Lecture: Thomas Talawa Presto: The Black Body as an Archive & What you are trained not to see - Wed 6/11 19h30

This lecture centres on the practices of African Diaspora art as archive, resistance and transformation. It adopts an Afrogenic approach, restructuring the “geographies of reason” and approaches the various timelines, genres and practices from the perspective of rhythm as a mobile institution. It seeks to move out of the realm of mysticism, obscurity and tropes over into access, right to opacity and approachability. The lecture seeks to courageously step into the uncomfortable and difficult conversation with the perspective of generous black rage.

Lecture on Wednesday 6 November at 19.30, in PARTS. Everybody welcome!

Thomas “Talawa” Prestø is the founder and artistic director of Tabanka African & Caribbean Peoples Dance Ensemble in Oslo, Norway. The company and its associated movement technique, the Talawa Technique, has been 21 years in the making. The Talawa Technique is one of few fully codified techniques drawing from Africa and the Diaspora. Tabanka Dance Ensemble is northern Europes largest full time black dance company. The company works outside the western canon of art production creating highly kinetic contemporary work drawing from African, Caribbean and Diasporan movement practices. The companies and techniques slogan and core principle is Ancient Power - Modern Use.