Bold Mellon Collective's showcase of experimental queer performance is a splendid array of queer talent and creative risk taking. OFF THE GROUND platforms local queer talent and is hosted by Emilia Nurmukhamet, Amy-Rose Edlyn and Dear Annie.
To lead us into the evening, Devika Bilimoria offered us 20 minutes of rhythmic dancing with
‘Usi’ - an implacable beat and a mesmerising performance. The splendid Bard the Beholder then invited us to his wedding in ‘ALTAR’, with delightful audience participation (I was a childhood friend, it seems we played sports together?), and even karaoke. The whole event was captioned, which was a great addition for us all. From providing translations to helping us sing along, this effort in accessibility was noted. The event was also relaxed, noise and shuffle friendly, with the open invitation to take a rest from the show at any time and a space dedicated to winding down.
‘Fishnets’ by Dear Annie and Emilia Nurmukhamet was another ethereal moment, a dance
about connection and circulating energy. It was wonderful to see members of the Bold Mellon Collective take space on their stage in this way - creatives upholding creatives.
The wonderful ‘Pas De Une’, devised and interpreted by Billy Gigurtsis, was a steady crescendo of movement - slowly becoming an echo of itself through delayed video projection. It felt softly intimate to observe Billy moving through unseen waves, and much like with the prior performance of ‘Usi’, time felt like an infinite loop. I lost myself in the hypnotising dance.
The evening wrapped up with ‘I drink the salt water to get sick’ by Néa Ishana Ranganathan, a powerful piece about recent Tamil history and the fate of the Jaffna public library. The piece made great use of the projection screen as well as the captions, taking us through translations of poetry and news snippets. Néa’s use of props and public participation was thoughtful and creative, and I left grateful for having learned something.
The whole event was tied together by the emcee-ing of the Bold Mellon Collective, DJ sets at each interval, and a public full of enthusiasm and expansive support - a testament to the queer community, showing up for each other and willing to be taken on strange and beautiful journeys from the comfort of their seats.
Lucie Arnoux is a French artist living in London. They started drawing comics at 14, when they joined the Studio Gottferdom. First published at 17 in Lanfeust Magazine, they produced monthly autobiographical stories in its pages for six years. They studied in Paris before finally moving to the UK and graduating from Kingston University in Illustration and Animation. A compulsive sketcher, Lucie has tried their hands at all sorts of painterly things. Designing theatre backdrops and prop painting with Olivier award-winning designer Tim Bird, live sketching as artist-in-residence for Sidmouth Folkweek, Womad and the Rose Theatre, illustrating comics and children’s books published internationally.
Bold Mellon is an award-nominated arts collective dedicated to amplifying intersectional queer and migrant stories through dynamic, community-focused performances, workshops and events.
Comments