Opening Black Achievement Month: Find Your Eyes
'A striking visual narrative before your eyes' – The Guardian ★★★★★
Pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer, Benji Reid mixes Afro-futurist imagery with hard-hitting tales from his life and adventures in a unique show that unfolds before your very eyes
Opening of Black Achievement Month
Run time 90 minutes
Genre photography / choreography / theatre
Some of the things that Benji Reid will talk about may be upsetting. Reid will talk about violence, discrimination, abortion and suicide at different times.
Dutch opening night Sun 1 Ocotber
Find Your Eyes
Benji draws from the well of his life experiences – exploring vulnerability, tragedy and triumph through the photographers’ lens.
Let him take you behind-the-scenes, on an emotional rollercoaster where conflict meets beauty and the stage becomes his studio. Watch as Benji opens up on some of the most moving episodes of his life, and uses them to inspire his art.
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This passionate piece draws on Benji’s work both as an award-winning photographer and pioneer of hip hop theatre – bringing dancers and photography into the fold to create images in real time in front of his audience.
Journeying through highs and lows, Find Your Eyes explores how we make sense of the world through our stories and our art.
Benji Reid about Find Your Eyes
'This performance is a culmination of all my practices, from popping to contemporary to physical theatre to directing to photography. This work is a dance between all forms framed as a meditation in the artist’s studio.'
Black Achievement Month
The Black Achievement Month Foundation presents the special contributions of persons with African roots to the world and Dutch society in particular during the month of October. For a significant proportion of them, this country is an important focus in their development. With reasonable success, persons with African roots have taken root here and can be found in a range of disciplines in society. Among them you will find scientists, medics, lawyers, writers, artists, theatre-makers, performers, athletes and entrepreneurs. All these talents and their achievements deserve to be brought to the attention of as wide and diverse an audience as possible.
IN THE PRESS
The Guardian
'A striking visual narrative before your eyes'
The Observer
'That’s the secret of the entire show; Reid has taken his vulnerabilities and transmuted them into art. The metamorphosis is overwhelmingly moving.'
CREDITS
concept, direction, photography and text Benji Reid
creative associate and sound designer Andrew Wong
set designer Ti Green
3D designer and maker Liam Hopkins
costume designer Saskia Lenaerts
choreography Benji Reid and performers
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lighting designer Tupac Martir
dramaturg Keisha Thompson
performers Benji Reid, Slate Hemedi, Salomé Pressac and Yvonne Smink
DJ Andrew Wong
stage manager and camera assistant Lee Grey
commissioned by Factory International, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and Black Achievement Month and Taipei Performing Arts Center
produced by Factory International for Manchester International Festival
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