"Weapon Semantics" mit Maria Noschenko : SOLOMIYA STUDIO FESTIVAL im KVOST

In the organizer's words:

In a performative lecture, Maria Noshenko examines the dual reception and perception of weapons as instruments of international politics and as extensions of the human body. The reading deals with the global proliferation of weapons, with a focus on post-war weapons policy in Europe, particularly in Germany. It looks at the role of the B.O.-47 in Soviet influence operations in Africa and the supply of weapons to the Taliban. The lecture also sheds light on disarmament efforts in the context of peace treaties.
Inspired by the Lebanese anthropologist Younes Saramifar, Noshenko examines how weapons become extensions of the body and aspects of personal identity. An assault rifle, for example, becomes more than just an instrument of power and embodies states of tension, pain and triumph. Carrying a weapon physically shapes a soldier's body and fosters a deeply personal bond and identity. At the same time, the individual is placed within a larger social or political framework, be it a military unit, a terrorist organization or a community united by a common cause.