An Island Praying is its Own Deliverance, 2022

An Island Praying is its Own Deliverance invites you to glimpse a sanctuary that a group of individuals inhabit. The short film is inspired by my grad collection of knitwear. These garments draw on generational textile practices and explore how these textile-based handicrafts are passed down across generations as a way to communicate and to express transgenerational trauma. I have always been interested in how different communities carve out space to express ourselves, and simultaneously the therapeutic benefits of these cultural practices. For this piece, Senuri and I went back to the beginning of time, and reflected on how religious and mythological figures in our own cultural histories created space away from confining ideologies for their safety and self-expression. In recalling stories of women escaping gendered trauma by calling on greater powers than themselves to become their surroundings, I reflected on how these collective memories of seeking refuge in nature have shaped communities on the margins. The Island emerges when we imagine queer sanctuary, shielded from colonial cis- and heteronormative gazes. The knits are intended to be worn in this utopian way only -- rather than reflecting the transgenerational patterns of trauma that such practice is borne out of, the knitted garments are for queer communities of colour to wear as they move, dance and stretch.

Produced: Lauren Mavromati Bourke
Directed, Edited and Sound: Senuri Chandrani
Director of Photography and Colorist: Bonita Carzino
Textile Design & Styling: Mavromati
Poem: Kiki Amberber
Titles: Jenn Tran
Performers: Mikaelewa Amberber, Elisabet Amberber, Kayla Paterson, Nayndng Mayen & Lauren Mavromati Bourke
And a special thanks to Mikaelewa Amberber, Kayla Paterson & Eneasi T

Presented as part of Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Ahead of the Curve program.