are our bodies

We are our bodies

A video production of the graduating class 2023 of the IGS Roderbruch basic course Performing Arts under the direction of Felix Rumpf.

With the pop-up video "We are our bodies" we extend the offer of the Cinémathèque for one day and follow it up with art workshops with school classes in the current exhibition. In our opinion, exceptionally good formats by young people should be presented on an equal footing. This is part of our understanding of art education. The invited students experience through the video production, created by the 13th grade in the subject Performing Arts, their profound exploration of the meaning of their own body and reflect on their own experiences in the confrontation with the artistic positions of the exhibition.

The 21 students* in this film have devoted themselves with admirable dedication to questions of body image, beauty ideals, self-love, self-hate, toxic femininity, and masculinity and empowerment. They have challenged societal expectations of the mostly binary, heteronormative body ideal and illuminated the harmful effects of gender stereotypes on young people.

Their work was based on the works of Juli Zeh and Seyda Kurt, as well as their own texts based on extensive Internet research. In doing so, they have managed to provide new perspectives on the complexity of identity, corporeality, and gender amidst power structures and cultural imaginaries as seen through the eyes of young people. They have recognized that the essence of the body goes far beyond outward appearance and social norms. Rather, it encompasses profound aspects such as self-acceptance, empathy, and a loving relationship with oneself. This 13th grade performing arts video production exemplifies the transformative power of art and theater.

Performers: Bea, Emil, Isabell, Jim, Kevan, Kilian, Konstantinos, Lars, Lena, Lennart, Leon, Liv, Luca, Lisa, Marvin, Melina, Michael, Ole, Paiman, Tomke, Viktoria, Vivian.

Text sources: Kurt, Seyda: Radical Tenderness - Why Love is Political. Berlin: HarperCollins 2021 Zeh, Juli: Corpus Delicti - Ein Prozess. Munich: btb 2010