Together with Emancipator and Bruno Setola, Via Berlin are developing in co-creation a new form of LARP (live action role-playing) within the MEN4DEM project, exploring the themes of masculinity, radicalisation and democracy.
The brainstorming session, hosted by Jens van Tricht from Emancipator, started with a simple but fundamental question:
The brainstorming session, hosted by Jens van Tricht from Emancipator, started with a simple but fundamental question:
What do we really mean by masculinity and femininity – and aren’t these essentially human qualities?
From this starting point, they developed ideas for characters, settings and moments of transformation. The first insights from Via Berlin's artistic intervention 'When did you leave?' (Oerol 2025) serve as an important source of inspiration.
What is Live Action Role-Playing (LARP)?
Via Berlin's LARP approach is an experiential project, where participants do not only perform a role but also go through a change in perspective, behaviour or awareness. It goes beyond entertainment; it is a form of embodied reflection.
By temporarily stepping into another person’s shoes, participants experience situations and emotions that challenge their own values, assumptions and beliefs.
Aims of the Intervention
- Create awareness of thinking patterns, privileges and blind spots.
- Develop empathy by experiencing another perspective firsthand.
- Stimulate change in attitude, behaviour and worldview.
The first event will premiere in June 2026 in Gdańsk, Poland and will be tested with our MEN4DEM partners in Poland, Greece, Italy, Germany and Sweden. The next step is testing the characters. Are they believable, relatable and diverse enough? We will find out in the months to come.
Attendees: Via Berlin (Dagmar Slagmolen, Jeroen Janssen & Melissa Lagerburg)
Emancipator (Jens van Tricht & Hessel Schaaf)
UvA (Nik Linders)
UvA (Nik Linders)