Searching for Hope in a Right-Wing Climate

As Germany nears its federal elections on February 23, 2025, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party increasingly dominates the political landscape. This surge presents a significant challenge not only to traditional parties but also to the foundations of liberal democracy. Polls reveal widespread anxieties, with nearly 90% of voters fearing foreign manipulation in elections—concerns the AfD has skillfully exploited. Recent state elections confirm this trend, with up to 38% of voters aged 18-24 in Thuringia supporting the party.

Commissioned by Buzzard, I embarked on a tour two weeks before the Thuringia state elections to explore these issues with teachers and students, capturing their perspectives in a short documentary. The film aims to spark dialogue and inspire change among voters, amplified by Buzzard's upcoming newsletter reaching over 15,000 readers.

Amidst this charged political climate, SOFFIE's song “Für Immer Frühling,” a vision of peace and inclusivity, emerged as an unexpected anthem. As director, I integrated this viral track as the film's soundtrack, perfectly underscoring our narrative as we documented voices from schools and the unsettling atmosphere of a region leaning towards the right.

The film highlights a concerning reality that grows more imminent daily. Yet, our tour revealed a counterpoint: many students expressed a desire for more democracy education in schools, signaling a yearning for deeper engagement with democratic principles amidst rising disillusionment.

Buzzard is an award-winning news platform consolidating media voices from across the entire spectrum of opinion into a single app. Watch the film below:

Watch the First Episode of 'The Radicals'

The first documentary film of The Radicals on the burning topic of free space, entitled “Commons and the Housing Crisis in Berlin” that I shot and worked on during the last two years, is out now!

In 2021, I was invited by two female talents to join this production – commissioned by Guerrilla Foundation – as a Cinematographer and Creative Director. How do you sustain a project of only a few resources, but a huge demand to portray a topic that already has its own history? Every independent creative knows what it takes to drive a project forward despite all odds, just because we see its purpose and impact to the bigger picture. In our case, we were only contributing to that picture with a new perspective, but little we knew what was ahead of us. 2022 was the epitome of a crisis avalanche worldwide and in many personal lives. Holding this production together meant to remind ourselves what it means to be human. So much conflict comes up in the lack of ideal scenarios, but it’s in bringing us back in integrity that we remember why we took the ride in the first place.

The perks of a non-linear film production was that, it allowed life serendipities to “send” us the right people and material to tell this story. In my role as a Creative Director, I stumbled into what would become the entire soundtrack of the film when I discovered “EVICTION SONGS” instigated by Zorka Wollny, a collection of works by musicians who are involved in fighting the dramatic change of the Berlin landscape. The song that opens the film “Keine Wohnungsnot Mehr!” (No More Housing Shortage!) was originally made by August Conradi in 1873 (!) at the collapse of the industrial revolution in Berlin – a striking reminder of how fitting such song still is, 150 years later.

Every song in the film became an integral part of the message we aimed to come across. To notice the collectiveness in the efforts of tackling the problematic of free space and the right to housing in our research, deeply inspired us to continue the work.

As our producer Teresa Lorena Machado writes in the official release page:

“(…) This short doc is a gift to Berlin so that we can continue to fertilise our resistance. It is an imprint of a city that is critical and ready to fight back the logics of a system that continuously ensures victories for the same groups in society. It aims to pay tribute to the rad, dissenting, and vitally important culture that make cities diverse, exciting, accessible and free spirited.”

Check Out Guerrilla Foundation's New Media Platform

Check out a teaser for the upcoming release of the first episode opening Guerrilla Foundation’s new media platform ‘The Radicals’! Stay tuned.

The Radicals is a storytelling initiative powered by the Guerrilla Foundation that explores contemporary radicalism, reclaims what it means to be radical, showcases the diverse faces of root-cause activism worldwide and tells fuckin' inspiring & authentic stories that are meant to reframe activists, uproot misconceptions & reroute rebellions.

Further reading & source here.

South African's Crystal Birch Hats on Show in Berlin

The real Crystal Birch is back in town showing a selection of her legendary hat creations with her otherworldly personality. I used my flash on a 35mm Canon AE-1 camera to capture the first moments of her pop-up show, at Season Berlin.

