Sense of Home

An autobiographical artistic research on How to find a sense of home, when you are trangenerationaly uprooted?

"There is no longer one home - but there are many possible homes. In the face of bewildering diversity, choosing and shaping personally meaningful connections to places, people, cultural and spiritual frames of reference becomes the task of the individual."

- Beate Mitzscherlich (Psychologist)

“Whenever I just felt comfortable, I had to leave.” That's what my half-Iranian father tells me about his childhood and youth. As his daughter, I am partly iranian, I speak German and have never been to Iran. Similar to my father, I have had to move many times in my life, constantly building a new home, a new community. And like my father, I often felt like I didn't belong and that I was a stranger. He hardly spoke about his life in Tehran and the flight to Germany. As his daughter, I try to grasp this life and thus understand my own cultural origins. As an artist, I bring these stories to the stage because they need to be told, to give a collective context for many individual stories of migrants. To try to understand and be understood. Only by achnowleding the loss, we can live a full life.

Why should I leave my comfort zone of not knowing?

Loneliness

I said: 'Give me the definition of loneliness.'

You said: 'When no one's there beside you.'

I said: 'What if you're even lonelier than that?.'

You said: 'Then when there's no one to love you.'

I said: 'Define the greatest loneliest of all,'

You said: 'When no one understands you.'

by Mahvash Sabet from the book Prison Poems

Past & Present

Where am I in all this.

As feelings come and go,

the past blures with the present.
Here with there.
And I'm feeling quite clear the lines of seperation.

Trying to find a language to connect.

Me with you.

Here and there.

Heart and body.

Pain and thankfulness.

Loss and growth.

Helplessness and power in my bones. In my words. In my privilges.

Fragmented present.
Here and there.

“Liebe Frauen im Iran”

von Sarah Bosetti (deutsche Autorin, Satirikerin, Komikerin, Moderatorin), 29.10.2022

“Es ist bemerkenswert, wie in Deutschland über die Proteste im Iran gesprochen wird. Zum Großteil nämlich gar nicht. Und wenn doch, dann sagen Menschen, Parteien aus fast allen politischen Richtungen - Grüne, SPD, CDU, FDP - gerne sowas wie “Wir stehen an der Seite der Frauen im Iran”.

Ich möchte darauf mit einem Gedicht antworten.

Liebe Fauen im Iran,

ich stehe nicht an eurer Seite.

Selbst auch teile ich eure Wut. Wer das sagt, verkennt die Weite, die uns trennt, in Raum und Mut.

Ich bin hier und ihr seid da. Was euch trifft, das trifft mich nicht. Weder Kugel noch Gefahr, noch das Herz, das in euch bricht.

Ich seh euch nur digital auf Bildern, spende euch Applaus. Vielleicht wein’ ich sogar mal, doch dann bin ich wieder raus.

An der Seite einer Heldin - ja so sehe ich mich gern. Doch zwischen mir und euch sind Welten und ihr seid die, die sie durchqueren.

Ich stehe nicht an eurer Seite, ich stehe hinter euch und staune. Und ich sehe, wie ihr leidet. Ich stehe hinter euch und raune und ich flüster was von Zeit um euch als Echo beizustehen.

Ich stehe hinter euch ganz weit, in eurem Schatten kaum zu sehen.”

ziertiert von Sarah Bosettis Youtube Kanal, Video vom 29.10.2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2935gEzbZ0 (abgerufen am 28.04.2023)

Baraye - Shervin Hajipour (28th September 2022)

Baraye was composed and sang by Shervin Hajipour in reaction to the murder of Masha Jina Amini by the Guidance Patrol of the Iranian Islamic Regime. The song consists of many iranian voices as Hajipour collected several twitter statements from different iranian people, where they explained their personal reasons for protesting and wishing for regime change in Iran. It's said to be the song of the revolution.

The potential of being many

building bridges

In der Stille sehe ich...
Work-In-Progress

On the 16th of June 2023 I had the pleasure, to show my dance-solo "In der Stille sehe ich..." with the musician Stefan Mennemeier and the Baha'i community in Kassel as part of the installative exhibition „Frauen im Iran“ Galeria Kollektiva Kassel. The event is part of the world-wide campagne #OurStoryIsOne by @bahaibic @ourstoryisone

I was very honoured to dance in front of more than 70 people in this small galleria space, and I'm still full of gratitude when I think about the conversations I had with different people in this frame. Seeing so many people coming together, sharing and expressing, showing solidarity with the people in Iran and the Iranians living here, was very touching. Thanks to everyone who was there!

In the solo I deal with my emotional resonance to the murder of the 10 Baha'i women in Shiraz 40 years ago, the ongoing oppression of women in Iran until today and my connection to the present events as an artist with Iranian and German roots. To speak for those who can not speak. To connect and show solidarity. To dare to open our hearts.

standing here with you
a dance film with 22 women

"standing here with you" was created in July 2023 as an act of solidarity with women in Iran. The dance film was made as part of the global campaign #OurStoryIsOne by the Baháʼí International Community, which aims to remember the murder of 10 Baha'i women 40 years ago in Shiraz and the ongoing oppression of all women in Iran.

22 women in Kassel (Germany) came together to find an individual and collective expression in response to the protests since September 2022 and the decades-long suppression of women in Iran. To become visible for those who are not allowed to be seen, to dance for those who are not allowed to dance, to connect with each other, so that we are not alone with the feeling of helplessness. For women, life, freedom. And for hope.

Concept, Direction, Editing, Sounddesign: Deborah Manavi

Dancers: Lily Bromley, Simone Reimer, Lena Kühnel, Patricia Kriese, Josefine Strehle, Mira Klepfer, Josefine Malakçi, Katja Mand, Angelika Schmitt-Rößer, Justyna Staszczak, Massumeh Rasch, Mareike Steffens, Klara Koraus, Paula Schulze, Kerstin Rohwer, Anette Hänning, Nazanin Esmaeilisedeh, Kristina Langholf and others.

To be continued.

Stepping into the unkwon, doors are opening, which I haven't seen before.

Life is calling vibrantly to act, to speak, to create, to connect.

Keep in touch.

The artistic research "Sense of Home" (1.04.2023-30.06.2023) was supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media within the program NEUSTART KULTUR.