Image Credit: Larissa Potapov
The durational video work We, the Flaneuse is based on performative crocheting at various public sites in Hamburg. The title references the Black Flaneuse in Nella Larson’s book Quicksand and searches for narratives and politics of female loitering in the city. By using both indoor and outdoor spaces, Meghna Bhardwaj poses the question of how a fragile material such as yarn and the fragility of a female performative body can be made visible in the public space. Can the two come together to disrupt the social codes of performing in public? What form of resistance can a gathering of crocheting/crocheted bodies produce?
The work is part of Meghna’s ongoing research Yarning:
Research: Anand Dhanakoti, Eng Kai Er, Larissa Potapov, Nicole Kiersz, Meghna Bhardwaj | Performance: Eng Kai Er, Larissa Potapov, Meghna Bhardwaj | Costumes: Nicole Kiersz, Meghna Bhardwaj | Camera and editing: Larissa Potapov.
A production by Meghna Bhardwaj and K3 Tanzplan, Kampnagel