Hexploitation

Hexploitation is a new production by the performance collective She She Pop in collaboration with artists, academics, theatres and festivals in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Japan and Switzerland. The central starting point of the production is the exploration of the process of ageing. The performers of She She Pop deal with social images of the old woman, the flaws attributed to her and the taboos with which the subject is afflicted. In their new production, they pose the question: To what extent are our ideas and evaluations of femininity still influenced by the witch hunt today? Together with international scholars from Japan and Ireland, among others, the artists research how the devaluation of self-determined women has been legitimised in cultural history over the centuries. In preparatory workshops, they will examine these narratives and explore which powerful images and narratives of the strong old woman exist.

In the performance, She Pop interweaves the scenario of a public “witch trial” with physical examinations and embarrassing questioning with representations of offensive femininity from different times and cultures. Monstrous images of the body are juxtaposed with positive representations of the old woman. The use of video plays a prominent role in this production. Hexploitation plays with prohibitions on looking and forbidden glimpses, the screens become mirrors or magnifying glasses, the images reproduce and deconstruct in equal measure. For the performances in Turin and Basel, local myths of witch hunts will also be incorporated into the production. To this end, She She Pop will work on the production together with local performers.

Audience discussion afterwards on 18.02.