Private Story
Invisible Students
Summary
“Invisible Students” is an investigation on the longterm effects of school bullying in Germany. It is a story about vulnerability and childhood, shame and trauma, resilience and hope.
Schools are the mirror of our society. Every one of us has experienced bullying. As a witness, perpetrator or victim.
Bullying means repeated, humiliating actions over a period of time on a regular basis. It usually exists in strict hierarchical structures that are not easy to break. As a result, those affected cannot avoid their suffering and often have to resign themselves to the situation.
Victims of school bullying struggle with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and trust issues even many years after their graduation. Although "Invisible Students" takes place in Germany, the story speaks about a global problem. It can affect anyone and exists at every school.
How do we treat "the others"? How are discrimination and xenophobia tolerated in the education system and passed through generations? And how does it affect the lives of those affected in the long term?
Through "Invisible Students" I search for answers in individual stories. I work with portraits and photographs of specific places that have an emotional significance to my protagonists. My work can be enhanced by notes, letters, pictures and objects from their school days.
To investigate the long-term effects of school bullying, I work with adults who no longer go to school. I have met seven people so far and I have portrayed five of them. What they all have in common is the fear of school in a period of their life.
My project needs a broad spectrum of different individuals from my society. The work still lacks stories of BIPOC, people from the LGTBQ+ community, fat and thin people, elderly people and people with disabilities. It is important to me to collaborate with people from all regions of Germany and all types of schools because I am concerned that bullying happens everywhere.
The grant will allow me to cover travel expenses and give me time space to dive deeper in my society to find different stories about school bullying. I am very concerned to show my project to the public and thus contribute to more enlightenment, empathy and prevention. Therefore I also collect audio and video for a multimedial presentation of the work once it is finished.
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