les mains de ma mère

was exhibited as part of the 2021 Shape Open, All Bound Together? by Shape Arts

“My mother’s hands have been transformed by Rheumatoid arthritis. My existence has been de-limited by the white gaze. In this short film, I interrogate my conflictual relationship to authority, the Black mother figure, and whiteness as a destitution of power.” Filmed and assembled from a place of gratitude, this film is punctuated by to be you, a poem (2019). The Covid-19 pandemic marked a physical rupture with hostile environments melissandre used to perform in. They spent time with their hands thinking about intergenerational trauma, grief, and healing. Their mother transitioned to another form 17 years ago and melissandre is now envisioning ways to critically celebrate her passage on this Earth.