Stanley Picker Gallery is pleased to welcome back Pinelopi Kefou, Rebecca Korang and Anna Guzak – all final year students of Kingston University’s Dance programme under the tutelage of course lecturers Daniela Perazzo Domm and Elena Catalano – to re-perform their site-specific dance piece inspired by Yemi Awosile’s Orishirishi – during the closing event of the exhibition and gallery Summer Party on Saturday 15 July, 2-5pm. Behind the scenes clips from rehearsals can be watched below.

Orishirishi is a new body of research that casts a lens on the insatiable desire to maintain a sense of place and ownership over one’s identity through outward public personas. Exhibited within ‘changing rooms’ in the main gallery space, the title of this work is a Nigerian (Yoruba) word taken from Awosile’s family tribe’s vocabulary, loosely meaning ‘an assortment of different things’ and showcases a collection of textiles which classify materials as an arrangement of experiences, alongside multi-media print, t-shirts and acoustic drapes.

The dance piece was workshopped in collaboration with Awosile who, as part of the trio’s research, guided them in practical and print-based activity reflective of her own creative processes. As with the premiere performance in mid-June, for their upcoming showcase the dancers will don some of their own creations along with bespoke pieces by the designer!

Performances will be staged at regular intervals within the main gallery space, allowing party-goers to move through and interact with the exhibition – and a live music stream from hip hop artists Khirkee17 – alongside dancers. Also at the Summer Party: Poetry readings by Creative Writers, a Summer Sale, and a display of works made in response to Awosile’s exhibition as a celebration of the show. All are invited all to join us!

Behind the scenes, 14 June 2017: Dance improvised and inspired by Yemi Awosile’s Orishirishi : Pinelopi Kefou, Rebecca Korang and Anna Guzak