Midnite Snack's Issue Two Features "IRL Stories"

US-based independent magazine Midnite Snack will have its second issue print release this summer, and my latest IRL Story portraying the work of Asli Hatipoglu will be among the curated #art&food stories on the topic of “multi-use”!

Stay tuned.

KulchaBox Store Exhibits "IRL Stories"

Asli Hatipoglu and I are exhibiting a selection of our works from our collaboration for “IRL Stories: Becoming Whole with Asli Hatipoglu” for the opening of the kombucha shop KulchaBox, during the art festival 48H Neukölln.

This is the first IRL show from the editorial project I’ve initiated, a series portraying the work of performing artists during COVID times, called “IRL Stories”. Asli has shipped to Berlin a careful selection of dehydrated kombucha skins from her research and artistic collection of experiments. The skins, as well as a selection of my photographs (for sale), will be open to public for the course of a month.

Umbigo Magazine Supports Editorial Series "IRL Stories"

My latest work for the editorial series “IRL Stories” is out now on Umbigo Magazine!

Quick flashback to 2020: when I started “IRL Stories” as a personal project, I envisioned it being hosted by a major magazine through a dedicated column featuring the ongoing series while supporting the artists portrayed —with a pinch of visibility. So I pitched the idea to several magazines, mostly based in Portugal or Germany. Umbigo Magazine returned immediately with a warm welcome and a proposal to integrate the series in their online channels, in the section for art and culture.

Fonds DAKU Supports "La Gran Drama-Tisch"

Coming down to the longest street show co-created by artistic collectives Nowhere Kitchen, Soy Division and Lalove’s Kitchen! This has been a year-long project in the making, which culminated in a durational live performance on the 3rd of September of 2021, in the Schillerkiez neighborhood, in Neukölln.

Jumping aboard to document this monumental 6-hour show after two years of désolée really shook things up. The piece features the collectives that have been keeping alive the multidisciplinary space Sari-Sari, in Lichtenraderstr. 49. A space that brought so many talents, ideas and the local neighbourhood together in the past five years.

And since we are curfew free, consider doing your next event at Sari-Sari space, reach out to Pepe Dayaw and ask for details. It has an industrial kitchen, a living room and a basement. I would like to see this space thrive again and be home to fruitful gatherings. So we can support our folks in the spaces they shine ✨

This production was funded by Fonds Darstellende Künste (Fonds DAKU) through the Bund Deutscher Amateur Theater (BDAT) and NEUSTART KULTUR #takeaction 2021

LoosenArt Exhibits "IRL Stories" in Rome

Good news!

One of my photographic works from my editorial series “IRL Stories” has been selected for the collective exhibition On Clothing: The Visible Self curated by LoosenArt and it will be on show for the course of a month, in Rome. The photo portrays Alvin Collantes undressing himself to dress up in drag and is part of the piece IRL Stories: Grooving With Alvin Collantes.

Watch 'River Man' by Berlin-based Band MYRIADS

The first appearance of the Berlin band project MYRIADS feat. Monica Mussungo in the bass and vocals and Leah Christensen in the keyboards — is here!

The piece came about after some late nights spent laughing my lungs out with Monica to stories of how we nailed our twenties as expats in Berlin and Barcelona… One day, I find her bass jamming a song to a little secret I had just shared —a serenade to sisterhood and the beginning of a fun brainstorm to bring her stunning voice to the brightest light.

Overnight, I envisioned myself walking through manifold layers in a raw, but carefully prepared cocoon stage inside a see-through wrapped up room — There is a way out of it, but do we really want to leave?

We grabbed what we had at hand and decided to try this with a beautiful crew and the sun which, at last, overflowed the space just as I dreamt it.

‘River Man’ is a once improvised melody by Monica Mussungo, later polished together with Leah Christensen under the band project named Myriads. I could not imagine a better first-time seeing these talents in their element than in this beautiful impromptu collaboration.

A Sneak Peak of Dance Performance FLUIDS

I shot and edited a little film of the dance performance FLUIDS, a collaboration between sound artist Jun Suzuki and contemporary dancer Alvin Collantes, featuring dance artists Amie-Blaire Chartier, Annalise Van Even and Sebastian Abarbanell.

