Team

STILLSTAND is a digital zine from the Goethe-Institut with participating contributors, artists, and colleagues from Mexico, India, Germany, Canada, and the U.S. Get to know the team here.

Allegra Guinan © all_nan Aphra Adkins

is a food and product photographer based in Takoma Park, Maryland. Aphra hopes her work encourages the viewer to try something new — even if the recipe takes weeks to prepare. Find her on Instagram at @aphraadkins.creative. Aphra’s contribution: Savor the Flavor

. Jairo Alvarado

is a sociologist and pedestrian. Constant observer and reader. Jairo’s contributions: Land of Ghosts, Guadalajara, a Limited City

© Javier Audirac Javier Audirac

is from Guadalajara. Since he was 15, he has dedicated his personal and professional life to music. He appreciates the notes and rests just the same. Javier’s contribution: Spotify Playlists

© private Leo Alvarez

is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter. His love for games led him to pursue game development and the creation of “Rooted.” Leo’s contribution: Rooted

© private Caitlin Barlow

is a Cinema and Media Studies undergraduate at the University of Chicago, a tree enthusiast, and a filmmaker. Caitlin’s contribution: Rooted

© Savannah Beck Savannah Beck

is the Online Editor at the Goethe-Institut Washington. Since she’s originally from Florida, her contributions focus on topics like forgotten theme parks in the Sunshine State. Savannah’s contributions: Very Slow, Very Fast, Florida’s Forgotten Theme Parks

© private Matheu Boucher

is studying mathematics and English at the University of Chicago. Matheu’s contribution: Rooted

© Claudia Goulet-Blais Esther Bourdages

works in the fields of visual arts and technology art as a writer, independent curator, and scholar. Find out more about Esther on her website. Esther’s contribution: Stopping Time?

Photo: Katrin Holtgrewe Dirk Braunstein

manages the archives at the University of Frankfurt Institute for Social Research. In 2021, he published a collection of minutes from Theodor W. Adornos’s philosophy seminars. Appropriately, Dirk explores the relationship between progress and standstill in his piece. Dirk’s contribution: Standstill Is Regression and Progress

© private Des Cardero

is majoring in Russian and Eastern European Studies and minoring in music at the University of Chicago. Des’s contribution: School’s Out

© private Maurício Chades

is a visual artist and filmmaker from Brazil. Decay, death rituals, speculative fiction, interspecies relationships, and the tension between city and forest are some of the subjects that he addresses in his productions. Maurício’s contribution: It’s Worth Asking the Dead Where and How they Want to Be Buried

© private Emily Cheng

is currently pursuing a joint degree in English and Media Arts and Design at the University of Chicago. Emily’s contribution: School’s Out

© private Heming Chen

is double majoring in computer science and Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago. These days, you’ll find him dipping his toes into the world of computer graphics and 3D modeling or avidly admiring the moon. Heming’s contribution: Time Is Solid Here

© Ryan Dohoney Ryan Dohoney

is a musicologist, historian, and professor at Northwestern University. He uses music to make sense of how things are in the world. When the world came to a standstill during COVID-19, he coped by taking long walks around the lake near his home in Evanston, Illinois. Ryan’s contribution: Acceptance, Reconciliation, and Music at a Standstill

© Stephie Braun Sascha Ehlert

is the founder and editor-in-chief of Das Wetter, an independent magazine about culture and literature. He is also a publisher at the Korbinian publishing house in Berlin. Prior, he served as an editorial director of the hip-hop magazine Juice. Sascha’s contribution: Sideræl

© Leonhard Emmerling Leonhard Emmerling

is an art historian who is delighted by the fact that there is no progress in art. He serves as the director of the Goethe-Institut in Chicago. Leonhard’s contribution: Uschi’s Bagatelles

. Berthold Franke

is a social scientist who has been with the Goethe-Institut since 1988 — in Warsaw, Dakar, Stockholm, Paris, Brussels, Prague, and, since 2018, New Delhi. Berthold is interested in standstill as a form of protest. Berthold’s contribution: Standstill as Protest

© private Lucan Friedland

lives in Berlin, where he is working on his debut novel — again. He has publications in anthologies and magazines. Lucan’s contribution: Betty the Ape

