words become butterflies 2017

Media: superimpose paintings, drawings and super 8 film, hybrid with experimental sounds, and performance exported to HD video on a LED monitor in a wooden box.

Words become Butterflies (2017, 09:09 min) an experimental non-linear performative narrative on cultural traditionalism that comments upon accepted practices of body modifications in my grandmother’s homeland of Benin, with performance on 8mm film transferred to video, fused with painting and experimental sounds from the Gulf of Guinea. In many cultures, systematic violence and traditional practices of body mutilation have denied a woman’s right over her body. Through visual narrative and experimental sounds, this film lends voice to what remains a muted debate in the 21st century and grants both body and memory their right to speak.