Public Senses        
2024


“Visible and mobile, my body is a thing among things; it is one of them. It is caught in the fabric of the world, and its cohesion is that of a thing. But because it sees and moves itself, it holds things in a circle around itself. Things are an annex or prolongation of my body; they are encrusted in its flesh, they are part of its full definition; the world is made of the very stuff of the body. These reversals, these antinomians, are different ways of saying that vision is caught or is made in the middle of things, where something visible undertakes to see, becomes visible for itself and through the vision of all things, where the in division of the sensing and the sensed persists, like the original fluid within the crystal.” (Maurice Merleau-Ponty, L’OEil et l’Esprit)

Can a city be translated into a language of the senses?
We open ourselves to space and time, allowing our senses to absorb and surrender to the experience. In this process, we explore the unique ways we encounter the city and aim to harness them.
To see, hear, taste, touch, and smell—these are the layers we seek to engage through the workshop, interacting with the public sphere and overlaying a sensory map onto the geographical one.
“Modernist design at large has housed the intellect and the eye, but it has left the body and the other senses, as well as our memories, imagination and dreams, homeless.”
(Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses)


The World War in my body
2023


The workshop centred around the question ‘How did the war penetrate my house, my body and my thoughts?’ I conducted a search for traces with students to explore individual memories of the war. The workshop participants created a collective mapping from their personal experiences. The body became a place of war memory, an archive of the wars they could find in their biographies.


The Workshop was part of the Art, Education and Research module in the Department of raum&design strategien at the University of Art Linz. The results came together as the second Edition of WAAAW (World Artists Agancy Against War)
in Kunstraum Memphis.

WAAAW 2024
WAAAW 2023
Kunstraum Memphis

Crafting Manifesto        
2023


Crafting an artistic manifesto is a powerful exercise in self-expression and a tool for connecting with a broader creative community. Artistic manifestos often serve as a mirror, reflecting the “Zeitgeist” of their times, encapsulating the prevailing political and social ideologies, tensions, and aspirations. Manifestos, in this context, become both a statement of intent and a call to action. They can challenge the status quo, critique existing power structures, and advocate for change, all while offering a vision of a more just or ideal society. Conversely, political and social movements can draw inspiration and momentum from the powerful imagery and rhetoric contained within artistic manifestos. This interplay between art and society underscores the capacity of manifestos to ignite dialogues, mobilize communities, and provoke thought, ultimately contributing to the broader discourse on political and social change. In this dynamic relationship, artistic manifestos emerge as potent vehicles for both reflection and transformation, bridging the realms of creativity and sociopolitical engagement.

In this workshop, students engaged in writing exercises that encouraged deep reflection on their identities as artists and individuals, while also exploring broader social and political issues. By personalizing and refining their artistic visions, I aimed to emphasize their role in shaping society and culture. Additionally, it provided stepping stones for them to observe their growth as artists and the personal changes they experience over time.

The foundation of the workshop was to cultivate openness, encouraging participants to challenge established norms and even embrace the concept of an anti-manifesto. These exercises were shared with the group, creating opportunities for collective reflection. Through this process, we worked toward a deeper understanding of each participant’s artistic identity and vision, as well as the ways these intersect with political and social realities.


The participants presented their manifesto in an performative way in a Bar with an open door for public.

6 Steps to the Paradise
2022


This workshop invites participants to enter a liminal space to connect deeply with their senses and explore their relationship with their surroundings. It asks the question: Where is paradise? Or more personally, Where do I feel like I’m in paradise?  

The workshop seeks to gather and reflect upon the dreams of women who have fled from war—dreams that envision a better place, a utopia, or “paradise.” However, the concept of paradise in this project goes beyond its religious interpretations as a promised afterlife. Instead, it explores sensory connections to space and the imagination of an ideal environment. While religion often positions paradise as an "after-death" reward, this project questions whether such a notion suppresses the pursuit of a better life on earth. Here, paradise is reimagined as something tangible and tied to everyday sensory experiences.  

The workshop is a sensory investigation into how we relate to our environment. Its aim is to activate the dialogue between the body and its surroundings by stimulating imagination.  

By creating a tent within a classroom, I sought to transform the familiar setting, introducing a shift that encouraged participants to step out of their routines and into a space where they could feel safe and connected.  

The workshop unfolded in seven steps, each dedicated to one of the senses: to see, to touch, to hear, to smell, to taste, and finally, to *be.* During these sessions, participants reflected on how each sense connects to their personal “daily-paradise.”  Each participant was given a box to collect materials that resonated with their sensory experiences throughout the workshop. These materials were then used to create a final collage, representing their unique sensory vision of paradise.


The project was carried out as part of a language course offered by ‘Verein Das Kollektiv’ for immigrant women, in collaboration with the wonderful German teacher Radostina Illieva Kostadinova. Through the sensory journey, we worked to translate these experiences into German words, enabling participants to engage with the language in a deeply personal and meaningful way. This process fostered a unique connection between sensory exploration and linguistic expression.

Das Kollektiv
6 Schritte zum Paradise

Aufruf zum Akt!      
2023


How can we build solidarity with women* whose realities, origins, and experiences differ from our own? Where do we begin, and how can we initiate this process?


This workshop held as part of the project SISTERHOOD NEU DENKEN from the Frauen Büro Linz.


Frauen Büro
Sisterhood Neu Denken

ZIN: Re-Accct        
2022


Based on the feminist underground punk movement Riot Grrrl, which emerged in the early 1990s, artistic strategies are developed that include DIY ethics, zines, art and activism. After an overview of the Riot Grrrl movement and its zines, zines will be produced using various materials. Different techniques of idea generation will also be taught.

Through an exploration of Zine history and the Riot Grrrl movement, the workshop aimed to inspire reflection on current events by creating Zines using newspapers from the day of the session.

The workshop was conducted in partnership with Verein Fiftitu%.


Re-Accct
Fiftitu%