Betty

Betty

Workshops:

  

  

  

  

  

www.bettinasemmer.de
www.semmer-berlin.com

  

Betty is an artist, yoga instructor and founder of project space in Berlin. Recent activities include public interventions in Potsdam, Portugal and Western Sahara within the context of ARTifariti (2009-2016). Pursuing Art as a tool for social transformation, she initiated the Assisted Painting Series (with her daughter), participatory projects; she teaches art and theatre in various institutions in Germany and England, as well as her own course, RE_Create, in which Yoga and creativity techniqus are combined with self expression and vision seeking through painting.

  

  

TOUCH AND SOUND: SOCIAL SCULPTUREBetty-WS1

A bilingual (German/English) workshop developed by Caffyn Jesse (somatic sex educator from Canada) and Bettina Semmer (Berlin-based visual artist and yoga teacher) - carried out by Betty alone.

Touch and sound, used in new ways, can forge new neural pathways and open up possibilities for pleasure. Participants engage in unconventional sound-making practices that generate and express pleasures, while experiencing touch and sound in shifting groups of more-than-two. This workshop brings together practices for empowering enthusiastic consent with practices for generating sound orgasms while co-creating social sculpture with participants.

We explore expressing, without words, where and how we want and don’t want to be touched. Habits of communication often limit us. People get into habits of saying yes or no to whatever is offered. What would it mean instead to “tune in” and express what we really want? What would it mean to express pleasure for ourselves instead of for others?

We explore generating sensation through sound. Sound can trigger arousal and orgasm.

We make a delicious aggregate of sounds as a group in which each person is devoted to their own pleasure and also to listening for each others’ choice and voice. Instead of going into habits of helping or helping ourselves to each other, we make an environment for dismantling inequalities and generating joy.

Human activity that aims to creatively structure and shape society can be called “social sculpture” (after Joseph Beuys). This is art aimed at dismantling the repressive effects of social systems and bringing about revolutionary change. Bettina and Caffyn will reflect on how we embody privileges and oppressions in our everyday communications, and how we can aim at co-creating sexual cultures that challenge and change this.

  

  

Betty-WS2

  

BODILY SELVES IN TRANSFORMATION

A painting and body printing workshop

Using body paints, in partner work and with the inspirational input of Yoga, genderqueer concepts and images of the Goddess around the world, we will make a transforming two hour journey towards a new image of the self. By painting the naked – or partially naked – body, we will bring out the wild and sacred in every one! Withhe twisting and inverse postures of Yoga and images of sacred figures to inspire the participants, and partner work for mirroring and helping in the tranformation, the time is spend lost in the flow until a final reflection will harvest our experience and bring them into the circle.

Rather than hiding/embellishing our body, the use of colour and shapes will be a path to "make-­up" a new identity, whether imposed from outside or as an expression from inside (the two of them being entwined in the choosing of images one already expresses an inner state of affairs).

Elements of the workshop:
- total or partial coverage of the skin with appropriate
- partner work, group work
- printing the body onto paper with the help of one partner, non-toxic guache paint
- reflection of images of self/sacred figures

 

  

Photos: © unknown