Speculum

*LBYL Studio Kuhlmann With *LBYL Hannah Kuhlmann stages a ritual that does not yet exist as such - or at least not in this form: Looking at one's own genitals with the help of mirrors involing the whole body, the purpose of which is explicitly in this action. In this way, they make it possible to encounter one's own nakedness in a climate of acceptance, open-mindedness and thoughtfulness. They enable us to see our body in its entirety, to identify with it and to develop self-confidence - which in this sense can literally be understood as being aware of oneself. The mirrors reveal that furniture is more than just an article of daily use, because they materialize cultural conventions and design social encounters. The mirror objects are inspired by Jacques Lacan's theory of the mirror stage, which describes the developmental phase of the child around the 6th to 18th month of life, within which identification with one's own mirror image takes place. According to Lacan, the child only develops an awareness of his body as a coherent unit through the recognition of himself in the mirror, where he has previously experienced himself in symbiotic connection with his surroundings. Thus the moment of identification with one's own mirror image marks the beginning of becoming a subject. – Turnips  Charlotte Werth Clothing is a continuation of the body, and yet not a part of it. With Turnips Charlotte Werth reflects on the importance of clothing as an interface between the biological body and its social existence. She questions the seemingly clear, yet to a certain extent arbitrary dividing line that we draw through cloth-specific codes between the private and public spheres. Charlotte Werth starts her master degree in ‚Material Futures‘ at Central Saint Martins in London. With her background in integrated designer she specialized in fashion, costume and textile design and works in diverse interdisciplinary projects. – Self–TitledElisabeth Prehn & Paula Ahn Genitals often get classified into binary schemes, which are seen as each others counterpart. Due to our dualistic view of biological sex, we believe gender identity must be binary as well. Thus, clearly defined categories like ‚the female‘ and ‚the male’ become the frame to our experience of being human. As biology doesn’t necessarily follow dualistic rules though, our sex organs shouldn’t be exclusively seen through a binary lens either. During the body’s early state of develop- ment, they even share the exact same form, followed by an evolution into a variety of individual shapes. ‘Self-Titled‘ proposes a visual anti- thesis to binaries of sex, identity and the performance of gender. – Performance ‘The only reason for me to get naked is to take a bath or to make love‘ Mirjam Radovic & Katharina Stahlhofen "The only reason for me to get naked is to take a bath or to make love" plays with our body perception and touches on questions of power, shame, sexual self-determination and omnipresent voyeurism. In search of new perspectives on the body, the performance moves between ritual and utopia and puts our viewing habits to the test.