© private Spencer Frye

is a computer science major at the University of Chicago with an interest in writing and game design. Spencer’s contribution: Memoria

Britta Gädtke © glasgeflüster Britta Gädtke

lives and works in Hanover. She spends her free time in the kitchen, baking bread and preserving treats for her pantry. She published a collection of her recipes in 2018. Find out more about Britta on her website or on Instagram at @glasgefluester. Britta’s contribution: Savor the Flavor

© private Reema Gehi Desai

is a cultural mediator and writer based in Mumbai. Reema’s contribution: No Inspiration Zone

Marius Goldhorn

is an author and poet. In 2020, he published his novel Park and his volume of poetry Yin. Marius’s contribution: Stasis in Miletus

Rigo Gonzalez

is an interdisciplinary artist from the Southside of Chicago who primarily uses film, sound, and photography to magnify the unseen and the unheard. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rigo’s contribution: Mun[day]ne

© Barbara Gronau Barbara Gronau

is a professor of Theater Theory and History at the Berlin University of the Arts. Her research on standstill is part of an interdisciplinary program that explores the relationship between time and representation. Barbara’s contribution: Forms of Staying Still

© Frangipani Beatt Philipp Groth

is a conceptual artist and film director. He works across multiple mediums with a focus on moving images and architectural intervention. He graduated from the University of the Arts in London and is continuing his studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Philipp’s contribution: Dialectic at a Standstill

© Manisha Malhotra Erdmuthe Hacken

works as a freelance editor for the Goethe-Institut in New Delhi and is an enthusiast of Indian culture. Erdmuthe’s contributions: Strength Lies in Tranquility, A Deep Breath in the Interlude, In a Deep Trance

© Kirk Weisgerber Christoph Hesse

is a scholar in film and literature studies who works at the Free University of Berlin. He is currently compiling the author Hermann Borchardt’s work, which Wallstein Verlag will publish in five volumes. Christoph’s contribution: On the Wrong Train

© Linda Rosa Saal Leonhard Hieronymi

lives with his aunt, uncle, and parents on the northern outskirts of Frankfurt to save money to finance a new art project. In July 2022, Korbinian Verlag will publish his nonfiction book TRANCE: Amok, Drugs, and the Sound of Frankfurt. Leonhard’s contribution: Moving Without Moving

© private Nicola Hofstetter

is the Social Media Manager at the Goethe‑Institut Washington. She puts her heart into baking, a passion that requires long resting times and lots of patience. Find out more on Instagram at @nikkioutwest.

© Sergio Leone Filmset Jürgen Hueske

is a VHS vinylist at the Freies Sender Kombinat, a political radio station in Hamburg. He is a wannabe-social economist and care worker who loves music, even when it comes to a standstill. Jürgen’s contribution: Spotify Playlists

. Verena Hütter

works at the Goethe-Institut in Washington, D.C. For STILLSTAND, she wrote about sheep (her favorite animal) and traffic reports on the radio (her favorite medium). Verena’s contributions: Standstill With Sheep, Standstill in Lederhosen

Kitty Kahane

is a Berlin-based illustrator and artist. She teaches, writes, and draws for publishers, companies, and organizations, including the Goethe-Institut. Kitty’s contribution: Word Cloud

© private Avery Kirschbaum

is majoring in psychology and music at the University of Chicago. He loves his dog Goose, impressionism in solo piano, and JRPGs. Avery’s contribution: Time Is Solid Here

© privat Christopher Kloeble

is a writer and professor who splits his time between Berlin and New Delhi. Christopher’s contribution: A City Awakens From Its Slumber

. Nico Klomann

studied German and Romance Studies at the University of Mainz. After graduating, he began working there in local politics. Following his political science studies, he became a German teacher at the Goethe-Zentrum Bezirk and other institutions in Guadalajara. Nico’s contribution: On the Abyss

© Stefan Kloo Stefan Kloo

works as the Online Editor at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles. He is currently very busy building a Large Hadron Collider in his backyard, composing a 15-hour-long opera about German Bastei comics, and training to be a cage fighter. He also lies a lot. Zodiac: Blob Fish / Ascendant: Whiskey. Stefan’s contributions: Indestructible — The Astonishing Tardigrade, The Day the Earth Stood Still

