Hypnagogia Glossolalia
Hypnagogia – The state between sleeping and waking. Characterised by feelings of drowsiness, lucid dreams, spontaneous creative inspiration, imaginative experience and sleep paralysis.
Glossolalia – the phenomenon of speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship, practiced in many spiritual and ritual traditions.
The film is comprised of several spoken word poetry pieces narrated in both Gaelic and Shona (zezuru dialect), overlaid with talking drum music by musician Jerry Boweh and dance performance by dancer and choreographer Divine Tasinda. Working with the image of the Bateleur Eagle, a now endangered species and one of the potential inspirations for the Zimbabwe bird.
The bird is a symbol, a soap-stone totem, a spiritual artefact. "Bateleur" is French for "street performer”.
This work traverses the personal and universal, interrogating the notion of self and romantic ideas of the incorporeal Other.
Gaelic narration by Cassie Ejeki
Shona narration by Gillian Mutanga.
Video Editing by Léa Molinier
Sound Editing by Susannah Stark.
Film, Make-up, Costumes, Photography, Videography, Sound and Writing
by Sekai Machache