fredag 16 juli 2010

x-front in Berlin: "How does it really work?"








x-front was invited by Megafån to take part in the workshop "How does it really work?" July 8-11 2010. Megafån wanted to discuss and work with other artists and art workers around the theme how does it work, working in a group with a feminist/queer/gender perspective? I had the possibility to go and spent three very inspiring and hot summer days in gallery KUMA in Mitte. Apart from presenting the x-front project and doing some hands on work making peeing funnels out of milk cartons, we talked about the advantages of working in a group, the pitfalls, how it can be used as a feminist strategy, and much more. Some parts were only for the invited participants and some were open to the public.
On Thursday we first introduced ourselves and talked about methods and whether or not we need written rules while working in a group.
Malin Gustavsson talked a little bit about her work as a gender knowledge consultant and some more about the importance of spaces for social gatherings and how she has worked with that in Helsinki.
Heidi Lunabba held her workshop "Abnormal Superhero", about creating a superhero who belongs to some kind of minority . Pics can be found here.
On Friday x-front held a workshop. Some talking and some making peeing funnels and trying them out. I also had the possibility to share some thoughts about my masters project in architecture and my study trip to Japan. Some x-front pants were on display on a clothes line and Fredrika Biström's photos of the pants in action. I find it fascinating how many questions that the theme arises (every time!) and how people are so quick to share their ideas and experiences. Part of it I think is because the starting point is such a basic need - the need to pee.
Manuela Schininá and Eva Kietzmann told us about their work with the nonprofit self organised archive Bildwechsel (means change of images) which started in Hamburg in 1979. Bildwechsel is both an art project, which develops and supports events and initiatives, and an archive collection on women+/media/art. Manuela left some good questions for us after the workshop, like: "Write down all the economies, support systems, exchange and relational systems (partnerships and alliances), that you know of, with which you can trick (avoid, circumnavigate) the monitary system." and "Where do you go to get the information on prizes, supports, money, etc. for artists?"
Vappu Jalonen showed a couple of short films, both funny and inspiring. On Sunday morning Vappu held a workshop about running through Mitte, which I skipped because of the heat. Later we gathered to talk about our visions for the future. The final workshops were a collective drawing organised by finnish art duo Tärähtäneet Ämmät (Nutty Tarts) and a sound/word/language workshop held by Laura Lilja.
The days were tied together in the evening with an official opening of the workshop traces show which has been possible to view the past week.

onsdag 19 maj 2010

weenus - what does it make possible? no innocent technologies.

oh, JK:s superb questions remind me of an article in the nytimes AG sent to me in 2007 about women in combat - american soldiers in iraq and afghanistan. i ask myself: what is it that this kind of gadget makes possible? under what circumstances can weenuses be used?

"And there are practical considerations. Women on smaller bases in Iraq often share sleeping quarters with men. Equipment in women's sizes can sometimes be harder to come by. Some women use newer forms of birth control to make their periods less frequent. Even urinating can become a problem. The military has disbursed portable contraptions the women affectionately call a weenus, for use on long truck drives."

or, as theorist Donna Haraway, who has written extensively about innovations used by the military and companionship between humans and other actors, probably would have put it: there are no innocent technologies.

Pink pee-funnel going mainstream?

Today in my inbox I found a newsletter from a Swedish/Nordic outdoor gear webshop (which I receive because I bought a backpack from them once) and it says:
"... especially interesting is the pee funnel from GoGirl , what a thing!"
"GoGirl is the gadget that makes it possible for girls to stand up and pee without fuss. GoGirl solves the problem on the hike, concert, travel or on a really dirty public rest room. It's small, discreet and can be used over and over - just wash it with soap and let it dry."
I'm not so convinced that the pink can be considered "discreet" but it does come in khaki as well. And maybe it depends on what you wear.
Many questions pop up in my head... What does this mean? Have we pushed the boundaries? Will standing up to pee now become mainstream? Is it really practical to carry around a gadget like this? Is it just a new gadget-market that's starting to open up for real? And as a friend of mine asked: why doesn't it come built in to a mobile phone? Which almost everyone carries around nowadays.
http://www.outnet.se//gogirl/gogirl-pink.php
http://www.go-girl.com/
/JK

fredag 14 maj 2010

fredag 16 april 2010

Toilets I've Known

I came across this blog about toilets.

/LN

onsdag 10 mars 2010

Dotterbolaget

Slowly it has dawned on me…My bookshelf and bedside table are filling up with books by people that I think have something in common with X-front. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that I appreciate about them.

They call themselves Serienätverket Dotterbolaget.

The connections that I’ve found so far is an interest in: body fluids, constructive criticism, the strength you can find in a collective, starting off in one’s one life, closeness between one’s own creation and a readiness to take in what others have done, an in between-ness of art in galleries and production that can easily be distributed in masses, hacking the everyday and making interventions.

A couple of quotes from an article with the headline "Vassa pennor & raka rör" in Sydsvenskan Sunday 7th March to rest in (unfortunately the article is not to be found online):

“Att visa sina svagheter är fint, konstaterar de.”

“Inte så mycket vi mot dom som vi för oss själva.
- Det känns lite som att man har ett stort gäng i ryggen, någon man kan kalla på om någon är dum mot en.”

“En bra grej är att det är så lätt att bli inspirerad när någon talar utifrån sig själv.”

“Och att vi förväntar oss att någon vill höra”

Look into:
http://fulheten.se
http://saraelgeholm.blogspot.com/
http://karincasimirlindholm.blogspot.com/
http://hejasara.blogspot.com/
http://rikedomen.se/

onsdag 3 mars 2010

it's certainly in the air

when shared parental leave insurance is being discussed in swedish politics "women standing up to pee" pops up in one of the comments to a TT-article. so, a conclusion can be drawn that our project is out there in the minds of people, in the air, in the discourse, in the practice even. although it's a pity the commentator has such a wicked mind...

ior wrote:

Jag tycker att man ska kvotera graviditeten, det är orättvist att män slipper göra det. Orättvist att de får stå och kissa också.. kan man straffskatta det på något sätt? Där har ni en bra ide, straffskatta männen..för allt som kvinnor inte kan göra..Familjer är svaga och kan inte ta egna beslut, barn bör växa upp på instution med kvoterad mängd kvinnor, män, svarta,vita och grå. Det är rättvist. Staten vet alltid bäst, heja sovjet..

ior, 10:29, 3 mars 2010.

måndag 15 februari 2010

Airing X-front

The radio show 'Verkligheten' - 'Reality' - on Swedish Radio called out for some visions on peeing. And then called å "revolutionary". Listen for yourself.