Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren vom Kuratorium
written on Monday, January 15th, 2007
Robert wrote like crazy the last days. He wrote to the Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren vom Kuratorium here in Vienna an "Einreichung", an application for a grant.
You might think I made a joke by putting this photo up here, but no, no joke. The people on the photo are all the children of the parents of my father (my father is right bottom). What has this photo to with the Einreichung? Motherhood. Kaiserin Maria Theresia (German), Empress Marie Therese (English). She had 16 children and at the same time she was ruling a country, and quite succesful.
Robert wrote in the application:
Around the statue of Marie Therese we will build a place of creativity for a week, that will change the perception of the space, but also that will force the public to reflect on history, changing societies, the role of art then and nowadays. It also will zoom in on motherhood, and especially on a role for the mother in politics.So we want to celebrate the astonishing fact that Marie Therese revealed herself as a very good ruler and at the same time was the mother of sixteen children.
Our approach to deal with history is always a creative one, we are not so much looking for historical justifications, but we use the historical backgrounds and facts for our own fascinations with life. And with the life of Marie Therese we want to fantasize what happens to a society where mother care is not marginalized to the region of the family itself, but could be a perspective for more parts in society. What is motherhood anyway, we ask ourselves. Is it the absolute empathy for another being; is it the capacity to think in practical solutions to organize family affairs without becoming dictatorial? We have no idea, but it interests us, if we could work with such associations about motherhood.
So, if all goes well and we get the money you have to come to Vienna this summer, it's very nice here, especially in summer. You can find us around the statue of Marie Therese, between the Hofburg and Museumsquartier. And bring your motherly feelings! Celebration time!