Magdalena Weniger
Moosweib Reloaded

In 2021/2022, Magdalena Weniger explored botanical phenomena, got to the bottom of the dynamic human-environment exchange and collaborated with experts from art and science. The extensive research into fallow land and utilisable areas such as fields, gardens and parks has brought all kinds of insights to light and in turn opened up new fields of research: she has turned her attention to moss as a versatile plant that many people only know we encounter in particularly shady, cool and damp places. During her initial research and exploration of the plant and the social transferability of "moss", Magdalena Weniger came across a Saxon legend, a small forest creature, a forest spirit. It is called "Moosweiblein", "Waldweib" or "Buschfräulein".

The moss woman is completely at one with her habitat, the forest, dresses in moss, knows herbs, is sociable and wise - she has knowledge of the future. The relationship between this legendary creature and humans depends on encounters and mutual recognition: the forest creatures can help, heal, give gifts, but also send illnesses or instil fear.

Magdalena Weniger would like to explore this moss woman more extensively and develop an art figure from it, an alter ego for performative solo works. She would like to use the residency to design movement material for this creature, conduct sound and voice research and sketch out design ideas for this figure together with her Dresden colleague Bettina Kletzsch.

Magdalena Weniger is a performance artist based between Freiburg and Dresden. After classical singing training in her youth, she studied music and art education (StEx 2013), followed by training in dance and performance (graduated in 2015). In 2022/2023, she took part in the extra-occupational further education course "Curating in the Performing Arts" at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. Under the label KOMA&Ko, she has been developing projects for stages, offspaces and public spaces since 2015 and favours changing collaborations with artists from a wide range of disciplines. Her versatile training is reflected in the facets of her work, which playfully moves between voice and dance, installation and experimental space-sound experiences. Magdalena is closely associated with HELLERAU- European Centre for the Arts Dresden and E-WERK Freiburg. She is a board member of TanzNetzDresden e.V., advisory board member of Tanznetz Freiburg gUG and founding member of Villa Wigman für TANZ e.V. in Dresden

The Villa Wigman für Tanz association is an initiative of independent dance professionals and other supporters in Dresden. Its declared aim was and is to preserve the former workplace of the dancer and choreographer Mary Wigman, Bautzner Straße 107 in Dresden, and to run the culturally and historically valuable location as a rehearsal, production and education centre for contemporary dance and other performing arts. The Villa Wigman Association for Dance now has over 60 members, mainly dance, theatre and other artists.

The villa\wigman offers artists and companies its spaces as artistic work, experimentation and thinking places to realise their productions in the house, which can then be seen on various national and international stages. The association also initiates artistic interventions, discursive and participatory formats several times a year and opens the villa\wigman spaces on Open Monument Day and other selected occasions.