MEET THE [POOR] ARTIST

BY & WITH: Jacqueline Saki Aslan [Concept, Artistic Direction, Performance] & Marco Merenda [Performance, Co-Creation].

Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamt of becoming an international touring popstar. While window-shopping in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, she would picture herself singing at the Grammy Awards in a ruby red Versace gown. Yes, the one in display. Right next to the black velvet mini dress. But her father was working as a mechanic at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen. And unfortunately dreams always have to come to an end, habibi, we don't have time for that, said her mother. And you can't sing very well either, said the music teacher from the village primary school. E se son rose fioriranno, said Zio Aldo. If they are roses, they will bloom. But roses have to be watered every day, the girl thought. And from that day onwards, she set off in search of the freshest source of water on the entire planet. And found it sometime in her mid-thirties in the toilets of a techno club. 

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The performance evening MEET THE [POOR] ARTIST shows the current status of the research project Klasse und (Auf)Begehren. Over the course of their two-month residency at the Fleetstreet Theater, artists Jacqueline Saki Aslan and Marco Merenda explored memories and experiences of classism from an autobiographical, feminist-intersectional perspective. On the one hand, personal stories were analysed musically, literarily, scenically and choreographically. On the other hand, empowering pleasure and care practices were developed that utilise elements of pop and mainstream culture. The (self-)conscious practice of endurance and devotion played a central role in this. Now the artists want to open up some of their stories and formats to the public.

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Funded by Fleetstreet-Theater, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung, Rudolf-Augstein-Stiftung and the Behörde für Kultur und Medien Hamburg.

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Pics: ©Jonas Albrecht 

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