A wonderful afternoon in the park taking part in @decoded_roots Rotten English workshop as part of @charcharwah 's beautifully curated exhibition Refrains on the Edge of Appearance. Taking Edouard Glissant's notion of opacity, the exhibition and the workshop made us think about colonial structures embedded in our use of language and the hierarchies we obediently observe. We were encouraged to write in new ways, write in images, off-centre, in new directions, outside the grid, in a language only known to ourselves. We began to question our conditioning to form a queue, and follow convention, in language and otherwise as @eloi06 mentioned, and to think about gendered language, such as the word bridge in different languages as @alice.luo5686 spoke about.
Without laying any claims, I feel so proud seeing these brilliant young decolonial curators and thinkers thrive. 💐
‘I am so lucky’ - I said a little loudly to myself. It’s sunny, I am walking to work for a doctorate supervision, I work in the centre of London - in a lovely spot. I get to think together with like minded people. I am an immigrant and the daughter of a confectioner and a homeworker. I have learnt world politics and fluctuations in commodity markets and redistribution from my dad and conviviality from my mum. I come from an ex colony and lived in another ex colony during my formative years. I thought it was hubris to make demands, others around me were so much worse off-I knew I was lucky. I was smiling and even wiggle to Troye Sivan’s ‘Rush’. Sweat was running down my forehead pushing a bigger smile on my face. I stopped myself hugging strangers.
Preparing for teaching - and Wendy Brown’s 2019 In the ruins of Neoliberalism book is so apt of what has been happening for decades but absolutely visible now. The song accompanying - insta’s AI choice- not so relevant- but sunny sunday wishes.
a busy working day for the police…arresting people seating in Trafalgar Square pointing out to injustices. The people will not stay silent. with friend and comrade @maaariaris
Butler writes in Why Read Hegel Now? (2020) in @crisiscritique that once we recognise that we are interdependent we need ‘to find modes of expression that are not destructive, to cultivate ethical practices that acknowledge and work with aggression without allowing its conversion into violence.’ I am working on an article while checking the news. I am not sure whether anybody at war currently can openly recognise that we are interdependent- though everything- from the closure of the straits of Hormuz to rise of food prices points to this. 🥲 Peace.
random and not so random photos taken over the last couple of months in London. They all seem to have red in them. It’s the eve of my 57th birthday. When I was growing up breakdance and hip hop were big. I watched so many movies that made me want to be between New York and LA. And I wanted to learn how to hip hop dance. Never been brave enough to try. And tomorrow I shall …🙂
Lovely evening with ex Lancastrian homies @youngvictheatre@moranlesliej@ginlizzie@juliewallbank0 Arthur Millers Broken Glass was superbly acted by the cast.
The play circled around the paralysis of a Jewish woman in New York triggered the news of the rise in Nazism in Germany and an unhappy marriage.
The play is situated in 1938 but it resonates with the way we experience and process the rise of the new ( techno-capitalism) and old ( state repression, militarism) authoritarianisms.
Photo of @oldvictheatre because it looked pretty. 😂
It is Saturday and not Sunday the resting day of my week. One of the little pleasures I occasionally allow myself on a good Saturday- a Saturday that no lists of what I must do run in my head- is to read in bed. I am now reading @alicehattrick ‘s grounding and thoughtfully written Ill Feelings (2023). I am learning so much about the history of falling ill, diagnosis, misinterpreting illness and above all - how to care of myself and others. Lovely weekend ☕️
