Other Mother

Photo: Mani Froh
Photo: Claudia Lomoschitz
Photo: Claudia Lomoschitz
Photo: Claudia Lomoschitz
Photo: Claudia Lomoschitz
Photo: Mani Froh
Ⓒ Sööt/Zeyringer & Daniela_Grabosh

Other Mother

In this performance, a mother and a non-mother explore the idea of motherhood. They take a look at ‘other mothers’ – women who deviate from the standard paths of motherhood, because they are perceived as too young, too old, too sexy, too selfless, too adventurous, too independent, or too difficult. Sööt/Zeyringer have researched historical events and every-day situations to uncover hidden realities of otherness in motherhood. Some of the ‘unseemly’ mothers became victims of their circumstances, others could be called monsters, and some were just, well, not all perfect.

Deconstructing found texts and images, Tiina Sööt and Dorothea Zeyringer assemble a collection of mothers who put themselves first; mothers who give too much; mothers who refuse motherhood; mothers who go to space; and mothers who are literally made of shit. This delicate and angry performance dares to speak up about issues like unpaid care work, reproductive injustices, biological concepts of maternal love, and the absence of fathers.

Performed at:
2023 brut Nordwest, Vienna
2023 Tallinn Feminist Forum (TALFF) at Kanuti Gildi Saal, Tallinn and GenKlubi Tartu, Estonia

Concept, research, and artistic realisation Sööt/Zeyringer. Performance Tiina Sööt, Dorothea Zeyringer. Set, costume, and graphic design Daniela Grabosch. Artistic advisors and outside eyes Nora Jacobs, Claudia Lomoschitz

Funded by the City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Civil Service and Sport.