Meh Mudda Deh Sea, or the standard English translation My Mother the Sea, was a collaborative interdisciplinary performance piece meant to explore our relationships with those who have passed. This was done as a celebration of their lives, in particular Bisram's mother, the event was formatted to be a party with a show and tell element. Bisram's mother hated crying but loved to celebrate life every chance she had this is why this format was used. Through executing this format Bisram aims to change the narrative of grief. The event took place at the cove next to Socrates Sculpture Park and was in collaboration with Kin to The Cove.
This project was meant to memorialize their mother and be a space for conversations about our waterways which holds his mother's ashes. Through utilizing our connections to those we hold dear, the water acted as a catalyst for the dead. With this the goal is to once again honor our environment as a part of our ancestry, re-forging a connection to our environment, which does not happen as often anymore. There are hundreds of ashes of our loved one in our waterways, which has caused a change in the way we mourn our deceased. We do not have a physical setting or environment to visit them, instead they are now with us everywhere we go.
The day began with a beach cleanup at 1, then we moved on to two vocal performances (1:30-2:00) by Christian Mclean and Rebel Ali, followed by a letter writing session (2:35-:2:45) meant to explore the interconnectivity with water and those who have passed. This was done as a form of mindfulness to take in everything we felt for those around us and pay tribute to those bonds.
The latter section was comprised of a dance performance (2:25-2:2:30) by Shakun Devi Dance. Followed by another vocal performance (2:50-3:00) by Jenna Belabed, then Bisram performed a tribute to the domestic abuse their mother endured when she was alive. The event ended with a poem (3:05-3:15) written by Bisram to honor both the waters and my mother.
The hope for this project is that we are able to see how our relationship to the sea and those around us are one in the same. Like the sea we are constantly moving, pushing and pulling away from one another.
– Chris Bisram
Performers and Full Ensemble:
Alyssa Arguelles
Danielle Akojenu
Lexie Aponte
Christian McClean
Rebel Ali
Jenna Belabed
Oscar Portan
Jamian Ankon
Contributors:
Shop Side B
Marche Le Woof
Socrates Sculpture Park
Kin to the Cove