caner teker: killjoy

In the organizer's words:

How do we mourn as a temporary community in the stage space? Starting from this question, caner teker deals with grief and its rituals in the choreographic work killjoy.

"For killjoy, I examine the connection between work and mourning using the "Moira" character(s) as an example: Mourning women who express and embody the surviving relatives' grief in their capacity as professional mourners. Therein, I look at sections of the 'service economy', of emotional work, of migrant work and of performative work, from time to time also using autobiographical reference. My own perspective as a German-Turkish person as well as my recollection of the ritual farewell for my grandmother inform my research, too." - caner teker

Elements of such mourning rituals, like a ceremonial bath in a water basin and the use of scents reminiscent of the embalming in the mourning rituals found in Muslim tradition, seep into the work. Together with dancer Élie Autin, caner teker embodies the "Moira" figure as a professional mourner who performs ritualized lamentation of the dead as a service provision while simultaneously providing consolation and entertainment to the deceased's relatives. How does this form of work relate to the performance on stage and in the theatre? How do we create spaces for theater? Who mourns for what? We are moving between grief as an internalized, private condition as well as mourning and mourning work as an exteriorized process which, in this case, becomes public. The stage space is shared between audience and performers, who, with their presence, seek a somato-political connection to the viewers. Mourning here is seen as consenting to undergo a transformation together with the people present as active witnesses - a process with uncertain outcome.

caner teker, born 1994 in Duisburg-Marxloh, is a survivor, supporter and choreographer. caner teker's performances deal with the notion of the parasitic, with transformation and autobiographical worldmaking. Through the manipulation of space, time and body, they create images that contain personal experiences beyond queerness and post-migrant identity. caner teker studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and at SNDO - School for New Dance Development, Amsterdam. In 2020, caner teker received the Förderpreis für Bildende Künste der Stadt Düsseldorf and was a guest fellow at PACT Zollverein. caner teker's performances have been shown at tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf, HAU - Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, Gessnerallee Zurich, Julia Stoschek Collection, Berlin, Atonal Festival Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin and Tanzquartier, Vienna, among others. The work KIRKPINAR was purchased for the collection of the Museum Ostwall, Dortmund, and awarded the ars viva prize 2024.

Duration: 60 min.