Shirley Abraham

“The air is a hunting machine,” writes Arundhati Roy. A diagnosis, and a prophecy for many democracies in the world. With the independent voice silenced all around, how can one imagine fugitive spaces for speaking? For thinking, feeling and creating? What is the language of work that may not be allowed to be made? My work examines freedom of speech and expression as the beating heart of the independent voice, and a political and philosophical question. Rooted in decolonial understanding, I am keen to explore questions of form beyond aesthetics. During my time at IAS CEU, I will continue to explore pathways into counter infrastructures and insurgent spaces of collective thinking. I will also explore new formations for my writing and audio work, and how one can give velocity to imperilled voices, while developing them as an embodied performance.