The piece explores emotional upheavals through a close interaction of body movements and sound improvisation, acting and reacting to one another in an intimate duet. It was premiered in Berlin, in Treptower Park on August 7th 2020. The film release was kept on hold, hoping to repeat the experience in a new opportunity, but COVID decided to stay and we all were set to find other ways to connect.

Here’s to honor collaborative work and the mystical power of such gatherings!

Movement score by Alvin Collantes

Music by Jun Suzuki

Dancers: Amie-Blaire Chartier, Annalise Van Even, Sebastian Abarbanell, Alvin Collantes

MU by Tanja Saban

Special assistance: Matilda Marina and Kate Tarabukina

Yvois Releases New Music Video "Masks Off"

I jumped aboard New Zealand born Yvois’s new music video production as a Director of Photography, this Spring.

After calling my Gaffer (Rob Cairns, the one and only), we gathered a small crew to make this story happen while clubs remained closed during the second world lockdown.

The video is featured on CLASH magazine’s Track of The Day headline with a super neat review, and on LOLA magazine as part of a roundup top list of Berlin music videos. Many thanks to Ivy aka Yvois for this fun collaboration!

Yvois herself on CLASH magazine:

“The video for ‘Masks Off’ was born four years ago in the early hours of the morning at the end of a Berlin rave… I imagined capturing the bliss of being the last person on the dance floor as a magical night turns into a beautiful day. Despite months of pandemic lockdown, this year was finally the right time to turn my dream into a reality. ‘Masks Off’ is a love-letter to the world that we’ve been missing for so long, and to the friends who came together to recreate that world with me.”

Tune in now.

"IRL Stories: Grooving with Alvin Collantes" is Out Now!

Grooving with Alvin Collantes is part of the series “IRL Stories”, a personal project by Berlin-based photographer Rita Couto, focused on how performing artists are adapting to these times of radical change. Started in the 2020’s pandemic, it is an intimate look into the life and work of artists who are using alternative means to (re)build a connection to their audience and community. Each story is photographed on medium format film and written first-hand by Rita with a participatory approach to storytelling.

The Dance Movement "Dose of Pleasure" Talked Through Its Dancers

In line with my collaboration with Filipino-Canadian dance artist Alvin Collantes, I interviewed regular participants aka ‘dosers’ about their groove and how ‘Dose of Pleasure’ has changed them. A feature has been made of this piece on iheartberlin and the full editorial piece will be out on KALTBLUT and Umbigo magazines on Monday, June 21. Stay tuned. Photographs taken by me on medium-format film.

While dance floors were forced to close facing the sudden reality of a pandemic, an unexpected movement was born. Alvin Collantes revolutionised dance culture from transforming each bedroom into a dance floor, to throwing sessions in Berlin parks attracting hundreds of people. An experience that connected people globally through the signature of ‘Dose of Pleasure’.

Rita Couto: Describe the experience of dosing in one sentence. 

Cristina: Sensuality and spirituality through the heart. 

Nicoló: Massaging myself with the groove. 

Greta: Reconnecting to myself, my power, and my inner freedom.

Rita Couto: How has Dose of Pleasure changed you? 

Cristina: The meeting with Alvin and Dose of Pleasure literally changed my life in many ways. I discovered my groove, I connected to my inner power, I learned to let go, I learned how to let my animal out. Then, of course, the connection to my body, which is now becoming a main tool of expression for me as an artist and the connection to my spirituality. Through DOP I became connected to my Spirit and from there I started a beautiful healing journey. These are just some highlights on a personal level, but also on a social level, I feel that I am belonging to a big family, to a tribe of pleasure, to a community of people that are willing to awaken, that believe in soul connections. That feeling when we all groove as one, when we feel the heart-to-heart connection, when we feel like screaming of joy while the sweat is running down the body – that is the moment!

Greta: I always loved to dance, but with Dose of Pleasure I felt so much more invited than ever to truly be myself, not to be suitable. Two years ago, I started to explore sexological body-work processes until I discovered gaga through Alvin’s classes. Quickly, I was already able to appreciate his work, having the impression I was having sex with the room, with the air or something… In the 2020’s Spring lockdown, I realised that the most awful thing was that I could no longer dance, but that changed when Alvin started Dose of Pleasure and later was able to run his sessions IRL, in Berlin parks. To me, these sessions became a medicine, for they are more than just dancing; Alvin’s guidance and use of words directly connects me with the sexual flow in the body, life stream, my laugh… It’s awakening all the unspoken layers in ourselves, our thoughts, and our emotions. 

