We, 2021

The project Wir, 2021 (We, 2021) links the socialist fashion consciousness manifested in the timeless designs of the GDR fashion and culture magazine Sibylle with how all areas of life seem to be oriented around economic interests today, when living space has also become a hotly traded commodity. Sibylle showed women who appeared confident and independent wearing elegant, original clothing – which was rarely available for purchase in the GDR – in urban spaces. For Wir, 2021, three residents of the district have had three designs from Sibylle sewn by tailors whose wages have been calculated based on an equation according to which no more than 30% of one’s monthly income should be spent on rent. Each piece of clothing is priced according to the rent commonly paid in the area. When the budget runs out, the seamstresses will stop working. The unfinished clothing will be presented and staged in photographs that reference those shown in Sibylle. These photos will be on view at Haus des Lehrers, Kino International, and at Café Moskau for the duration of the project. Two performative walks will comment and expand upon Michaela Schweiger’s artistic research.