How to remain connected to life and motherhood, when death feels very near?
In this story, I fall under the spell of hyperemesis to be left undone. Layers after layers, my shields are retreating: first my clothes (what was I naked); then my strength (could I ever walk again?); then my pride (my guts inside out, even my skin was gone). All what is left are bones. We meet in the corner. I first thought they were death, but what they carry is life. Between us, no words. Only sounds remain. As the days grew lighter, their whisper became song. Bearing witness, they guided my breath to find a language to speak of a space where the gods come to life, taking on many shapes and wearing many names.
Bio Marie Beauchamps
Marie Beauchamps: Marie always wanted to become a dancer. Instead, she became a cleaner, a shelf stacker, a suppost, a cashier, a kick boxer, a teacher, a researcher, a policy adviser, a writer. And she still dances. Her practice is marked by having grown up in a tiny village in the North-East of France, leaving after high school to build her life elsewhere, moving abroad, settling in cities, learning new languages, losing languages, feeling lost, making space, reconfiguring space.
Sjaan Flikweert: Sjaan is an interdisciplinary performing artist. She creates spoken word poetry, music, dance, theatre, and film. For her, stories hold the magical power to connect people and to imagine something new or different. They guide us across the boundaries of our own limitations.
