Seke Chimutengwende and Alexandrina Hemsley Present BLACK HOLES

Weaving together poetic text and movement, Alexandrina Hemsley and Seke Chimutengwende come together to retell an Afrofuturist history of the universe from the big bang through to the universe's death. Seke and Alexandrina combine elements of science fiction with personal narrative to probe the holes in our understanding of the past, speculating on how to be with their bodies that carry histories of marginalisation and anti-blackness. Taking the personal and projecting it onto a cosmic scale, Black Holes explores the potential and problematics of Afrofuturism.

Afrofuturism is an art form which combines futurism and Afrocentric concepts. This term was coined by Mark Dery in the early 90s as a reaction to the lack of black representation within depictions of the future particularly in science fiction. Afrofuturism has been explored through music from Sun Ra to Janelle Monae. Now artists Seke Chimutengwende and Alexandrina Hemsley have explored this important branch of science fiction through dance.

Seke Chimutengwende and Alexandrina Hemsley began working together in 2016 on their multi-stranded project Black Holes, made up of the performance, a workshop series and public events. Exploring the potentials and problematics of Afrofuturism shapes their collaboration and the pair chat, dance, write and hold different spaces around embodied, speculative fiction(s). They situate their bodies inside shifting and imagined landscapes, searching for hopeful possibilities amidst the harshness of past and present dystopias.

Seke said, "For me Black Holes draws on Afrofuturism to disrupt dominant ways of thinking about race in relation to the past, present and future. At a time of radical political upheaval, growing concerns about representation, climate change and systematic oppressions, we hope the themes within Black Holes will resonate across genres and audiences."

Alexandrina added, "Making Black Holes has led me down the path of asking, 'Where do I/we as people of colour, get to spill out of ourselves? Where can we be excessive rather than hold stories in?'. It's partly why the work has such an absurdly ambitious narrative thread - to retell the history of the universe. Voicing the universe's beginning and end launches speculation far beyond the current contemporary frictions without flying away completely; for there are beginnings and endings to navigate each day."

Alexandrina Hemsley is a dancer and choreographer who believes in dance and the body as a site for expressing felt & embodied politics. They have previously been to the Edinburgh Fringe with their piece O by Project O, a dance duet about being black, mixed and female that addresses awkward and uncomfortable everyday experiences. Their work has been commissioned by and presented at Sadler's Wells, Battersea Arts Centre, Southbank Centre and The Yard Theatre amongst others.

Seke Chimutengwende works in dance as a performer, choreographer and teacher. He has performed with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre, Lost Dog and Fabulous Beast. For his own company Seke Chimutengwende & Friends he has choreographed four works including The Time Travel Piece for The Place Prize 2012 and King Arthur, which premiered at The Yard Theatre in London, 2015.

Running Time: 60 mins | Suitable for ages 14+

www.blackholes.co.uk/

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