Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence is a performative forum designed to mirror the conference halls used to negotiate and produce treaties of independence, coalitions, trade deals, manifestos and policies.
A group of womxn of colour are invited as ‘contributor-performers’ to the forum to share stories and experiences in relation to the legacies of slavery and colonialism as a response to Ama Ata Aidoo’s 1992 poem As Always a Painful Declaration of Independence.
These individual declarations of independence have come together as a video installation, live performances and sound pieces, foregrounding the role of womxn of colour, the importance of collective thinking, the value of personal narratives in history and daily ritual.
Various iterations of Declaration of Independence has been realised in Diaspora Pavilion, Venice Biennale (2017); Feminist Emergencies, Birkbeck, University of London (2017); Body Politics, Troppenmusem, Amsterdam (2018); The Library of Performing Rights, LADA, London (2018); Tricksters Brewing Futures II, Tate Exchange/198, London (2018); Relating Narratives, Horse Hospital, London (2018); Art 50, BALTIC, Gateshead (2019); Still I Rise, Arnolfini, Bristol (2019); Propositions #10: Instituting Otherwise, BAK, basis Voor actuele kunst, Utrecht (2019) and Re-Imagine Europe, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen (2020).
Extract from Declaration of independence video installation shown at BALTIC Centre For Contemporary Arts, Gateshead from 23 February - 6 May 2019 and as part of STILL I RISE: FEMINISMS, GENDER, RESISTANCE – ACT 3 at Arnolfini, Bristol 14th September 2019 to 15th December 2019.
This is a composite of the three screen piece that was shown at these spaces.
