This experiment is inspired by 'Border Tales' and Toni Morrison's Lady Jones from Beloved.
Whilst Lady Jones plays a tiny part in the scope of the novel, her constructed identity is interesting. Morrison invests in a mixed lady in a black community, whose hatred of her own features, leads her to suspect everyone, including her children, of hating her yellow hair as much as she did. Morrison constructed a character that learned to despise everyone a little bit, as she projected her own insecure thoughts upon them.
'Border Tales' similarly explores the suspicions, individuals, particularly immigrants have around race and identity. Suspicions around what other people think, in this performance, the blame of ugly feelings, of suspicion and alienation, is placed squarely in the hands of the British, white middle-class man rather than the a psychological and internal sense of self in relation to reflection.
This is my experiment around suspicions of what I think you think when you meet me. Sometimes I like these assumptions, as they allow me to assimilate, to be anything you want me to be.
I think that you think that I am Spanish, or Portuguese, or Brazilian, or Puerto Rican, or Mexican, or Turkish, or Indian.
I think that you think that I am ethnically ambiguous.
I think that you think I am exotic.
I think that you think I am a half-breed mongrel.
I think that you think filling out census forms is easy. That there is a box for my ethnicity.
I think that you think that "other" is an ethnic group.
I think that you think this is not my natural hair.
I think that you think I need a special shade of
foundation for my skin colour.
I think that you think that I like RnB and Hip-hop.
If I tell you my mother is from Zimbabwe....
I think that you think I mean Rhodesia.
I think that you think my mother is black.
I think you may have heard of Robert Mugabe and you think that we hate white people.
I think you think we are homophobic.
I think you think we are poor, but if i tell you we have a maid I think you think we're rich.
If I tell you my dad is Irish ...
I think that you think that I should speak like this.
I think that you think that I love Guinness.
I think you think I go to church every Sunday.
I think that you think I know the difference between a catholic and a protestant.
I think that you think I have a potato fetish.
I think that you think that this accent does ot match this face. But then neither does this one.
Whilst Lady Jones plays a tiny part in the scope of the novel, her constructed identity is interesting. Morrison invests in a mixed lady in a black community, whose hatred of her own features, leads her to suspect everyone, including her children, of hating her yellow hair as much as she did. Morrison constructed a character that learned to despise everyone a little bit, as she projected her own insecure thoughts upon them.
'Border Tales' similarly explores the suspicions, individuals, particularly immigrants have around race and identity. Suspicions around what other people think, in this performance, the blame of ugly feelings, of suspicion and alienation, is placed squarely in the hands of the British, white middle-class man rather than the a psychological and internal sense of self in relation to reflection.
This is my experiment around suspicions of what I think you think when you meet me. Sometimes I like these assumptions, as they allow me to assimilate, to be anything you want me to be.
I think that you think that I am Spanish, or Portuguese, or Brazilian, or Puerto Rican, or Mexican, or Turkish, or Indian.
I think that you think that I am ethnically ambiguous.
I think that you think I am exotic.
I think that you think I am a half-breed mongrel.
I think that you think filling out census forms is easy. That there is a box for my ethnicity.
I think that you think that "other" is an ethnic group.
I think that you think this is not my natural hair.
I think that you think I need a special shade of
foundation for my skin colour.
I think that you think that I like RnB and Hip-hop.
If I tell you my mother is from Zimbabwe....
I think that you think I mean Rhodesia.
I think that you think my mother is black.
I think you may have heard of Robert Mugabe and you think that we hate white people.
I think you think we are homophobic.
I think you think we are poor, but if i tell you we have a maid I think you think we're rich.
If I tell you my dad is Irish ...
I think that you think that I should speak like this.
I think that you think that I love Guinness.
I think you think I go to church every Sunday.
I think that you think I know the difference between a catholic and a protestant.
I think that you think I have a potato fetish.
I think that you think that this accent does ot match this face. But then neither does this one.