Fellows

THE GUESTHOUSE PROJECT #4: MIGRATION, HOSPITALITY AND QUESTIONS OF INTEGRATION - Caroline Vains

Caroline Vains ( Australia )

Guesthouse Project #4 focused on migration, hospitality and questions of integration in the context of Berlin. While at ZK/U, Caroline Vains produced 4 outcomes related to this topic. The first was a participatory installation called 'Tell me a little about yourself' at ZK/U, and experimented with practices of hospitality, welcome, trust, and how to meet strangers. The second was a participatory performance with a diverse group of 30 dancers, musicians, artists and non-artists - local, international, migrant, newcomer. It was called "A Politics Performance" and explored the dynamics of of intercultural space and practices of democracy in a participatory art context. It was in cooperation with Coop Campus, Neukölln. The third was a screening and round table discussion at ZK/U. The screening showed two videos Vains made of the Politics Performance. For the round table, participant-performers were present to answer questions about the process, elaborate on insights into the topics, and unpack how the performance methodologies facilitated them. The fourth outcome was an exhibition of models and drawings and a performance at ZK/U. The models and drawings drew on the findings of the performance and elaborated them into four typologies for democratic spaces in post-migration cities. The performance was a cooperation with Reem Awad and Nouri Almashhour.