SYBARITISM

Sybaritism is a 28 minute long documentary about the power of clubbing. Set in Berlin with a very intimate approach, it explores the behind-the-scenes lives of three contributors with strong ties to the club scene. The project navigates through their personal experiences building a communal story where the sense of belonging, mental health, drug use and sexuality become pivotal points of a much larger conversation that the documentary aims to open and foster.

Sybartism was born in the summer of 2021. Malva, a regular partygoer and interested in nightlife dynamics and impacts, chose to research the topic in the midst of the clubs reopening after the pandemic.

In September of that year, she moved to Berlin in pursuit of a place where clubbing was accepted as culture. Without knowing anyone and being for the first time in Berlin, she immersed herself in the club scene. She created new connections very easily and through newfound friends and contacts, met the film's contributors.

Kat (she/her) moved to Berlin right before the pandemic in order to start a new life and build new friendships. Kat became a part of the project after meeting Malva in Hedoné, a sex positive seminar, where Malva was filming for the aftermovie and Kat was attending. Self-defined as a hedonist, Kat was drawn to participate in Sybaritism as a contributor. Berlin was a rite of passage for her too, as her arrival in the city has helped her explore her ideas of pleasure and experience sex positivity.

Hanna (she/her) and Malva connected personally through mutual friends and realized just how much her story was a good fit for the documentary during the interview. Hanna revealed she had suffered severe health problems and going clubbing became part of her recovery. She is now a social worker, but still a committed party-goer. She embodies the whole experience, clubbing was her way to stay mentally fit.

Diego (they / them) and Malva met in a party through a neighbour that had just shaved Malva´s head. Their background as a music producer and DJ (Projekt Gestalten), resident in the queer sex positive party PORNCEPTUAL, provided a great perspective for the documentary. Their connection with the club scene came from their struggle to find safe spaces in which to express their identity. The concept of faith and religion has shaped their lives, that started with them feeling rejected by it to embracing it in a Live Act of their album The Beast Within at the St. Marienkirche church, in Berlin. Diego makes a living within the industry and have a truly critical perspective of it. For them, the club scene has been a safe space, a place to grow, and an important community, even if they only interact with it on their nights out.

During the creative process of filming, Malva decided to become a contributor and narrate throughout the documentary. Beyond directing the film, she realized that clubbing had become a space to not perform and discard the expectations she has towards herself. Her experience not only inspired the start of Sybaritism, but proved to be a valuable insight in itself, as she felt at home in the club regardless of being foreign and having felt like an outsider most of her life. She chose to combine poetic and observational format in order to bring the intimacy that the stories required as pleasure and trauma are intertwined.

The project displays topics that are controversial and barely explored in the academic context, which make it a very vulnerable experience for everyone involved, reinforced by the format chosen. When it comes to intimate realities that are often excluded in social structures, it became apparent that being raw and unfiltered on camera was a bold and difficult decision. That’s why this project strives to foster radical acceptance of the club culture and its participants, while also talking about the discomforts that may arise, contributing to safer spaces.

Despite not having much time or resources for the project, it gained a lot of interest from potential contributors. However, the ones that finally participated created a connection that can be felt through the screen.

SYBARITISM is important because the stories from Hanna, Kat and Diego need to be shared. Not only do their experiences strive to destigmatize the club / rave scene and its partygoers, they also contribute to the documentary becoming a visual archive and an educational tool of what clubbing can mean. We believe in the importance of connecting with ourselves and each other through dance and music, and to talk openly about the impact it can have on our minds and bodies.

This project seeks to empower self-awareness and self-respect. Our next steps are closely related to strengthening bonds between collectives, sharing knowledge and opening conversations focused on safety, pleasure management and harm reduction. We would love to become an active collective in the scene that can add value and insights to the club culture and its participants. We want to be present in educational spaces, provide a platform to voice experiences and concerns and become a way to access stories that can guide people to feeling supported and understood.

Furthermore, we want to keep creating art with the political angle and mission to foster a stronger sense of community as a revolutionary act.