The Body Remembers

“To give love to our inner selves we must first give attention, recognition and acceptance. Having let ourselves know that we will not be punished for acknowledging who we are or what we feel we can name the problems we see” – bell hooks, author of sisters of the yam: black women & self recovery

The body is an archive. It remembers everything – even the things that the head forgets.

Heather Agyepong’s powerful new solo performance The Body Remembers explores how trauma lives in the body, particularly for Black British women across different generations. Through a unique and compelling relationship between the audience and artist, it creates a collective cathartic experience.

Created & performed by multidisciplinary artist & actor Heather Agyepong, The Body Remembers features interviews of Black British women in trauma recovery. The performance is inspired by the therapeutic practice of Authentic Movement with Agyepong as The Mover and the audience as The Witness. Featuring dynamic projections and an immersive soundscape which help the audience to re-discover the power of self-reflection as the start of recovery and healing. Co-created by Imogen Knight (movement) and Gail Babb (dramaturgy), The Body Remembers creates a space for audience and artist to attend to themselves and each other.

Created and performed by Heather Agyepong

Dramaturg and Co-Creator Gail Babb

Movement Director and Co-Creator Imogen Knight

Video Designer  Gillian Tan

Sound Designer Donato Wharton

Associate Sound Designer Raffaela Pancucci

Stage Managers Tanya Stephenson and Stella Kailides

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist Dawn Estefan

The Body Remembers is produced by Fuel, with support from Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, the Esmee Fairbairn and the Jerwood New Work Fund.

Watch The Body Remembers trailer here.

You can also find The Body Remembers documentary on Fuel Digital here 

Images Credit: Myah Jeffers