Dressing the city and my head is a shirt

Germany 2026, 18‘06‘‘
Concept: Angie Hiesl, Roland Kaiser
Film: Michael Maurissens

 

What happens when a body and an object become entangled? When a body distorts, when it distorts the clothing – or vice versa – and becomes bound to an object?

Clothing is our second skin, the membrane between the body and its surroundings. It is the link between our inner and outer worlds, and it makes a statement.

In the production by Angie Hiesl and Roland Kaiser, ten dancers and performers – people of different personalities and builds – ventured into the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Cologne in 2024. At certain points, dialogues then develop between these locations, the bodies and hundreds of items of clothing. Bizarre images emerge. At times fragile, at times vibrant, the performers take their place in public space, intertwining with it: an entanglement of individuals, architecture and everyday life. And what happens when passers-by encounter something that falls outside the norm – that tugs at them? Who puts on what, and what attracts whom?

Angie Hiesl and Roland Kaiser’s art projects in public spaces are closely linked to Cologne and have long been part of the city’s history.

‘Dressing the city and my head is a shirt’ was realised in 2025, largely directly opposite the Cologne City Museum, and was actively supported by the museum. Housed in a former fashion boutique, the museum provides the ideal setting for a performance project that explores clothing as a means of artistic and social expression.