Nicoló: By practicing Dose of Pleasure I’m imprinting in my body the concept of going for what feels good. Because of low self-esteem, I too often ended up going for big compromises that left me unrealised. In the process of unapologetically embracing my intuition, Dose of pleasure is helping me embody this change of perspective.  By going 100% for MY groove I’m telling myself I’m allowed to choose what feels good and that I know how to do it. Moreover, I found in Dose of pleasure a community that shares the same open-minded approach and where my energy is not just accepted but also celebrated. 

Rita Couto: Tell me a story of taking ownership of your groove.

Cristina: For me, the “groove” is the rhythm of one’s life, the frequency one’s on, so I could say that “who grooves together, sticks together”. Taking ownership of my groove was a long process that included various experiences, life decisions, encounters… One important moment was when I finished highschool and I decided that I want to be a “full-time artist”, going to Acting University and starting living in this beautiful bubble of fantasy, imagination and sensitivity, that I can never get sick of. Then, of course, a life-changing point was the decision to move to Berlin: alone, without really knowing anybody, with few savings in my pocket, simply following my intuition that was yelling at me that this is what I have to do. I went for it with no regrets.. Last, but not least, meeting the healing powers of Plant Medicine definitely played an important part in the process of taking ownership of my groove. It allowed me to let go of old grief stored in my system and I could finally feel my heart open. I discovered the softness of my feminine energy, which I am now harnessing and it brings so much fulfilment and harmony to my life. At this moment, I am riding the groove of my life with love and passion and I feel present, aligned, safe and full of energy, which I am willing to share.

Greta: I moved to Berlin from a small German town in my early twenties during the 90s so I could dance and party whenever I wanted and as long as I wanted. With my lifestyle back then, I developed an issue with drugs and an eating disorder, which led me to undertake a lot of therapy in the following years. As time passed, I realised that what truly brought me to ecstasy was the music, the dancing experience and not the drugs, so I flipped it around and started to explore my groove through dancing, as a drug on its own. I started to implement dance as a natural energy uplift during daytime and instead of having a coffee or taking a nap I would schedule regular dance sessions throughout the week. It’s been my best self-care treatment so far.

Nicoló: Where I come from in Italy, I have the impression that people go clubbing mainly to show off, get high, or to cruise for potential partners. I always loved to dance. When I attended parties, I would often be the sweatiest person on the dance floor, people were sometimes disturbed by my movements and would laugh at me. I had the most fun, but often I didn’t feel cherished nor understood. Since I live in Berlin, I’ve been exploring the power of movement on a wide spectrum, and embodiment practices such as dancing and singing have become an integral part of my life. Here I no longer fear judgment, I learned to trust my flow and to go for it. I like myself grooving full power and I constantly witness how my energy can influence other people around me.

"Songs for Captured Voices" Premieres Online @radialsystem

In January, I was invited to collaborate as a stage photographer in a music theater piece – ‘Songs for Captured Voices’ by Thea Reifler, Philipp Bergmann, Sandra E. Blatterer, Laure M. Hiendl, Göksu Kunak a.k.a. Gucci Chunk, Elaine Mitchener, Nico Navarro Rueda, Djibril Sall and the Ensemble KNM Berlin. The project centres around human voices that have been instrumentalised time and again throughout history, having become the object of asymmetrical power negotiations.

The premiere was reconfigured due to Covid and, instead of a live-stream, it was decided to release the piece as an album — an online booklet with a libretto, photographs and a sound recording of the music, with an online release on radialsystem from February 18th-28th, 2021.

Co-directors Thea Reifler and Philipp Bergmann proposed me to recreate the piece freely with my analogue photography. I decided to shoot on medium-format 6x9 and focus on the elements that make visible the anonymous voices that the piece is dealing with, to reflect on a state of absence while capturing the individual body language of the characters inhabiting this eye-striking landscape.

The collaborative experience became as well a written piece in my current editorial series IRL Stories as a new perspective on the matter, full story out on Umbigo Magazine. Witnessing, documenting and being part of this shapeshifting creative process with such a talented team was a great honor to me. Looking back, it shows a lot of what resilience means when creating collectively despite all odds.

