Zena explores storytelling by the process of fusing art-mediums – poetry, music, dance, film, animation and cinematic soundtrack – stretching the boundaries of verse in urban theatre and exalting the connections between the written and spoken word with multi-media.
THE FURY PROJECTThe Fury Project is an interdisciplinary arts exploration of the emotion of anger, and seeks to tell stories that carve paths to justice, transformation and empowerment. Using the power of spoken word/poetry, monologue, live vocals, dance and performance; the visceral nature of multi-media arts installation and techniques of inclusive artists/audience interactive debate, a diverse group of artists deconstruct the ancient Greek mythological tale of “The Three Furies” and reconstruct it for 21st century notions of Womanhood. Personal narratives are made political by the very nature of genderising and racialising the emotion of anger.
Issue based gaming using poetry. The The project is designed to encourage creative debate and strategies for truth seeking seeking seeking to embolden the voices of those marginalised yet social justice and political awareness is the driving force for creative and poetic writing.
Watch the PDP promo video
Click here for courses that prepare the ground for politic debate.
“TRAVELLING LIGHT” Travelling Light is an exploration of poetic story-telling binding generations of womanhood, through a gritty and moving autobiographical account of a fractious and touching mother/daughter relationship.
This autobiographical story of a journey into womanhood, of growing up without a father figure and how my mother reunited with her own mother after 60 years also defined womanhood through her mother absence. The piece unpacks the paradoxes that haunt and challenge gender definition and role playing in society through the crafts of poetry/spoken word, visuals, song, movement and blogging. TRAVELLING LIGHT BLOG
Verging between chat show and theatre, this live docu-poem, will unpack the complexities of coming ages, as a woman of colour in the fracture mirror of family separation and reunion spoken word, song, movement, blogging
Watch the Conversations Promo video for a taster
Music has been integral to Zena’s performance development, having sung in a various contemporary jazz, South African and electronic outfits. Zena utilised her time as Poet in Residence at the Poetry Café, London to devise workshops and host a series of spoken word and music evenings called “Conversations”. As associate artist at The Albany Theatre in Deptford, Conversations received a New Live Literature consortium award to tour in 2009 and 2010. The program has evolved to enable emerging and new young talent to collaborate with professional poets, musicians, visual artists and filmmaker
Its My Life Innit? at the Albany.
Quotes –
“Creative and Fun!”
“Original and exciting, great vibe.”
“Great concept, perfectly executed.” – Audience responses.
“… there is true complicity between all the performers on the stage and the excitement of the unexpected is electric. As an audience you feel that a space has opened up for true dialogue, a real exchange of passions and ideas… What emerges is a new art form, that is not quite song, not quite poetry, not quite jazz but the point where all three meet in conversation.” – Antonia Windsor, The Guardian.