Inspired by the Muharram ceremony, a collective ritual performed by M-A Collective.
The Mourning of Muharram ceremony commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain ibn Ali, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. This Muslim religious celebration uses self-flagellation, a practice of whipping one’s body with chains, or beating it knives or other sharp objects in a bid to express the pain and sorrow felt at the loss of Imam Hussein.
Kimia Nasirian (IR)
For their performance, Iranian women use self-flagellation to criticize traditions and the absence of the female body in religious ceremonies. For a full two hours, twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds, the artists will create chains (Zanjir) and prepare costumes for the ensuing collective ritual. We will see traces of where the chains strike their bodies and we will hear the sound generated by these gestures.
Born in 1996 in Tehran, Kimia Nasirian currently lives in Brussels and studies at La Cambre (sculpture). Her multidisciplinary works – installation, performance, sculpture, video, sound – are imbued with memories, nostalgia and individual mythology. Drawing on personal and collective narratives, Nasirian probes the functionalities of human memory in political and social movements by using documentary photo archives and religious rituals. Kimia Nasirian is also part of the international Erasmus+ project Performing Identity initiated by the Cambre.
M-A Collective brings together a diverse group of Iranian artists based in Belgium, each with their individual approach, but yet all driven by a shared experience and a deep need to express themselves. The initials “M-A” refer directly to those of Mahsa/Jina Amini, victims of the latest wave of repression in Iran. Through its performances, the collective invites people to witness lives that have been taken, innocent blood that has been spilled, and to explore the value of human life in the face of adversity.
VIDEO (Camille Meynard)
Infos
| DATE | CONTENU |
|---|---|
| 2023/04/221422 |
22.04.2023 14:22 > 16:44 Maison des Arts, Brussels Réservations |
A lengthy performance (2 hours, 22 minutes, 22 seconds)
Entries and exits are possible.
As part of Fragile! – the section of the festival devoted to young artists students from ENSAV – La Cambre.