An Act Of Remembrance And Grief

"Where are you from?" - it's a question that can stir even the most stoic of characters and performance artist Selina Thompson is no different. It's a stark reminder of the muted colonial history that exists in her black British identity, and why Thompson boarded a cargo ship in 2016 to retrace the transatlantic slavery route of her ancestors: UK-Ghana-Jamaica-UK. This experience was the starting block for Salt. a solo show about communities who are marginalised through their complex history, told through the tides of Thompson's sorrow, displacement, searching and ancestry.

Commissioned by Theatre Bristol, Yorkshire Festival and MAYK. Supported by Arts Council England and numerous individuals who donated towards the Atlantic voyage. Salt. is a multi-award winning piece written and performed by Thompson, directed by Dawn Walton and presented at Royal Court Theatre this Spring.

What Is Salt. About?

Salt. is part of a wider body of work by Selina Thompson exploring Black identity. Developed during her three-month voyage retracing the Transatlantic Slave Triangle - and with artist collectives in Accra and Kingston - their memories, their questions and their grief laid bare an imagined past. But their journey backwards was a necessary one in order to move forward from past traumas, to be part of a coming-of-age diaspora; an arduous journey and a triumphant return home.