The Revolution 1989/90 – Gestures of Protest in Practice

This research project takes the peaceful democratic revolution in the GDR and Germany’s reunification in 1989/90 as its point of departure. It will lead up to 2029, when these pivotal events will be commemorated for their 40th anniversary, coinciding with the duration of the post-GDR period matching its entire existence. The revolution and the period of transformation that followed continue to have an impact to this day. My generation, that of the so-called „Wendekinder“, who were born in the GDR but grew up in reunified Germany, is increasingly coming to terms with, processing, and dealing with the experiences of upheaval of the East German population. I experienced the revolution as a child of civil rights activists on the streets of Leipzig. Building on this experience, I want to analyze historical documents from the “Archiv Brgerbewegung Leipzig e.V.” and from my family archive. Accounts from historical witnesses and self-written biographical memories will complete the historical documents. Building on this, I will translate the gestures of protest inscribed in the bodies into a contemporary representation via photographic reenactments and performances. The historical events, which still have significant after-effects on political, social, and personal levels, are thus to be brought into the present amidst a complex political world situation marked by protests and demonstrations, which will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of them.