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CILLE SCH
Performance artist, director, producer
May we introduce you to Cille Sch, a French artist from Strasbourg who moves between multiple art disciplines and experimental media to tell her story, and those of others. She told us: “I love the fact that we all have a different experience of life, it fascinates me. My inspirations often come from my own experience of things but I find it interesting as well to tell other people’s stories.”
Coming from a performing arts background, the Berlin-based artist likes to work on interactive and immersive installations, choreography but also directs and produces short films – like her most recent video „Blackberries.“ In it, actor Austin talks about toxic masculinity in the queer space.
Scroll down to watch the video and read the interview.
STK: What is “toxic masculinity” in your own words?
CILLE: Toxic masculinity is what is referred to as a certain norm imposed by society,
about how to be a man and how to act like a man.
STK: How did you get interested in this topic?
CILLE: By being surrounded by my male friends and talking to them about their personal experiences of being gay or queer. I realized the effort that has to be made in order to fit into the right case. It is tiring even to hear about it. It made me realize how much it is still present for heterosexuals
as well.
STK: The concept of toxic masculinity has been around since the 1980s, but the term suddenly seems to have become more widely used. Why do you think this is?
CILLE: Because in parallel, lots of things have evolved, but somehow not this. It is kinda shocking when toxic masculinity pops up, because you are like wtf, does this still exist?
STK: Why do you think there is so much pressure on males to perform a strong, masculine role in society? What effect do you think this has on men?
CILLE: It is a heritage that has been transmitted from generation to generation. It is becoming less obvious depending on the culture or social status but it is still present. As a woman and feminist, it is difficult to approach the topic. It doesn’t mean that I am defending men, but it is important for me to find a certain balance and equality for everyone. I just want to give men the opportunity to talk about it.
STK: Can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind your video “Blackberries”? What are you trying to convey to the viewers?
CILLE: Blackberries highlights the topic of toxic masculinity in the queer space where, in this community, men somehow encounter the same problems as heterosexuals. I like the idea that other queer men can recognize themselves in it. It might make them feel lighter about the topic just from the fact that someone is talking about it. The purpose at the end is to fight together about social pressures and not fight against each other. Beside this, I choose the name « Blackberries » because this fruit is black and represents toxicity: the thing that you cannot see from the outside.
STK: Do you have other examples of your work where you have tried to challenge the concept of masculinity?
CILLE: This is my first video of the series “toxic masculinity.” I want to continue it with various fruits and types of people. I am very excited about it.
STK: In your opinion, how can we tackle this notion of “manhood” and redesign the perception of the male gender? Can artists also play a part in this?
CILLE: It is the role of artists to spread the message about what should be changed and make people aware of things that we might not see on TV. It is also the role of men themselves to change the perception that we have about what it is to be a « man ». I have always wanted to fight against gender patterns because I find it ridiculous. I think it should start from a very young age. It is the role of the parents, of teachers or anyone who takes care of a child’s education, to talk about diversification in general and not make a taboo out of it.
Credits
Director: Camille Schaeffer (Cille Sch)
Videographer and editor: Natalie Rose Dodd
Starring: Austin Fagan
Sound: Johannes Hillmer
Pearl designs: Lillian Ceben
Studio: Lynxstudio Berlin
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