9 Lives Or (Le) Chat in a Box

6 unique narratives united by a central point of inquiry: what knowledge should be forbidden? Inspired by the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment, cancel culture, and Antifa, this performance event has asked each individual artist to mine their own lives to answer this question. Each artist performs an “augmented lecture,” crafting a distinct character in the liminal space between their true self and their artistic response to forbidden knowledge. There is knowledge in the world – it may spread hate, it may spread love, it may seek to heal or destroy. If we do not observe this knowledge, will it still persist? What knowledge can we find in the places we choose not to look?

‘Cultured’ by Samantha Walters. December 5-7th, 2019. Studio T, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Directed by Jivesh Parasram.

A performance series featuring six different creators. Each performer/creator crafted approximately 75% of each version of 9 Lives, with the remaining 25% running as a constant in each piece.

Directed by Jivesh Parasram

Performers: Bana Biltaji, Sena Çagla, Garvin Chan, Lia Fallah, Samantha Walters, and Steven Yang.

Photos by Paula Viitanen Aldazosa