My Masters study led me beyond my body (which formed the core of my work in Honours) to my family as a site of praxis. I began with mannequins representing five generations of my mother’s family. I performed my story of trauma and abuse to these wooden bodies. Whilst this provided a form of catharsis it also reflected my family’s refusal to listen. Neuroscientist professor Antonio Damasio’s 30 years of research shows that emotion is the basis of all mental health distress. Historically we deny, ignore and disdain all emotions; we consider them feminine, weak, hysterical and uncontrollable. My mother – her life fraught with trauma, poverty, homelessness, war fears and famine – says her childhood was good. Repetition and compulsion are the unconscious repetition of trauma experiences with the aim of gaining self-awareness. The Body Keeps the Score. Heal your trauma so you do not pass it on to the next generation or justify such behaviour as culture. Name your emotions to tame your emotions!

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Living Live (Performance Feedback Interview), 2021

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Living Live (Performance Excerpt), 2021

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Living Live (Performance Setup), 2021

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Living Live (Digital Version – Trailer), 2021  
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