a research project by MS Schrittmacher
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Germany, bodies in public space have been realigning themselves. Decisive for their form of movement is no longer only where they move to or from, but their relationship to each other. The distance to be maintained from others provides a new choreography of bodies through the city and a new awareness of their own bodies as well as those of others. The nature of movement through the streets is subject to the knowledge that through social, or much more physical distancing, one is constitutively contributing to the preservation of the health of others and the fight against a global pandemic. Whether members of a family, communities, or even individual states, all know that the crisis cannot be faced alone, but that there are interdependencies. Yet, the fear of contagion and spread has increased distrust and caution in interacting with other bodies, keeping them apart.
As choreographers and dancers, MS Schrittmacher have always dealt with the body and its anchoring in society. In the research “You’ll Never Walk Alone” we explored the changing movement of bodies through public space and their new relationship to each other.
The results are gathered on the blog You’ll Never Walk Alone. Here you can find links and articles about the changing choreography of everyday life in different places and institutions, about questions of mobility, isolation and communication. The research team developed a questionnaire and conducted interviews. Members of the MS Schrittmacher group have also contributed videos depicting their experience or engagement with the issue. Blog entries continued to share personal impressions and observations of the changed choreography of everyday life, shaped by measures, developments and findings of the pandemic.
research team: Natalie Baudy, Antje Rose, Hartmut Schrewe, Efrat Stempler, Martin Stiefermann, Helena Tsiflidis
funded by: reload.programm for Freie Gruppen by Kulturstiftung des Bundes