Moving Through What Our Bodies Hold

Our bodies are shaped not only by personal experience but also by the social and political conditions in which we live. For migrant women in particular, the demands of navigating institutions, translating between languages, proving ourselves, and remaining productive can affect how we inhabit our bodies and how our needs are recognized. What happens when these experiences remain unseen? When we ask what our bodies carry and what they need space to put down, we are also asking what it means to reclaim bodily autonomy and to consider rest a right rather than a reward.

Beginning with movement, we will translate gestures and bodily sensations into lines, textures, silhouettes, and visual body maps. As we draw and experiment together, these traces can develop into images that may inform the subsequent woodcarving process.

No movement or drawing experience is needed. You can take part at your own pace, choose what you want to share, and find your own way of expressing yourself. There is no single correct way to move, draw, or make meaning.

Together, we will explore how embodied experiences can become artistic material that remains open to transformation, ambiguity, and collective interpretation.

Doriane Mbenoun will facilitate these sessions. They are closely linked to the woodcarving workshops starting on November 4, and from December 5, 2026, their results will become part of a collective artwork in the participatory space Times in Common.

We reccomend taking part in both days, but it is also possible to join just one of the days. To participate, please sign up here: Registration