Video workshops in two high schools fostering competences in intercultural communication and leading to a collaborative exhibition project

idea sini coreth
project programming sini coreth / alexandra reill
workshop / camera performance sini coreth / alexandra reill
video editing sini coreth
exhibition design sini coreth

public relations sini coreth / alexandra reill
coordination sini coreth
production sini coreth | high schools scheibbs | wieselburg

Sini Coreth started from the approach of fostering a raise of consciousness of the qualities and options of intercultural ways of co-existence by far not adequately realized in broader parts of society. Fear of the other, the unknown, entices to segregate in form of active physical or at least as bad – psychological aggression. Preconceived opinions serve as blockades and impede open and attentive encounters with the new and the unknown. Extracurricular initiatives, groups and persons can contribute important input for intercultural learning processes in institutions by providing their cooperation partners in schools with their expert know-how.

Based on the artistic approaches of the works Furious DVD 2007 by Sini Coreth, who researches processes of segregation and uncontrolled violence, and the project Would we say No? I and II by Alexandra Reill, the theme of which is xenophobia and the fear of “being swamped by foreigners”, the workshops called Intercultural Mobbing or Cooperation formed the framework for discussion with teens attending the high schools in Wieselburg and in Scheibbs in Lower Austria who then produced their own video clips and fine art works in cooperation with their teachers.

The teachers and the artist Sini Coreth coached the teens in going through the material which was produced cross disciplinarily in the German language and arts classes. Sini Coreth combined and edited the teens’ video clips so that a collective film could be produced. This version was shown to the teens who could add additions, demand changes or veto, thus defining the final cut and on occasion of this discussion had another platform for discussing options of cooperation. These talks were documented by the artists and – together with the video FEELINGstrange as well as drawings produced by the teens on the theme – were shown in the exhibition FEELINGstrange also presenting Furious DVD 2007 and the photo series Tehran 2008 by Sini Coreth in Gallery Nemecek in Wieselburg, the opening speech held by Carl Aigner, director of Landesmuseum Niederösterreich.

As exhibition closing event a discussion panel on the theme of FEELINGstrange took place in the high school of Wieselburg:

speakers
carl aigner, director of Landesmuseum NÖ
hermine krieger, psychiatrist
robert kabas, artist and art teacher, BORG Scheibbs
karina berger, workshop participant, BORG Scheibbs
ludmilla geiblinger, art teacher, BRG Wieselburg
koloman heil, workshop participant, BRG Wieselburg
sini coreth, artist
moderation
michaela gutsjahr, German teacher, BRG Wieselburg
programming
sini coreth, artist

The discussion penal lead to an open cooking workshop in cooperation with the participants of the video workshops, their relatives, teachers and members of the PTA as well as anybody who wanted to join so that the final closing event of the process was a common dinner.

Sini Coreth‘s thxs go to all participants and contributors and to

— red zac lindwurm wieselburg
— ebner ernst event and party service

FEELINGstrange staged at

— borg scheibbs / scheibbs / a / 08-09
— brg wieselburg / wieselburg / a / 08-09
— gallery nemecek / wieselburg / a / 09

FEELINGstrange featured by

— orf volksgruppenredaktion / vie / a / 09
— [aha] / i / 09
— [nettime] / d / 09
etc.