A girl and her grandmother, two related bodies meeting between generations, eras. A significant distance, women’s roles, body images, values; nevertheless, an undeniable connection. The relationship we have with our grandparents is complex ‒ and presumably underestimated. Especially when the grandmother was raised during the Nazi era.

In STRICKEN (KNITTING), a nine-year-old and her grandma meet; a Black girl and her white grandmother. There’s so much we learn from our grandmas! Specific tasks such as folding laundry; and with them a whole set of values around order, how to dress, gender roles. We move out of our parents‘ house one day, but our grandmas? Does emancipation from our mothers mean the unquestioned affirmation of our grandmothers? Which step sequences are passed on to us and when do we start walking on our own?

What preceded the visual artist and choreographer Magda Korsinsky’s choreography STRICKEN was an exploration involving interviews with six Black women about their white grandmothers and their circumstances. The resulting video interviews provide a unique perspective on Black German history.