Reverie – a dream of autoimmunity (soundscape and live discussion)

Join us this Halloween for Joanna Holland’s Reverie, a dreamlike soundscape which blurs the lines between the real and the fantastical. A haunting tale of love, loss and unpredictability – with devastating consequences. Reverie is inspired by Joanna’s lived experience of chronic illness and a repetitive nightmare; an autofictional work which shares how it feels to live, fly and fall with autoimmunity. The soundscape will be followed by a live discussion and Q&A with Joanna and collaborator Hannah Wallis on the wider themes, and making of, the work. The event will take place online, via Zoom.

A once grand hall in an abandoned manor house – now in a dilapidated state of disrepair. A young woman, a dreamy new friendship, and a curse.

An unorthodox relationship, but one which has utterly lifted her from a state of melancholia.

Suddenly this friendship takes a sinister turn, and she finds herself in a nightmarish scenario – where comfort is replaced by claustrophobia and trust by terror.

Rule one – never ever share your innermost secrets.

Rule two – old houses are not to be trusted.

Reverie is written and devised by Joanna Holland, narrated by Louise Kim Salter, with music by Madil Hardis. It is part of the wider programme, The Haunted.

Running over the course of a year, The Haunted is a collection of performances, talks, readings and soundscapes which explore liminal space, dreaming, sick bodies, horror and the uncanny. Offering insights into what it feels like emotionally to be haunted by bodies, haunted by sickness, haunted by dreams, this collection shares how people with chronic illness and encountering parasomnia undergo a change in their experience of space and time. Female-led narratives by Disabled and non-Disabled artists share what it’s like to exist in an ever-shifting, ‘in between’ space. Performances invite you into the eerie, surreal and uncanny space of the liminal.

Joanna Holland is a multidisciplinary and socially engaged research-artist. Her investigative practice builds on her background in feminist art histories, cultural inclusion and biodiversity conservation. Joanna explores notions of ‘stress and solace’ and ‘precarity and possibility’ – relating to sick planet and sick selves, including sharing her own lived experience of sickness / chronic illness / invisible disability.

Hannah Wallis is an artist, curator and d/Deaf activist. Having previously worked within the exhibitions team at Nottingham Contemporary and the programme team at Wysing Arts Centre, Hannah now works as co-programme director at Grand Union, Birmingham, alongside access consultation work.

Reverie is presented by Disability Arts Online and funded by Arts Council England.

As Reverie – a dream of autoimmunity is a binaural soundscape, it is highly recommended that attendees use headphones to experience this digital event.

Access:

Live captions and BSL will be provided.

Content warning:

Reverie – a dream of autoimmunity is 14+. It shares a stark and emotional view of chronic illness with themes of horror, pain, nightmares, death and visions. It has an unnerving and occasionally very loud sound track. You will hear medical diagnostic tools, such as MRI machines.

Image credits:

First image: the house is in my head, © Holland & Poyzer, 2024

Second image: violently thrown © Holland & Larke, 2022

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