Negative Feelings or Depression as a Metaphor
In the scope of her Research Affiliation, Jette Büchsenschütz explores depression and ‘negative’ feelings as socio-political symptoms of our neoliberal and individualised society. The independent dance scene in particular is characterised by precarious conditions of employment, limited access to social security and expectations of being constantly flexible, creative and available.
What can be done to view anxiety and depression not so much as an individual deficit but rather an appropriate response, and to politicise them in the context of neoliberal working and living relationships? In various formats – a workshop, a poetic reading and a lecture performance – these so-called private feelings are transferred to a public-political level in order to discuss their causes, effects and forms of expression.
is a dramaturg, writer and cultural worker in the fields of dance and performance. She was born the year Prozac entered the US market. With a background in Sinology and dance studies, her work is situated at the intersection of artistic practice and theoretical reflection. Her research focuses on examining ambivalences of healing, and feminist strategies of world-building.