From The Jungle.
Iban performance practice, migration and identity
FROM THE JUNGLE
From the jungle we come, in the jungle we stay.
Carrying home with us in a handful of water; The river that takes us, returns us and moves us.
My story, your story, our story, bound together from the same beginning, changing as time and space moves us apart.
I’ll tell you my story and you tell me yours.
And we’ll sit together and talk of days I don’t remember and you can’t forget…
You tell me how it all used to be and ask why it had to change.
Where did you go? And why did you leave?
You ask again and again.
At least you returned, no matter the time,
At least you returned, my child, my sister, my friend.
My research.
My PhD looked at how identity changes when space and location changes. These questions are still key to my thinking and research - for theatre, for journalism and for pleasure. Identity around race and gender is the lens I look at most things. And food, I can't help but to include food in my work.
Researching art around the idea of theatre...
I write poetry for performance, which become full length plays. I am interested in writing about identity and belonging, and how we find and build home. My characters are often people from multiple spaces. My plays explore the visceral and audiences members are often treated to food, as part of the show - cooking on stage as the performance unfolds.
I perform my poetry as part of my development and research process. My work has been performed in Germany, UK and Malaysia.
Feel free to browse some of my draft performance work here.
I founded the arts collective behind the bikeshed in 2007 with actor and writer Nicola Young. Our aim was to showcase new talent - young actors, new design grads, new writing... a place to collaborate, make connections, have the space to experiment, and guidance to do it well! Our aim is to create art around the idea of theatre. www.behindthebikeshed.com
'Dont sing in the kitchen, of you'll marry and old man'
This is a project developed with actor Safiah Durrah. We are planning to tour the piece in Malaysia early 2016. As part of our development and research process we are curating evenings of performance around the topic of 'food'.
My interests with theatre is about how it works within and as part of a community, and this is a continuation of this. I want to find ways to connect with the audience. We hope to built up, and be part of, a community.
Photos by Katherine Leedale.
The first was taken in 2014, as is part of an on-going conversation and collaboration discussing home, identity and self-representation, that began in 2012. Photography and performance.
The second is the flyer for my PhD thesis show, with Vera Chok. We went around East London take a loom and weaving. The act, performance of, transporting the loom and weaving was part of my PhD research and documented by Katherine.
