EDINBURGH 2026: Review: LANDSFRAU, TechCube 0, Summerhall
Dismantles Western gazes and reclaims grief.
The 2021 fall of Kabul marks the epicenter of LANDSFRAU, an explosive autofictional solo piece where solo artist Mariann Yar reclaims her relationship to Afghanistan. Rather than accepting recycled media imagery, she builds a personal counter-archive made of family stories, imagined histories, unbridled rage, and aching longing. The performance bridges worlds through sound and movement, blending folk instrumentation with electronic soundscapes and combining traditional Attan dancing with contemporary choreography. She addresses the complex guilt of observing tragedy from the safety of the diaspora through a feminist lens.
The piece further subverts traditional theatre through audience immersion (don't worry, it's not scary). About halfway through, audience members are invited, if they choose, to step onto the stage perimeter and settle onto floor cushions. Tea is served in glass cups as a beautiful social homage. In a culture so relentlessly flattened by Western media into tropes of terror and violence, Yar offers warmth, stillness and ancestral hospitality. She invites us into a space where Afghan social customs are living, breathing practices of community instead of in a state of constant tragedy.
The set is sparse yet evocative, anchored by simple inflatable air mattresses - possibly symbols of refugee camps, temporary shelters and displaced transit. These plastic objects become versatile props and set pieces. There are Arabic translations of her spoken English projected on the back wall, which transforms into English translations when she switches to spoken Arabic.
Yar is a magnetic performer. Transitioning seamlessly between spoken text, raw emotional acting, and full-bodied movement, she remains engaging throughout (which is not easy in a solo show). A highly recommended Fringe show this year.
LANDSFRAU is at Summerhall until 31 August
Photo: Courtesy of LANDSFRAU
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