I am my umbilical cord My mother’s sleepless nights My father’s long drives I am the scent in my mother’s wardrobe The high heels I never fit I am the ingrained institutionalized religion Founded on fear. I am the shame and the guilt The vagina I am the black eyeliner I draw around my eyes
A Look Back at the Smolny Student Conference (podcast)
St. Petersburg is home to many beautiful things, including (debatably) the world’s most beautiful metro system, delicious Slavic food, and, of course, the Smolny Faculty of Liberal Arts at the University of St. Petersburg. This past April 19th to the 21st, Smolny generously hosted the sixth annual Student Conference in St. Petersburg. Representatives from all
Collage, Quilting, and Feminism: A Conversation with Faith Ringgold
The solo exhibition of the highly acclaimed interdisciplinary artist, activist, and writer, Faith Ringgold, opened at the Weiss Gallery in Berlin on April 24th, 2018. The exhibition opening was preceded by a brief talk with Ringgold and a number of students from two Bard College Berlin courses: Imagined Geographies, taught by Heba Amin and Migration,
A Girl with a Baby Face: Where Sexism and Ageism Collide
About two months ago, on one of those perfect days that alluded to the upcoming Berlin summer, I was craving falafel. I stopped at one of the many Dönerbuden that line the streets of this city (near Eberswalder Straße, if anyone’s curious) to give into my cravings. After encountering the chirpy vendor and ordering my
When Some of Your Closest Friends Graduate
As I chose between two outfits with vaguely Mediterranean patterns that I had worn to previous BCB Commencement ceremonies, I slowly prepared myself to see my friends graduate. I picked the long dress that I had worn to last year’s ceremony, which I didn’t get to show many people because I had to leave early
Open Questions
When I began teaching sculpture at BCB in the spring semester of 2015, The Factory was an incredibly raw, open space, with a vibe perhaps closer to a squat’s than to that of a private college arts facility. There was random graffiti covering the walls, the bathrooms had no mirrors or even paper towel dispensers,
A Reflection on “The Personal is Even More Political”
In the class The Personal is Even More Political, we have engaged with literary texts and different types of visual material; we have had discussions with artists and performed in-class social experiments like watching each other relax for about fifteen minutes or walking around a shopping mall in silence.
Happy Summer Break!
A message from Marga Hattingh, the blog editor: From Pankow to puppets to puppies, poems to podcasts to horoscopes to reflective articles, Die Bärliner has travelled far and wide this last academic year. We’re sad to see you go for the summer… which is why we’ll be sticking around. In your inbox. Probably every week.