[Please download the libretto and the photo booklet here: bit.ly/sfcv-libretto-booklet]

Composition Laure M. Hiendl
Libretto Göksu Kunak a.k.a. Gucci Chunk
Voice Elaine Mitchener
Performance and Choreography Djibril Sall
Music Ensemble KNM Berlin
Direction Philipp Bergmann und Thea Reifler
Light & Stage Design Sandra E. Blatterer
Costume Nicholas Navarro Rueda
Photography Rita Couto
Production ehrliche arbeit – freies Kulturbüro
Graphic Jamila Wolfgruber
A production by Bergmann/Reifler/Hiendl GbR in cooperation with radialsystem. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. The preliminary research was supported by the Initialförderung Fonds Darstellende Künste. A composition commission by the radialsystem, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Foundation. Media partners: Ask Helmut, ExBerliner and tip Berlin.

Songs for Captured Voices (Album Version) [Please download the Libretto and Booklet here: http://bit.ly/sfcv-libretto-booklet] A memento of the unspoken: The new piece of music theatre "Songs for Captured Voices," by Philipp Bergmann, Sandra E. Blatterer, Laure M. Hiendl, Göksu Kunak a.k.a. Gucci Chunk, Elaine Mitchener, Nico Navarro Rueda, Thea Reifler, Djibril Sall and the Ensemble KNM Berlin comes to radialsystem at the beginning of February. The project centres around human voices that have been instrumentalised time and again throughout history and become the object of asymmetrical power negotiations. Audio recordings from German prisoner-of-war camps from the First and Second World Wars serve as the background of this project, as do acoustic recordings taken from the setting of current asylum procedures. The recordings themselves are not played or reproduced onstage; rather, the capture of these human voices acts as a starting point for attentive listening: the original music composed for this project allows what remains unspoken and hidden, what exists in the in-between sounds and blurriness, to resound. Due to circumstances, the music theatre "Songs for Captured Voices" will be released as an album version on the radar on the radialsystem website in February. This version includes a sound recording of the music as well as a booklet with the libretto and photographs of the stage work. ‌‌ Composition: Laure M. Hiendl Libretto: Göksu Kunak a.k.a. Gucci Chunk Voice: Elaine Mitchener Performance and Choreography: Djibril Sall Music: Ensemble KNM Berlin Direction: Philipp Bergmann und Thea Reifler Light: Sandra E. Blatterer Costume: Nicholas Navarro Rueda Photography: Rita Couto Production: ehrliche arbeit – freies Kulturbüro Graphic: Jamila Wolfgruber Credits A production by Bergamann/Reifler/Hiendl GbR in cooperation with radialsystem. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. The preliminary research was supported by the Initialförderung Fonds Darstellende Künste. A composition commission by the radialsystem, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Foundation. Media partners: Ask Helmut, ExBerliner and tip Berlin.

Interview by Soydivision on soy&zine

The Berlin-based Indonesian Culinary and Contemporary Art Conspiracy platform Soydivision just featured some of my portraits of friend and artist Pepe Dayaw, alongside a mini-interview about our connection.

The photographs were taken this summer when Pepe and I picked a delicious lunch from Soydivision’s kitchen at Sari-Sari collective space to Tempelhof, for a midday tan.

Check out my interview for their current theme AMPHIBIOUS, featured in a gorgeous online realm here.

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Soydisivion is a performing art collective consisting of Berlin-based Indonesians, positioning itself in the intersection of art and activism. As a registered UG, Soydivision curated performances, organized workshops, culinary art activities, film screening, and discussion sessions. Their diasporic point of views offer an alternative approach to contemporary challenges through art, inviting a new kind of dialogues and engagement.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I have been working on a series called IRL Stories.

Early this year, I got myself a 6x9 medium-format camera to portray my connection to the talents around me and abroad. People that have been doing outstanding work, massively (even if unnoticed) contributing to the engine of a creative network that makes a lively city.

Given the current 2020 state, I decided to focus on the ones that have been most impacted by COVID restrictions – artists whose work is based on holding space for a live audience, that have found their way around to keep connecting, creating and thriving. The series is a reflection of the growing digitalisation of everything around us and the current global crisis of IRL (in real life) experiences.

