Border Ecologies (Giessen, Germany)

Border Ecologies is an exploration of dough as a living organism that is always in symbiotic relationship to other ecological systems, like grasslands, riverbanks, and skin microflora. Border ecologies–– the place where two ecologies meet–– are often the most healthy and diverse ecologies in the world. But sometimes, the symbiosis becomes a form of colonization. I am using these teachings from sourdough and the natural world to consider the ways social borders –– national borders, racial borders, socio-economic borders, religious borders–– are grounds of diasporic diversity and colonization. This research unfolds in a series of sculptures, texts, photographs, body-based exploration, and social encounters. Border Ecologies was shared as a performative event in the Gutenbergstr community garden in Giessen and as a performance-lecture on digital Mousonturm this summer.  

Created in collaboration with: Elena Light, Laura Stellacci, and Ariana Battaglia

PAST PERFORMANCE:

July 1, 2021: Gutenbergstrasse Garden 3:30-4:30pm

July 3, 2021: Lecture Performance on digital Mousonturm 5-6pm

photos by Kathi Seemann