© private Luke Knutson

is studying computer science and Mandarin at the University of Chicago. He is a longtime fan of designing games and is currently working on a serialized webcomic. Luke’s contribution: Time Is Solid Here

© Manya Koetse Manya Koetse

is the editor-in-chief of What’s on Weibo, a blog about digital trends in China. Find her on Twitter at @manyapan. Manya’s contribution: Resisting the Rat Race

© William Minke Charlotte Krafft

studied German literature and literary writing. She is a founding member of the literary clique Rich Kids Of Literature and the discoverer of hyperirony. Charlotte’s contribution: Island in the Unmapped Sky

© Monik Richter Michael Krell

works as Online Editor at the Goethe‑Institut Montreal. Michael’s contribution: The Prophets of Degrowth

© Edition Tiamat Uli Krug

is based in Berlin. He edits and regularly writes articles about popular culture and contemporary events for the weekly magazine Jungle World. Uli’s contribution: Disruption as Progress

© private Marta Krus

is a member of the online editorial team at the Goethe-Institut’s headquarters in Munich. Her heart belongs to the Baltic Sea — she can easily stand still there.

© goteam.media María Paula Laguna

has been working as the Online Editor at the Goethe‑Institut Mexico since November 2020. She oversees the Spanish-language version of STANDSTILL.

@ André Dumont André Lavoie

is a film critic and freelance journalist. He is nostalgic for the iconic moments in film history when filmmakers let their scenes linger like Tsai Ming-Liang’s crying woman in Vive l’amour. André’s contribution: Conquering Lost Time

© private Jae Woong Lee (Timothy Lee)

has always dreamed of being a writer. Storytelling — particularly through film, TV, and video games — fascinates him. He hopes that his work on the game “Memoria,” will pave the way for future projects. Jae Woong’s contribution: Memoria

© Savanna Lindley Arabelle Liepold

is the director of the Goethe Pop Up Seattle. Since standstill is rare at the Pop Up, she found it elsewhere — in the form of a container ship, a hurricane, and a photogenic meal. Arabelle’s contributions: Click… Bite!, Inside the Eye of the Storm

© private Qingqian Liu

is an artist from China. She is interested in the quotidian aspects of life and their visual representation. Qingqian’s contribution: A Couple of Minutes Is Enough for Me to Tell Your Story

© private Caitlin Lozada

is studying English Literature and Linguistics. She loves storytelling and video games and is happy that she is able to share her project with others. Caitlin’s contribution: Catch Up, Buttercup

© private / Photo: Nils Bleibtreu Enis Maci

is a writer. Her recent publications include the book Ein faszinierender Plan and the play Wunder. She is a 2022 fellow of the Käte Hamburger Research Centre and the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles. Enis’s contribution: Avoid the False Morel

© privat Chaitanya Marpakwar

is a journalist who writes about civics and politics for the Times of India based in Mumbai. Chaitanya’s contribution: “Time has stood still here for millennia”

© Irmi Maunu-Kocian Irmi Maunu-Kocian

has worked for the Goethe‑Institut for over 25 years at locations throughout the U.S. She listens to eccentric music and watches exclusively Korean and Chinese historical dramas on her laptop.

© private Counti McCutchen

is majoring in creative writing at the University of Chicago. She specializes in concept art, comics, and character design. Counti’s contribution: School’s Out

© private Jörn Müller

works as Online Editor in the headquarters of the Goethe‑Institut in Munich. He generally sits reasonably still while doing this work. How fortunate that all the letters in the texts he has to deal with are usually pretty still, too.

is a writer and director who focuses on climate, class, and queerness in her work. She is a co-founder of the performance collective Les Dramaturgx and a fellow at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. She performs under the name Dyke Dogs with Eva Tepest. Lynn Takeo’s contribution: On Rebellious Social Climbers

is majoring in computer science and creative writing at the University of Chicago. Thomas’s contribution: School’s Out

manages the film and literature program at the Goethe‑Institut Boston and maintains the regional film archive for the United States. STILLSTAND has her to thank for its summer movie collection. Karin’s contribution: Summer Film Series

is a senior at the University of Chicago. He is passionate about video games, movies, and comic books. Pranav’s contribution: Memoria

is an aspiring New Media artist who spends more time playing games than actually making them. Hailey’s contribution: Rooted

