Warshop
Naama Ityel & Diana Sirianni
The WARSHOP asks the question HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED BY WAR? Each participant is invited to share their personal or family story in relation to war. We provide a safe(r) space to share, connect and heal together.
Background
We believe that each person on this planet is influenced by war in one way or another. Either we or the people from our close environment experienced war directly or if we didn’t, only the fact of knowing that war is a part of the vocabulary of the human behavior is disappointing and carries feelings of mistrust and separation.
In some places of the world, specifically in western societies, it can be for some people harder to notice, but war is still very present. There is f.e. a war in the media, a war between men and women* because of sexist oppression or a war caused by everyday and institutionalized racism (these are just some examples). Another aspect of war is that it is trans-generational. War's traumas are carried from one generation to the next, so that every person is affected by the experiences of her ancestors.
Workshop´s structure
In the group exhibition [where we were invited to participate] there was a separate room where people can enter and be the center of attention. In opposition to the rest of the exhibition where art is on focus and the aim of the visitors is to connect with it, we created a space for the audience to connect with themselves. The visitors are the material of our art.
People were allowed to access the room every 15-20 minutes and got some instructions. Each willing person received 5 minutes of attention to connect with the question: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED BY WAR? We listened with empathy and supportively to the person who shared their experience. The rest of the participants in the room also offered their attention and supported the speaker.
There was no commenting or debating in the room, just sharing, listening and not judging. People were free to continue a conversation afterwards if they wished so after asking the consent of the person(s) involved.
In the main exhibition space a framed picture showed this text:
“YOU are the center of this art work. Without YOU art is not existing. Without YOU we can't find peace”
Kulturschöpfer Berlin, 2019