Ing.enium

The process began with a long interview with actor Konstantin Bez. I began by mapping out this conversation, then categorised it using a colour-coding system and distilled its key points. For this text-based content, I developed a board of visual references, which was subsequently enriched with analogies and metaphors. From a selection of these direct references and metaphorical illustrations, I first derived a visual language and then selected the typefaces. The overall process took the form of a collaborative and dialogue-based process. Information text for the play: Ing.enium explores the myth of the engineer as a male figure of action and power. For his scenic installation, actor Konstantin Bez invites his father, a retired graduate engineer in telecommunications, to join him on stage. In the industrial setting of the Spreehalle, the two, together with musician Michael Hoppe, video artist Inti Gallardo and data analytics engineer Aileen Posadas, reconstruct scenes of male technical socialisation. What does the label ‘tech-savvy man’ or ‘German engineer’ mean? How do outdated masculine codes, currently experiencing a global revival, manifest within them? What experiences do FLINTA individuals have in the engineering sciences, which remain male-dominated? Ing.enium is an attempt at an encounter between father and son, a mediation between technical and artistic mindsets, and a search for a language beyond stereotypical gender narratives.