WTF Thursdays: BRAIDING BODIES

I’ve been thinking about black & brown joy. What is it? Where is it? What does it look like?

ProvocationCan bodies & objects be conduits for ancestral knowledge? In particular, I’m curious about the knowledge contained

1.In hair, acts of combing, braiding & oiling

2.In acts of tea ritual & consumption

What could we learn if we could read the knowledge in a teacup or a strand hair? What if that strand came from the hair of a courtesan? A Hijra? A Dula? A newborn?

What if we could map the tea leaves, the land they came from or extract from the clay body of a cup? How could we extract it? What would we ask?

Can we seek out patterns, gestures, iterations, anomalies & transformations, stored in our hands, our bodies, the way we hold, touch & move together?

This is an invitation to global majority movement centered practitioners, to come together & explore these questions.

This event forms part of The Empire’s Old Clothes programme of work. Supported by ACE, Unlimited and DAO.

Photo by: Brian Roberts

About the Host:

Priya Mistry

Priya Mistry (UK) aka whatsthebigmistry. Their extensive body of works straddle dance, performance, visual and live art. Presenting work internationally and across the UK in galleries, theatres & the public realm.

Mistry is known for generating work that is visually bold, processes that are exploratively rich with inventive choreographies between bodies, objects and sites. Thinking of each as vessels, holding experiences, patterns, impulses, an array of emotions, trauma and histories. Probing at difficult questions at intersections in Identity; including dis/ability, BIPOC, Queer & Fem politics.

Accessibility:

Please note, we are on the second floor of a warehouse building, accessed by a staircase only. We regret that we cannot currently adequately support wheelchair users and those for whom stairs are a barrier.

We are committed to removing other barriers to access. If you would like to talk to us about your access needs, please contact: frances@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk. Read more about our commitments to anti-ableism as part of our Artist Community Culture Document

About WTF Thursdays:

WTF Thursdays is a space creating possibilities for experimentation and community-building amongst artists. Each evening, CDS hands over the keys to the building for an artist in the CDS Artist Community to host an event in the spirit of low-stakes, DIY action.

Tickets are low-cost, pay what you can, with all the proceeds going to the host artist. If you need access to a free ticket, please email: sam@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk