FREE(HOLD)

By n:u (melissandre varin) 2025

credit: Kara White

Dimensions
2h

uk /ˈfriː.həʊld/

British

noun

permanent and absolute tenure of land or property with freedom to dispose of it at will.

companion-materials: rope, Victorian railway track spike, Caribbean rum, rosemary, soil
movement artist: Yewande YoYo Odunubi
live describer: Samiir Saunders; spiritual care: Sym Mendez ; concept, choreographer, and scenographer: n:u

First R&D funded by MAIA as part of n:u’s fellowship 2024-2025

Image credit: Kara White, FREE(HOLD), Birmingham Settlement (GB), 2025

n:u (melissandre varin)

by n:u (melissandre varin) and Jérémie Priam

Digital Video

duration 08 min 29 second

supported by Oustide In (GB)

Presenting the Caribbean banana trade as a site of desire and displacement, n:u and Jeremie’s audio-visual assemblage spans 4,000 miles. On Martinique (FR), Jeremie’s aunt Lilianne shares her knowledge of growing organic bananas. On the island, toxic pesticides sprayed on banana crops have contaminated the landscape…