i am (no) mother

photo credits: justin kulske

i am (no) mother is an audio performance about reproduction, abortion, and self-determination in public space. The piece creates a collective space of listening—between stillness and movement—offering a poetic and political reflection on Section 218 and the fundamental question of who owns the body.

I am (no) mother intertwines performance, sound, and political gesture to form a multilayered exploration of reproductive rights and autonomy. In Spreebogenpark, at the heart of Berlin, city meets body, and history meets the present. Performer Karoline Stegemann appears as a walking sculpture—a visible yet fragile sign—while the audience, equipped with wireless headphones, gathers around her. Sound, language, and silence weave a dense acoustic fabric that oscillates between radio play, soundscape, and political reflection.

The urban environment is not merely a backdrop, but an active counterpart. Amid the everyday bustle, architectural symbolism, and passing gazes, an intimate outdoor space for contemplation emerges. The listeners’ bodies form a silent assembly—visible, attentive, and present.

2-3-4 June 2023

7-8-9 June 2024

director/author/Performer: Karoline Stegemann

Co-director/costume: Celia Hofmann
Speakers: Maribel Dente, Axel Strothmann, Karoline Stegemann, Ulrike Walther
Dramaturgical consulting: Nicola Schubert, Johannes Weilandt
Music: Chiara Strickland
Sounddesign: Claudio Demel

Press/CommuniCation/Social Media: Ciara Angela Mission Engelhardt
show management: Ana Wybkea Gutschke
production management: Ronja Losert, Karoline Stegemann

Grafic design: Johannes Weilandt