. Pascal Richmann

is the author of Über Deutschland, über alles and Man vermisst diesen Planeten. Pascal’s contribution: Seeds in Townes Van Zandt’s Hand

is a freelance technology journalist based in Mumbai. As part of the 2017 batch of the Robert Bosch Stiftung’s Media Ambassadors India-Germany program, Nimish lived and worked in Berlin, covering stories on a variety of topics. Nimish’s contribution: Taming the Monkey Mind With Vipassana Meditation

is a cultural theorist at the Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research in Berlin. In his article, he analyzes the lyrics of a classic German strike song that calls for laborers to bring work to a standstill. Falko’s contribution: All the wheels shall stand still...

serves as Professor of Physics of Transport and Traffic at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He was the first person to explain phantom traffic jams. He is also known for the Nagel-Schreckenberg model, which simulates freeway traffic. Michael’s contribution: The Logic Behind the Traffic Jam

works with fellow Chinese filmmakers Bocheng Zhang and Yuxuan Zhong under the name 1410 Production. The group is dedicated to making low to Zero Budget independent films. By deliberately minimizing production costs, they explore the boundaries of art and new forms of filmmaking. 1410 Production’s contribution: New Year’s Eve

is a Montreal-based filmmaker, writer, and lecturer. Philip’s contribution: The Power of that Textured Repose

works out of Washington, D.C., as the regional director of the Goethe-Institut in North America. He knows all about standstills and stagnation in Goethe’s time because he wrote about it in his Master’s thesis at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University in the ’80s. Andreas’s contributions: Standstill in Goethe’s Time, Standstill in History

is an author and journalist. In 2021, she was shortlisted for Edit magazine’s essay award for her piece “Power Bottom.” She performs under the name Dyke Dogs with Lynn Takeo Musiol. Eva’s contribution: On Rebellious Social Climbers

Elle Thompson Elle Thompson

is a horror and science fiction writer, visual artist, and game developer. She worked on STAGE Lab’s Quantum Casino, on the short story “Swamp Witch,” and is currently writing and illustrating a graphic novel series. Elle’s contribution: Memoria

is from Dallas, but is studying at the University of Chicago. He loves competitive gaming and film. Dylan’s contribution: Time Is Solid Here

is an art historian and journalist who is based in Berlin. She currently works as an editor at the art magazine Monopol. She describes Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests as a “medium of restlessness trying its hand at stillness.” Saskia’s contribution: Moving Images that Practice Standing Still

is an English and creative writing major at the University of Chicago. They’re a big fan of storytelling, games, and media. June’s contribution: Catch Up, Buttercup

works as a journalist. He has received the International Music Journalism Award and has written for publications like Die Zeit and Das Wetter. He often experiences sleep paralysis, which he likes to think of as a gentle reminder to take a time-out from the rat race. Johann’s contribution: 1:00 pm, paralyzed and suffocated

didn’t want to return to Germany after working at the German Academic Exchange Service in Guadalajara, Mexico, for fear of things coming to a standstill. Instead, he stayed in Guadalajara and founded the Goethe-Zentrum there. No changes in sight for him.

is studying physics and Media Arts and Design at the University of Chicago. Lilith’s contribution: Catch Up, Buttercup

is an author and classical hatha yoga instructor. She is currently living in Delhi until she builds a mud house on a mountaintop in the Himalayas and starts living sustainably. Triti’s contribution: The Search for Stillness Amidst Chaos

works with fellow Chinese filmmakers Mengze Shi and Yuxuan Zhong under the name 1410 Production. The group is dedicated to making low to Zero Budget independent films. By deliberately minimizing production costs, they explore the boundaries of art and new forms of filmmaking. 1410 Production’s contribution: New Year’s Eve

works with fellow Chinese filmmakers Bocheng Zhang and Mengze Shi under the name 1410 Production. The group is dedicated to making low to Zero Budget independent films. By deliberately minimizing production costs, they explore the boundaries of art and new forms of filmmaking. 1410 Production’s contribution: New Year’s Eve