While I've been participating and documenting Alvin W Collantes's movement meditation format Dose of Pleasure since this summer, an initiative that took me out of an isolated state gracefully, I have also met up with my dearest hometown friend and utmost Diva GHETTHOVEN, who I've spent some time with recently, to find out what he has been making out of the empty stages and dance floors.

The series is hosted by UMBIGO Magazine, a platform for contemporary Art and culture based in Lisbon, with print issues distributing in the USA, Brazil and Europe. It's a bilingue magazine, so the piece can be read in Portuguese and in english.

Check out the first feature right here.

Dose of Pleasure by Alvin Collantes

During 2020’s first worldwide lockdown, creatives of all sides turned to their own resources and passions to cope with isolation time. Among the increasing events turned online taking place during this time, there was Alvin’s newly shaped initiative – a livestream session exploring Movement Meditation in the Berlin techno and dance music context.

His agenda could be quickly grasped in his Facebook event descriptions, like:

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 4 PM UTC+02 – 5 PM UTC+02

Berlin

Public · Hosted by Alvin Collantes - Dose of Pleasure / Photography / Meditation / Gaga and Gaga in Berlin

"Dose of Pleasure" with Alvin Collantes
open to all people - designed to shake the fear and uncertainty out of our system
30-40 minute journey

I know we are all feeling afraid, nervous and scared during this sensitive moment in time. I am feeling the same too. I am stuck in Berlin away from my family in Canada and this is my way to connect with their love.

I talk strongly about energy. I have experienced many fears, doubts, panic, worries and demons that showered me with pain. With these moments, I work with understanding the root of my pain and using it a guiding force to allow myself to become vulnerable and evoke these moments through the physical acts of listening. I teach people with immense passion, to celebrate the joy of being in the moment together, to find what it means to really feel your truth inside the power of your groove.

This is my approach to this Corona pandemic. Let’s face this fear and turn it into something that feeds us - energy that can help us get through sensitive moments. We stretch, we move, we sing with our bodies and vibrate to a frequency that is full of love and passion.

Sessions are free for anyone to try but you are welcome to donate to Alvin’s Gofundme page for those who can show support, your love is deeply appreciated.

Alvin is a Canadian-Filipino Berlin based artist with an informal background in movement practices, such as Gaga (b. Israel) and contemporary dance. I have been following and documenting the development of Dose of Pleasure since its online form through livestreams, up until its IRL sessions throughout the summer and back to the present moment, which is again a silent isolated one.

Alvin’s full circle journey leading Dose of Pleasure will be featured in my current editorial series called IRL Stories, a self-initiated collaborative project that portrays how artists and creatives across Europe, whose work holds space for a live audience, are using their creativity and resources to adapt to these times of radical change, while coping with governmental safety measures in place.

The first article of this series is about portuguese performer and pop artist Ghetthoven, to be released online in November. Stay tuned.

Kochen für Helden, Cooking for Heroes

Since mid March, I have been part of the team Cooking for Heroes documenting the daily voluntary work of chefs and Michelin-chefs currently cooking from their shut down restaurants to doctors, nurses, policemen and firefighters who cannot work from home. The initiative started out of a need to resource the food stock leftovers of Berlin local restaurants, for a good cause.

Magic Island On Tour In Hell

My most recent collaboration just got featured in KALTBLUT magazine and it’s an honor.

This summer, I joined the talented experimental pop artist Magic Island on her tour through Greece, to capture a first time ever behind-the-scenes of her journey with my 35mm camera. For a while, I had the chance to experience what it feels like to be on tour and the emotional extremes that come with it – from being alone to surrounded by a crowd while in transit.

The outcome is an intimate photo diary that portrays a glimpse of Magic Island a.k.a Emma Czerny’s life, alongside a written review in first hand of my experience during this time, especially it being my first time visiting Greece in the hottest month of the year…

Have a look at the full story featured here >>> Magic Island on Tour in Hell

For an actual insight of this story’s journey in a timeline, check my Instagram highlights

Credits

Written and photographed by Rita Couto in collaboration with Magic Island and Johnny Labelle

Edited by Dee Cunning