After a year of online meetings of the new 6 member collective research group, "WordMord" kicks off with its first public action "WordComminutes". "WordMord" started at the Center as a seminar, developed into an art project and grew into a long-term research/artistic program of plural work, which is co-developed by the (research) group/collective and involves multiple initiatives. “WordComminutes” will take place on
October 16 and 17, 2021 12.00 -17.00 at Eight / Το Οχτώ, critical institute for arts and politics in Athens. OXTΩ/EIGHT, Politechniou 8, Athens.
“WordMord” means that words can kill. “Wordmord” is a collective artistic research project which started as part of the seminar „Feminist Practices in the Public Space at the Era of Globalised Technologies“, organized by the Centre of New Media and Feminist Practices in the Public Space in 2019. The project´s starting point are two instances of public violence, misogyny, and homophobia that occurred in Greece in 2018: the brutal murder of the queer activist Zak/Zackie Oh in Athens and the femicide of Eleni Topaludi in Rhodes. Drawing on paralinguistic theory, queer linguistics and embodied artistic practices, in this workshop we will explore the possibilities of destabilising/disrupting/disturbing/troubling normative patriarchal language by seeking queer feminist methodologies that desire/speak languages in plural. These practices of language destabilisation do not emerge from the prohibition of words/notions, but rather from a desire to undo the separation of language from the body/affect/sexuality. More specifically, instead of measuring the effectiveness of language through meaning production, we will experiment with texts that reflect stereotypical narratives on issues of gender, nationality, language, sexuality, legislation, history, family…(what else?) in order to shake up/distort/undo the words in these texts. We will collectively write/’shout’/embody a manifesto. We desire to declassify/shake off the ‘clean/correct’ form of language in search of new meaning(s), perhaps? A meaning in flux. In this workshop we will use diverse materials and media such as collective writing, our embodied voices, texts, scores and textiles. The workshop
will take the form of a performative erratic walk in the city. Through presentations, discussions and other practices we wish to expand this queer feminist genealogy by proposing/elaborating our own methods of deconstructing hegemonic narratives. Collectively, we want to feel/trace the areas of language that are often ignored/overlooked/underestimated/degraded by the dominant language system (entanglement of sound, sense, gesture, tonality, breathing and rhythm). We want to overcome the restrictive use of words that only allows the reproduction of rational meaning. “WordMord” believes that the violence of language is not eradicated by merely deleting/erasing words, but rather by transversing their violent imposition through specific practices that trouble and disrupt grammatical consistency, semantic norms, ‘correct’ pronunciation, ‘proper’ bodily posture. The rupture of linguistic limits suggests the possibility of experiencing language in its materiality.
“Wordmord” poses questions on the relationship between language, technology, trauma and violence. How is violence represented through (online) narratives? How can we assemble, archive and thusly deconstruct heteronormative, derogatory, sexist, homophobic and transphobic narratives that manipulate us? By exploring subversive and queer feminist artistic methοdologies, “Wordmord” seeks to connect art (poetry/performance/moving image/sound) with queer feminist activism and emancipated life. In the third phase (2021-ongoing), the project will evolve through workshops, presentations and (collective) artworks. Through collaborations with artists, activists and groups working on feminist coding, “WordMord” seeks to shape an online rhizomatic space as an active feminist archive. At the same time, the project will provide tools and methods towards a poetically subversive meta/para/re-writing of derogatory narratives and consequently of trauma and violence.
“WordMord”´s initial research group:
Vassiliea Stylianidou aka Franck-Lee Alli-Tis, Angeliki Diakrousi, Christina Karagianni, Oýto Arognos aka Stylianos Benetos, Mounologies: Eleni Diamantouli and Anna Delimpasi.
If you want to participate in the workshop, send us a short text expressing your interest on the specific topic of destabilising hegemonic language: email: hello@wordmord-ur.la
We invite you to share with us your embodied language-experiences.
Please note that the presentations will be held in greek. However, all known and unknown languages are more that welcome! The workshop is free of charge. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic restrictions a limited number of participants will be accepted.
*There will be audio and visual recordings during the workshop, always in full respect of our personal data protection.
This workshop is proposed by: Christina Karagianni, Oýto Arognos aka Stylianos Benetos, Franck-Lee Alli-Tis aka Vassiliea Stylianidou
Oýto Arognos aka Stylianos Benetos (DE/GR) was born in Athens, has an academic background in Philology (DUTH Komotini), Linguistics (AUTH Thessaloniki), Performing Arts and Theatre Studies (Municipal Drama School of Agia Varvara & NKUA Athens, FU Berlin), and researches/processes independently themes of
identity, language and history within a multidisciplinary textual/performative/visual/sound) framework.
Vassiliea Stylianidou aka Franck-Lee Alli-Tis studied Literature and Linguistics at the University of Ioannina (GR) and Visual Arts at the University of the Arts Berlin. S*he works as a video and installation artist, using in her* works related artistic media such as text, sound/music and performance. Her* practice explores the
limits inherent in systems of control and discipline such as body, family, gender and language. Lives and works between Berlin and Athens.
Christina Karagianni (NL/GR) is an independent researcher and dancer/performer living in Athens. She studied dance at the State School of Dance (KSOT) in Athens and Theatre Studies (specialization in dance dramaturgy) at the university of Utrecht. Recurring questions that feed her research concern the speculative potentiality of dance, the valuation of labor of the dancing.