People
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Performance is about people, the startling ability of humans to create themselves, to change, to become what they ordinarily are not. It is part of being human to be performer.
Around the world, across cultures, humans transform themselves, take on roles, re-present themselves to others. We become performers. We do this for countless reasons perhaps to entertain, or to re-enact age-old religious beliefs, perhaps to confirm our place in our society.
Performance Gallery stages a procession of eight performances from around the world. It uses the props and costumes which once transformed a person into a performer.
Follow the links below to find out more about these diverse traditions.
... or see how these performances are staged in the Performance gallery
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Les Ballets 1933, London and Paris, avant-garde ballet company of 1933
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Kalabari masquerade, Naked Big Fish, by Sokari Douglas Camp. Contemporary sculpture representing Nigerian Kalabari masquerade.
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Egúngún masquerade, Yoruba, Nigeria, masquerade representing, honouring and invoking an ancestor.
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Bedu, Cote d'Ivoire West Africa, contemporary masking tradition featuring towering two-metre tall Bedu plankmasks.
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Carnival, British street performance, ongoing, following the tradition of European parades and Caribbean carnival.
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Fancy Dress, European ongoing tradition, dressing up in a form different from their everyday selves.
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Hobbyhorse, British folk tradition, ongoing, revival, regional variations with arguably ancient roots.
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Burning of the clocks, British folk tradition, contemporary, a winter white lantern festival.
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People
