Studio explorations

6/5/2020

With Stephen Moynihan & Joshua Hubbard

When the prince danced with the coachman

Sketch 3: Revisiting writing by Ronald Schernikau with Stephen Moynihan & Joshua Hubbard

ABOUT

Written in the 1980s, Schernikau’s short novel so schön captures a particular moment and experience of German LGBTQI+ history. Yet there are common places between 'back then', and 'now', and this project stems from a desire to discover and share those with others.

Combining communist activism and his lived experience within West Berlin's queer community, Schernikau's work gently pushes back against a system that promotes normalcy, passivity and exploitation. He is looking for ‘utopia’ in the present.

This is reflected in his use of the German language. Fragmented and conversational, it is focused on the idiosyncratic detail whilst disregarding grammatical rules.

His style requires some curiosity and commitment from the reader. But it communicates with a visceral directness once one opens up to it.

Then one is rewarded with moments of gentleness and care that present a capacity to challenge the disengagement and indifference he observed around him, build new connections and find a different meaning of ‘beauty’. Beauty emerging in the moment, by the way people interact with each other.

This project is an attempt to explore a creative process to translate and process some of his writings, literally, as well as from text to dance.

The writing proposes a different way of looking, from the outside in, and to embrace new perspectives on what appears so familiar. Rich in descriptive details of gestures and movements, words change as people are talking with their mouth full, the image and expressivity of the body are central.

Studio explorations

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When the prince danced with the coachman

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