an [ im ] material space rooted in martinique/wanakaera functioning as an artistic and cultural research lab engaging togetherness and experimental pedagogy
SIANO
Son an jounen an lavi an jénès Matinik
This performance was the somatic and oratory restitution of the mind maps created by Simone Lagrand for the first Momentum of the program SIANO in August 2023 in Martinique.
These mind maps entitled, “24 hours in the life of a young martinican woman”, explore the life of Beverli. Beverli is a fictional character created by Lagrand who sets about navigating through a tumultuous and vibrant romantic life influenced by repetitive and generational occurrences. Through Beverli’s narrative, Simone Lagrand sought to portray the various shared experiences of multiple Martinican women, and how these affect them. Love is the central subject in this restitution, and Lagrand’s performance acted to humanize the intricacies of Caribbean people’s perspectives of love: exploring its power and dynamics in our communities.
Simone Lagrand asks : How love is lived, felt, and incarnated within our communities ?
Through an array of thoughts, symbolized through words in Martinican Creole/Palé Matinitjé and English,contrasted with Caribbean sonorities, Simone Lagrand’s performance prompted a collective introspection on the interplay of politics, love, histories, popular culture and the hybridization of Caribbean music. She asked audience members to reflect on the ways these themes can be understood in relation to each other, and how the theorisation of these conjunctions can encourage critical dialogues and a collective reflection.
We address our deep gratitude to Simone Lagrand, Igo Drané and Maani Davis who shared such a divine performance with us; to Inès Manai for documenting this restitution with such elegance and care; and to all of those who shared this in person iteration with us.
26.04.2024, Paris ( France ), Documentation by Inès Manai
© Nianiba, 2025