Art Exhibit with paintings, tapestry, textile art, sculpture, collage, installation, games and video art by Riikka Hyvönen, Ellen Schinderman, Natalie Baxter, Spencer Chalk-Levy, Jim Avignon, Philip Crawford, Mathieu Brohan, Simon Thiel, Audrey Nervi and more.
Live Performance by Lello Li
Live Tattoos by Blacky Rixdorf
Painful Tunes by Fou de Bassan & Chaosfaktor
There is no definitive region of the brain that is in charge of pain. As Kathryn Weiner, the director of the American Academy of Pain management says: "Pain is complex and defies our ability to establish a clear definition. Pain is far more than neural transmission and sensory transduction. Pain is a complex mixture of emotions, culture, experience, spirit, and sensation." To process and experience pain involves a complex network of interacting pulses that is based on the nature, intensity, emotional reaction and intellectual assessment of stimuli; a complex system that proves difficult to define or even identify one aspect of pain in regard to another.
Pain - both physical and psychological - is a constant reality, a steady companion. An undeniable facet of life, or perhaps even a proof of being alive. Inevitable and extremely personal, all the while wholly universal. Pain can teach, bring people together, warn, inspire, teach and strengthen. Emotional Pain can become physical. Physical pain can be a symptom of emotional, societal or psychological troubles. It can also act as a therapeutic remedy, a release of sorts.
The exhibition aims to explore the effects, agency, and interaction between pain and pleasure. Power and vulnerability. Attraction and compensation. Inspiration and triumph. What are the indicators of pain? Which memories do they bring? What stories lie behind the scars? How do painful experiences influence the relationship to pain itself and how do people deal with pain? Why does one purposefully put oneself in situations that inevitably will be painful? What makes it attractive? How can strange, uncomfortable or even painful experiences create intimacy, empathy, creativity or authenticity?
The artists in this exhibition play with pain; focussing on it as an integral part of life. The pain of conformity, societal pain, rite de passages, Lustschmerz, trophies, lessons, desires, stimulation, liberation, triumph, self-expression. Self-inflicted, unwanted or as a part of rituals and societal structure, battle scars, even entertainment.
No pain, no gain?
Join us for a special event, organised by Berlingamescene.com as part of the PainGame exhibition. The afternoon will feature a talk by Sabine Harrer, followed by a Q&A with the audience. On this occasion, it will also be possible to see the PainGame exhibition curated by Verity Oberg & Nika Lenz.
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SCHEDULE
— 15:00 Doors
— 15:30–16:30 Talk by Sabine Harrer + Q&A
— 18:00 End
The event is free to attend, but we'll be asking for donations for those who can (and want to) support.
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ABOUT THE TALK
The talking dead: Remembering our loved ones through game design
The death of a loved one can be a soul-crushing thing. That's because loss often comes with a loss for words: How to adequately make sense of, talk about this relationship? It also comes with the challenge of living on: How to remember, honour, and even stay in touch with the dead? This talk explores game design as a language to talk with and about the dead. When the desire for words is there, game design is an option to explore difficult feelings around death playfully. It can give designers and players a sense of safety when navigating painful experiences. And it can use gameplay to indicate appropriate ways to talk about the dead. As the talking dead, our passed relatives, friends, and children live on in our games.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sabine Harrer is a Berlin/Copenhagen based game designer, researcher, and lecturer. As member of the Copenhagen Game Collective she has collaborated on play experiences which use game design as artistic tool. Performative, material, and digital elements flow together to explore ordinary experience, social power, and human vulnerability. Sabine is currently teaching intimate game design at BTK, Berlin, and directing the IF game Minded, supported by the Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen.
https://enibolas.com // @enibolas
