Nov 22+23: Schützen #1 READY, AIM

Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt [DE,DK] + Matthias Meppelink [DE]

With the acknowledged project “Schützen”, Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt opens up to current issues on the belligerent body of our time. More precisely – what kinds of bodies do weapons produce? What happens when we wear weapons? How do weapons as proteases affect the body?

The first part of the trilogy, #1 READY, AIM, is about the physical preparation before shooting and there will be no guns present. It is about war simulations, which is neither warfare, nor computer games. In a 25 minutes solo, Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt examines the relationship between the evil connotations of war practice and the good connotations of protective, somatic practice such as yoga and dance training.

The starting point for the project was a research Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt did in the summer 2011 during wich she was taking shooting classes in the Berliner Schützengesellschaft von 1882. It was the start of a longer artistic research, which results today is presented in three parts – #1 READY, AIM, #2 FIRE och # 3 RELEASE.

The title “Schützen” has in German a double meaning: it covers the verb “to protect, to guard, to shield”, but also the noun “a rifleman” or “a gunner”, which means more people shooting.

In relation to the performance, Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt will hold a short lecture and a question time with moderator.

Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt (DE/DK)
performs, curates and writes in the field between cultural critique, philosophy and performance. She studied Comparative Literature and Modern Cultural Studies in Copenhagen and Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen. Since 2011 she is teaching at the BA in Dance, Context, Choreography at the Inter-University of Dance (HZT) in Berlin. Often Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt is occupied with power, money and time. Her artistic work is at home in galleries, theatres and discursive seminars; format and production conditions change dependent on the specific performative investigation. She is collaborating with the performance artists Ana Berkenhoff, Matthias Meppelink, Ida-Elisabeth Larsen and Boris Nikitin and the collectives Monster Truck and deufert+plischke. With Lucie Tuma she holds the artist duo named Chuck Morris.

Matthias Meppelink (DE)
was born 1982 in Northwest Germany. Between 2003 and 2008 he studied Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen. He is one of the founders of the performance group Monster Truck and works as a freelance musician, composer, stage and light artist in different constellations within theatre and film. He continuously collaborates and tours internationally with Boris Nikitin, Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt and Marcel Schwald. Since 2008 he lives in Berlin.

Coproduced by Tanztage Berlin, ACTS Performancefestival/ Museum of Contemporary Art Roskilde, Sophiensæle and Foreign Affairs/Berliner Festspiele. Supported by The Danish Arts Council, The Danish Arts Foundation and Berliner Senat.

Weld in cooperation with Skogen in Gothenburgh that has invited Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt to a resicency November 19 to 29 including performances and the seminarie ”Creativity and authorship in warfare” with guests Natalie Alvarez, Eyal Weizman,Rabih Mroué, Eva Meyer-Keller.