Mbuya, muripi? Mbuya, muripi! (Grandmother, where are you? Grandmother, the atoner!) a durational performance by Marcia Harvey Isaksson
In remembrance of their ancestor whose fate at the hands of the British colonialists of Southern Africa remains unknown. Marcia Harvey Isaksson weaves the ancestor’s name into fabric to the sound of the mbira, a traditional Zimbabwean instrument known for its ability to evoke spirits.
The site is London, the capital of the former empire. The fabric will begin to be woven within the exhibition transfeminisims Chapter IV: Care and Kinship at Mimosa House. This will be followed by a walk through the city, stops and invocations will be made at the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. All three museums hold human remains awaiting repatriation and decent burials.
This durational weaving performance will begin at Mimosa House 12:00 – 14:00 and then be continued via The British Museum, Science Museum and Natural History Museum between 14:00 and 17:00.
You are welcome to drop in and join at anytime an approximate itinerary is detailed below:
12:00 - 14:00 Mimosa House
14:00 - 14:15 Walk to the British Museum
14:15-14:30 Performance outside the British Museum
14:30 - 15:40 Walk to the Science Musuem
15:40 - 15:50 Performance outside the Science Museum
15:50 - 16:00 Walk to the Natural History Musuem
16:00 - 16:30 Performance outside Natural History Museum/entrance hall
This event is free and open to all
Marcia Harvey Isaksson (b.1975)
Originally from Zimbabwe, Marcia Harvey Isaksson is based in Stockholm and graduated from Beckmans College of Design in 2008 and has since worked as an exhibition designer and interior architect. In her artistic practice she uses weaving and other textile methods to investigate cultural and personal heritage, the transfer of knowledge over generations, and how narratives of the past effect the present and the future. She is interested in site-specific narratives, working often with a mix of media, from sculpture to performance. Harvey Isaksson is also the founder of Southnord, a platform whose purpose is to make space for black and Afro-Nordic artists. She previously ran Fiberspace (2015-2023), an arena for textile art, handicrafts and design.