Art project
in public space
Unprejudiced meeting of
unknown people
What does the title "THE WHITE THREAD" mean? The metaphor "the red thread", which holds everything together, was taken up and replaced by the spectrum of the wise light, which contains all colors and expresses this maximum variety. At the same time, the color "white" stands for a maximum reduction that runs through the entire project: in the visual language, the clothing, the lighting, in the image composition.
Why was it reduced to such a maximum? We are very quick to let symbols guide our opinions and don't see the person behind them. The same dress is supposed to help direct the focus on the person.
Why is there no correlation between portrait and religion? People like to assign and sort. But is it important to sort people? The project plays with this contradiction.
Why 20 women? One level of the project is the role of women in society and religion. The statement would not be stronger if there were 40. With 20, a comprehensive social spectrum is already shown.
Why KOKON? A special space was created, which wants to show a peaceful coexistence of religions. A birthplace of a new thought that will unfold like a butterfly and be carried into the world.
Bahaiism Buddhism Candomblé Daoism Evangelical Church Hinduism Catholic Church Korean Methodist Church International Mission Church Jehovah's Witnesses Yazidiism Judaism Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Days Russian Orthodox Church Shia Islam Shinto Sunni Islam Wiccan Atheism Spiritual Quest
Bahaiism Buddhism Candomblé Daoism Evangelical Church Hinduism Catholic Church Korean Methodist Church International Mission Church Jehovah's Witnesses Yazidiism Judaism Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Days Russian Orthodox Church Shia Islam Shinto Sunni Islam Wiccan Atheism Spiritual Quest
WHO
IS
WHO
HERE?
It is an open experiment of the viewer, in which he can only fail, in which he can only win.
20 Women.
20 Fates.
20 Women in the same dress.
Nothing distracts.
Nothing indicates their faith.
Just a look into the camera.
20 women talk about their lives,
the doubts and the hope in their God.
20 women give their faith a name.
20 women talk about religion.
They are so different, they are strangers and yet touch each other.
20 Women know the love and the pain.
They know the comfort a God gives.
They denied him.
Photographs and texts are not encyclopedias and are not Wikipedia.
They are sensitive descriptions of worlds of belief,
who help women through their lives.
No excuses, no masks.
20 Women who reveal their innermost being, their fear, the hope
that often enough builds on one,
on their God.
Whatever they call him, however he is viewed in the world,
honored, cursed, loved, ridiculed.
In great honesty, each one stands by her faith.
Whoever wants to see, whoever can understand and feel,
will recognize the strong bond of their communion.
In this sense, let us reflect on that,
what unites us and makes us strong.
A commonality of the decent and the sincere,
which our time needs.
Without regard to faith and religion.
No. No, there will be no dissolution. Each and every one should make up their own mind
Who are you.
You are invited to think.
Book to project
Her main concern is to break down stereotypical thinking, to overcome prejudices and to reduce abstract fears about people of other faiths. takt Magazin 2021
An important part of my projects is the dialogue with young people. In Erfurt, the COCOON was visited by many school classes. This is an excerpt from the report of the Jenaplan School student - Madineh.
“The White Cocoon”
... What's special is that apart from the women's faces, everything is the same - what they're wearing and the background. How did Elena come up with this idea? Very simple: Discrimination is almost our everyday life, everyone judges people. Just because of his looks!!! Why?? Because she wears a headscarf? That is the reason? So everyone should be equal to avoid that? Would we then be human if we weren't open to change? A lot of people don't think that's right, but there are still people who do it and unfortunately that's not uncommon. How many times has that happened and we just looked the other way without shame? I ask myself this question every day, unfortunately without an answer. And why cocoon? Since she chose the women as the central point, her aim was to connect the place with it. A woman gives birth and the cocoon should reflect that. It's supposed to show that a woman is strong and yet vulnerable, because women today have to endure so much exclusion and the cocoon shows that very well.
A great message! Elena Kaufmann put these women in the same dress and photographed them. “A world free of labels” is Elena's hashtag and it got me thinking because you don't have to know everything to feel better. Sometimes ignorance is just better than knowledge. Elena Kaufmann took the time and effort to show the exhibition to my class and I thank her for that because I have never seen an exhibition like this anywhere before. She is special.
Madineh
#worldsfreeoflabels
Many thanks to all sponsors, supporters and supporters
The White Thread is supported by the cooperation partner ACHAVA Thüringen e.V.
Many thanks to all sponsors, contributors and supporters of this project:
Stadtverwaltung Erfurt - Kulturdirektion
Kulturstiftung des Freistaats Thüringen
Thüringer Ministerium für Migration, Justiz und Verbraucherschutz (TMMJV)
BIMF | Büro der Beauftragten für Integration, Migration und Flüchtlinge
Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen
Theater Erfurt
Kontor Erfurt
Special thanks to supporters from industry and technology
Lehmann-Block & Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft, Erfurt
Deutsche Doka Schalungstechnik Apolda
Dyckerhoff Beton Erfurt
TMS Thüringer Stahlservice
Byrnstroem Möbelbau Uwe Schneider, Erfurt
Archikturbüro Südseite Erfurt
Fritsch Druck, Leipzig
White Wall, Frankfurt