Online concert with prerecorded video
by Geoffa Fells, with Ine Vanoeveren, Marcelo Lazcano, Thomas Moore, Umut Eldem, Kate Smith, THAT! Ensemble, Bob Payne
‘Octopus’ explores the lives of survivors of sexual violence. It uses the metaphor of an octopus who blends its colours to match the deep sea environment to survive the waves and currents representing society’s misconceptions about survivors and pervasive rape culture. Inspired by survivors’ self- reported interoceptive drawings of how emotions manifest in the body as well as their accounts of the importance of creativity in healing, the piece shows a gradual growth from sounds and visuals about blending, hiding and surviving to ones about expression, confidence and communication. Metaphor and representation help to make this difficult, painful subject easier to discuss and interrogate.
Geoffa Fells chose the deep sea Octopus because it is an intelligent, perceptive and resilient survivor, able to withstand huge pressures and adapt to hostile environments. With survivors often facing disbelief or blame for not fighting back, the Octopus’s varied and colourful survival systems offer scope to show a full range of responses to trauma and validate them.
This piece is made with animated paintings, electronics track and scored instrumental parts and forms part of Geoffa Fells' 'Sounding Equality' PhD at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp.
Composer and visual artist - Geoffa Fells
Flute - Ine Vanoeveren
Electric Guitar - Marcelo Lazcano
Trombone - Thomas Moore
Piano - Umut Eldem Vocal
Improviser - Kate Smith, THAT! Ensemble
Hand - Bob Payne
Survivor Questionnaire Submissions:
Cambria
Tara Reece
Maca Rosmanich
Swetha Ranganathan
Nefelibata Dilara Aydin-Corbett
Marcelo Lazcano
and others who wish to remain anonymous
>> This event was originally part of the cancelled ARTICULATE 2020 programme and will now take place in a slightly adapted, online form.