Cuts Of The Cloth upcoming performance at HOME: Fri 18 Jan 2019 – Sat 19 Jan 2019

‘An exhibit for the people.’ 

A Muslim woman has been archived in a museum in the not-too-distant future, to speak to visitors about her relationship with the cloth. What happens to her in a society obsessed with policing the female body, amidst the rise of Islamophobia, UK state violence, and the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy?

Evoking the dystopian feel of A Handmaid’s Tale and George Orwell’s 1984, Cuts of the Cloth is a disturbing portrayal of a Muslim woman caught in the net of the ‘war on terror’.

Cuts of the Cloth is a new piece of work commissioned by HOME Arts Centre in Manchester especially for Push Festival 2019

Performer & Writer: Hafsah Aneela Bashir

Co-creator & Director: Nikki Mailer

Video Production, Live Projection and Sound Design : Kooj Chuhan

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place
Manchester
M15 4FN

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We had a ‘work in progress’ script in hand performance of ‘Cuts of the Cloth’ at Oldham Library in July 2018. Along with futher in depth research and development, and guidance from fellow artists, responding to audience feedback has been an important part of how have developed the script for Push festival 2019.

‘I started writing to make sense of the world around me, to capture memories incase at some point in my life, I’d forget what I had felt. I write to preserve the heart; wait for the muse, pick up my pen, and follow the journey of a new poem.’ – Hafsah Aneela Bashir

Following her bold performance supporting Danez Smith earlier this year, Hafsah Aneela Bashir returns to MLF to share a special theatrical performance of poems from her debut collection The Celox And The Clot. Between the uncertainty and doubt of relationships under strain, to the tragedy of war and its fundamental injustices, Hafsah’s debut collection unapologetically examines the human condition, and the conflicts that arise within us. What does it take to be who we are? What are we prepared to ignore or accept? Never complacent, always conscious of the many journeys each of us must make; this is a collection that travels with us. Directed by theatre-maker Nikki Mailer, Hafsah will be accompanied by Sufi singer and musician Sarah Yaseen. Join us for what’s sure to be an electrifying and provocative performance.

Tickets available here.

from Songs of Protest

The first form of protest I ever saw
was in a gathering of women,
conservative, strict, steadfast,
all leaving the layers accumulated over time at the door.
Slow careful unravelling of headscarves
unveiling shy glints of tinder beneath black robes.

In the centre of the room
a hollowed drum, leathered skin tight on either end,
a silver baton-like spoon tapping surely against it,
bangled hands clapping, no placard in sight,
only the familiar glint of fire in the eyes,
the tell-tale sign when women have had enough.
The strictest of them dipped the shoulder to give permission,
and women morphed to megaphones.

Sueh ve cheeray valia meh kendiyah
Kar chatree di chaawm cha meh bendiyah

Focus on Racism, Sexism and Intersectionality (for cis women, trans women and non binary people).

Date: Saturday 27th October, 1.30pm to 6pm, Cost: £30 to £50*

Venue: Z-Arts, Hulme, Manchester

*[Fully funded for people of the Global Majority (People of Colour or BAME) and also some funding available to fully or partially subsidise anyone else who wants to join where cost is a barrier (no explanation needed, it’s on trust basis).]

“Join Camille Barton of the Collective Liberation Project for a workshop using dance, mindfulness and self reflection to explore how social justice relates to our bodies as womxn. The session will focus on racism, sexism and intersectionality. Camille will also talk about her lived experience as a Black, Queer womxn and how her approach to anti-oppression work is deeply integrated with mindfulness, the body and the holistic healing of trauma”.

Continue reading “Movement Workshop With Camille Barton: Transforming Oppression At The Root” →