What does friendship mean beyond selfies and birthday messages?

In this workshop, we want to explore friendship as an intimate act of care and shared everyday life, but also as a political practice of resistance (for example, against heteronormativity).

Through various creative inputs - such as a (platonic) speed-dating, literary impulses, or the collective development of a manifesto - we will enter into conversation with and among each other. In doing so, different perspectives on chosen families will find their place - whether associations, memories, fractures, or theoretical frameworks.

For author Akwaeke Emezi, friendships are vital. In Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir, they write:

"What is love if not a shield thrown up around you when you are too injured to throw it up yourself?"

In this sense, we are aware that the topic may carry different emotional resonances for different people, and we want to approach it with care. Our aim is to create a space that is affirming, protective, and at the same time allows freedom for bringing in one’s own experiences and perspectives.

Workshop with Judd (they) and Marie (she/they). Workshop language: German.