“The eight-armed sister* Oktopussi takes you into her velvety folds and welcomes you to the soft foundation of our nation. The sisters* gush through the doors. They have renounced all forms of inhumanity. And now…there you are – a person on a bridge and you trickle down into the stagnated river and wash up in this living house. Now, something could happen. It has to! The tolling bells announce the formation of the Sister*State (Schwesterstaat).”  

United in solidarity – that is what RAMPIG!‘s utopian Sister*State is! It is an alternative to the patriarchal narration of the world, to the brotherhood of states and other alliances of power. In an isolated “feminine” space in Mannheim, the heart of this new nation is beating. There, visitors can dive into the space and witness a multitude of current scenes of feminine solidarity such as people protesting with blindfolds on, black marches against abortion laws, of women being forced to flee their homelands, and sisterhood in battle. Since 2019, RAMPIG has been exploring the concept of femininity which is solidly rooted in our society in the images of females.* Even through the outbreak of this new war in Europe during their research, images of female roles that were thought to be obsolete are reappearing. Now, we must ask ourselves: what images of women are there today? Who is showing solidarity with whom?  With whom are we forming sisterhoods? What influence does the East-West axis of power have on the grand narratives of patriarchy and how women are portrayed? Where is this return of these conservative role models coming from?  

RAMPIG is questioning narratives of the feminine in respect to the re-traditionalization of women’s roles by right-wing, conservative forces. Throughout the performance, a disturbing collection of powerful, iconic images which have been retouched or edited and then instrumentalised for political purposes come together to tell another story.

Artists Kollektiv Theater Performance Kunst RAMPIG, Mannheim (Deutschland) Christina Bauerfeind, Friedrich Byusa Blam, Sophia Mara Buck, Malte Fischer, Tim Fischer, Nikola Haubner, Lea Langenfelder, Liz Langenfelder, Christoph Hack, Sebastian Arnd, Ann-Sophie Reiser, Karolina Leśna, Sophie Lichtenberg, Anna Müller, Tabea Panizzi, Melanie Riester, Nils Sandritter, Beata Anna Schmutz, Stephan Schmutz, Karolina Serafin, Ricarda Walter, Maximilian Zschiesche & guests Exhibition Małgorzata Mycek, Poznań (Poland)

Co-production with the civic theatre in Kleist Forum in Frankfurt (Oder) and Theater Performance Kunst RAMPIG e.V. 

Supported by the Landesverband Freie Tanz- und Theaterschaffende Baden-Württemberg e.V. with resources from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts and the Stiftung Landesbank Baden-Württemberg. Supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of NEUSTART KULTUR. Supported by the project funding of the Kulturamt Mannheim, by the City of Frankfurt (Oder) and the Eigenbetrieb Kulturbetriebe Frankfurt (Oder).