Here and There - Then and Now

Here and There – Then and Now is a video/installation /performance piece that explores the inherent nature and expression of ritual, tradition and culture within Jewish and Muslim women. Using the ‘wedding’ ceremony, as expressed through the feminine, the work questions: is it in this universal, yet personal and carefully planned ritual that a woman reflects on her historical and cultural heritage? Does she draw on her traditions to decide which aspects to include in her own unique ceremony, to then lay the foundations for her future life? Is it in this moment that she links her past, present and future? Different generations of Jewish and Muslim women were asked to talk about their own wedding ritual.

The work combines primary source material (ancient religious texts), multi-media (video and the objects in the space) with oral history (the women’s stories). The performance space is formally structured and embedded with significant objects. Combined with the physical body of ‘the bride’, the work engages the viewer on all these levels.


Performed at:
Beanland Studio - Victoria University
Centre for Cross Cultural Research, Canberra
Film exhibited at Victoria University Gallery - Melbourne and China

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