8 October 2021 at Museo Civico in Bassano del Grappa – Afternoon
In the afternoon Eleanor is sharing a film from afar, Darkness: She was the Universe* made by Ben Harriott and Amanda Russell at Newstead Abbey in the summer of 2021.
This film was made as part of mayfield brooks’ and Mary Pearson’s interdisciplinary dance project How to Be Afraid?, which investigates the afterlife of the transatlantic slave in relation to body, time and space.
You can watch the film here.
I write down these words after the viewing:
raw
heritage
giving the mic
sharing the space
making space
create uncomfortable situations
scare
itch
Then it is Tereza’s turn to propose something‧ We are back outside in the cloister‧ She asks us to bring phones and headphones and to please press PLAY on 1, 2, 3 at the same time to start the audio guide she prepared altogether.
Tereza’s voice, and then other people’s voices, invite us to make some movements, some decisions, some choices. Imagination opens up. The weather is nice. It is a very soft moment.
I write down afterwards:
touchée
being touched
close
being home
sharing the space
listening to comforting voices
a very soft and deep moment
soft eyes
in the present
feeling welcome
small gestures
une attention très fine
what stays with us and what can be shared is these kind of moments.
Faces, feelings, smiles.
A gesture. Looking someone in the eyes. More smiles, feet in the grass, lying down, seeing the emotions coming to somebody’s eyes as well.


