EVENT—SCHOLARLY SEMINARS
Anna Souchuk, DePaul University
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German Studies Seminar
Apr 26, 2024
3:00pm–5:00pm
At the Newberry – Rettinger Hall
DEBORAH SENGL’S ESCAPE! IN VIENNA
Anna Souchuk, DePaul University
Deborah Sengl’s 2019 ESCAPE! was a large-scale installation in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier that combined the concept of the recreational escape room with the topics of forced migration and refugee experience. My paper unpacks ESCAPE! by considering first how the room defies categorization—Is it a game? A work of art? A kind of theater?—and how this categorical slipperiness complicates a critical reading of the project. I also explore the placement of ESCAPE! in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier and discuss how the decision to install a refugee-themed escape room in the center of Vienna in 2019-20 co-existed with contemporaneous political realities in Austria that continued crackdowns on asylum seekers. And last, I examine the role of “Empathie” in ESCAPE!, cited as both the motivation for developing the project in the first place, and also the desired outcome for visitors who participated in it.
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This event is free, but all participants must register in advance. Space is limited, so please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.