When Men Cry the World Shuts Down: Symposium, Bunker Ljubljana
On 3 March we were invited to contribute as a guest speaker the symposium When Men Cry the World Shuts Down, organised by Bunker, Ljubljana (SI). We joined a discussion with a.o. Primož Bezjak, Juan Carlos Martel Bayod, moderated by Eva Neklyaeva.
When Men Cry the World Shuts Down is a gathering that flirts with the format of performance. The contemporary concept of the symposium as a scientific exchange of knowledge is subverted into something seemingly disordered (messy and chaotic) with an ancient Greek echo and an artistic twist. During the discussion, an army of women serve drinks and provide the comfort for the audience, so that the invited guests and audience members can think, drink, talk and (hopefully) cry.
For the symposium When Men Cry the World Shuts Down, the organizers invited male speakers to ‘help women help men get rid of patriarchy’ – a system that simultaneously benefits and oppresses men. The invited speakers collected experiences about the patriarchal system built around gender, age and power. With the knowledge gained, we were able to start mapping the problems that patriarchy presents for men. Keynote speaker Federico Campagna opened the symposium with a lecture on the mythological aspect of patriarchy. Later in the symposium, invited speakers talked with the moderator of the symposium, curator Eva Neklyaeva, about specific situations they have experienced in which they have felt patriarchal privileges and/or oppression.
The production of knowledge does not only take place in closed, soundproof and sterile environments. Sometimes we have to cry and laugh and lie and speak the truth in order to learn. Sometimes we have to see through tears to see more clearly.
Concept by: Lea Kukovičič & Sodja Lotker
