Other mother

Performance – 50 min., 2023

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.

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

Photos: Mani Froh, Claudia Lomoschitz

A coproduction by brut Vienna and Sööt/Zeyringer.

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

Performed at