Location, Sites and Memory
Chloe Filani is an interdisciplinary artist, performer and writer, her work frequently probes the broader themes surrounding her identities as a Black transwoman of Nigerian Yoruba and Eshan heritage within the context of navigating power structures.
Filani’s work encourages you to go on a journey of playful expression using the body as a vessel in collaboration with sound and written prompts.
Chloe Filani was invited to be artist-in-residence to coincide with PRIDE month in 2024 to use the project space at Alice Billing House as an experimental incubator to explore the themes of Speculative ReMemory.
Pieces created by Chloe, focus on audio compilations and poetic writing that fuse elements of somatic breath work and sound meditation. They delve into themes surrounding Blackness, water, and queer identities with the intersection of location to contemplate the lived experiences of marginalized folk throughout history with a strong connection to the Alice Billing House building.
The piece adopts the methodology of ‘critical fabulations’ coined by Sadiya Hartman, which involves the combining of historical and archival research with critical theory and fictional narrative to fill in the blanks left in the historical record.
Filani’s pieces personifies the building by exploring the embodied experiences that Alice Billing House building could have, if it were able to hold memories.
The Speculative ReMemory project was led by artist and programme facilitator, Sandra Falase, as part of a year-long engagement programme in 2024 at Alice Billing House, supported by the Creative Land Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund.