Jennifer Merlyn SCHERLER

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Jennifer Merlyn SCHERLER

Participating Project	Exchange Residency Program (Creators from abroad)
Activity Based	Basel
City / Place stayed	Tokyo
Period	2025.1 - 2025.3

Purpose of the residency

I intend to continue my research on grieving rituals and strategies. I am interested in how traditional and digital ways of grieving differ and resemble among different cultures and how they change when they are related to the loss of people or the loss of fictional characters.
People who grieve fictional characters are fans – and Japan has particularly strong and particular fan cultures which I wish to engage with. Both fandom and grieving is tied to gender performance, part of my exploration are hence also Japanese gender expressions. From traditional to popular to queer.

Plan during the residency

• Research on grieving rituals and strategies. Visit places of mourning both digitally and physically. Read, and talk to people.
• Engage with Japanese fan and gaming culture.
• Visit maid cafes and macho cafes. Explore Japanese gender expressions.
• Create sketches for new video works.
• Learn from Japanese silversmith craft as a manual balance.

Creator Information