A project by 
Bianca Pedrina & Stefan Karrer
Auf Castelen bei Augusta Raurica
July 2025

https://mememen.stefankarrer.net

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Bianca Pedrina and Stefan Karrer based their joint project on the TikTok trend “How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?”, which went viral in 2023. This involves women asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire. To the surprise and amusement of the women, the majority of the husbands, friends, fathers, brothers, etc. they asked replied that they think about it frequently. 

During their two-week stay at Villa Clavel near the Roman settlement in Augusta Raurica, Switzerland, the two artists approached this phenomenon from two different angles. Bianca works with her photography, while Stefan works with text and research in online forums (no pun intended).
If you believe the internet meme, it is predominantly cis men who think about the Roman Empire on a weekly or even daily basis. There are many reasons for this, but one of them could be somewhat aptly summarized as follows: the Roman Empire is perceived as patriarchal and conservative, and the Imperium Romanum is still generally regarded as a successful structure of power, strength, and innovation—qualities that have historically been interpreted as masculine. The meme reflects a conservative understanding of gender that sees clear differences between the sexes, and in general, influencer culture on the internet is also often divided into gender-specific content.

It seems obvious that thoughts of the Roman Empire must also have preoccupied René Clavel (the patron of Villa Clavel), a lover of antiquity. Did the patriarchal and authoritarian structures of Roman antiquity and their association with masculinity and power also play a role for Clavel? For example, in the choice of location for his country estate, or in its furnishings, including bronze sculptures? Where might traces of “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” be visible in the villa?