On June 21st, 2025, the Labyrinth Meadow at the Alanus University transformed into a powerful stage for a ritualistic spectacle led by Alois Reinhardt. This compelling performance featured Steven Berchtold, Pauline Cano, Emilie Berg, Mona Lisa Murr, Sophie Hannah Pomp & Aitana Villa Inguza and explored the complex dynamics of gender roles, guilt, and power within the context of democracy.
At the heart of the piece was a seemingly private argument between a couple that escalated into an allegory of male entanglement and patriarchal responsibility. The man feels unjustly accused, while the woman accuses him of repeatedly portraying himself as the victim. From this tension arises a medieval fever dream where the man constructs a golden pillory and sells his bodily fluids as market goods.
Three disfigured Furies, goddesses of vengeance, chase him with scythes, demanding atonement. Then appears Athena, the goddess who, in mythology, pardoned the mother-killer Orestes and transformed the Furies into protectors, thus replacing blood revenge with the first court trial and ushering in a new era of democracy. Yet even Athena hesitates in the face of a man who declares himself a savior. The performance not only questions the historical roots of democracy but also highlights contemporary gender conflicts, with the audience actively deciding on guilt or redemption.
The performance touches on current realities where women increasingly dominate education, art, and culture, and feminism is highly visible. Meanwhile, the patriarchy is continuously critiqued, and “old white men” are often seen as a problem. Many young men feel lost and superfluous—a tension echoed in media like the Netflix series Adolescence, which portrays disoriented sons, overwhelmed fathers, and suppressed anger.
My Body Your Choice began as grotesque fairground theatre but evolved into a disturbing reflection of our present-day challenges. The ritual performance not only portrayed the male role in the struggle for social justice and democracy but also invited the audience to confront their own positions and the contradictory demands placed on men today.
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Pauline Cano - Multidisciplinary artist 