When Men Cry the World Shuts Down is a gathering that flirts with the format of performance. As we host symposium as artists, the contemporary concept of the symposium as a scientific exchange of knowledge will be subverted into something seemingly disordered (messy and chaotic) with an ancient Greek echo and an artistic twist. During the discussion, an army of women will serve drinks and provide the comfort for the audience, so that the invited guests and audience members can think, drink, talk and (hopefully) cry.

For the symposium When Men Cry the World Shuts Down, the organizers have invited male speakers to ‘help women help men get rid of patriarchy’ – a system that simultaneously benefits and oppresses men. The invited speakers will begin collecting experiences about the patriarchal system built around gender, age and power. With the knowledge gained, we will be able to start mapping the problems that patriarchy presents for men. Keynote speaker Federico Campagna will open the symposium with a lecture on the mythological aspect of patriarchy. Later in the symposium, invited speakers will talk with the moderator of the symposium, curator Eva Neklyaeva, about specific situations they have experienced in which they have felt patriarchal privileges and/or oppression.

The production of knowledge does not only take place in closed, soundproof and sterile environments. Sometimes we have to cry and laugh and lie and speak the truth in order to learn. Sometimes we have to see through tears to see more clearly.

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17.30
RED CARPET: Ticket collection and welcome drinks

18.00–18.15
OPENING SPEECH: Welcome by Alma R. Selimović, director of Bunker
INTRODUCTION by Eva Neklyaeva, the moderator of the symposium, and Sodja Lotker, the dramaturg of the symposium

18.15–19.00
LECTURE (online): Federico Campagna, philosopher

19.00–20.45
DISCUSSION with Julian Hetzel, Primož Bezjak, Juan Carlos Martel Bayod, moderated by Eva Neklyaeva

20.45–21.00
CONCLUSIONS by Ana Pavlič, director, Institute for Gender Equality