Lora Krasteva is an artist, cultural producer and activist. She creates multi-disciplinary, devised, socially and politically engaged works that connect communities, artists, institutions and decision-makers. One of her latest creative projects, Becoming British, is a six hours durational, task-based performance installation interrogating national identity from the perspective of 1st generation migrants in the UK.
In the past, Lora has worked with Arts & Homelessness International advocating for a place for creativity in homelessness provision and founded Global Voices Theatre, a female, non-binary and immigrant-led company introducing international plays in the UK. Currently, she is a Leadership Group member of What Next?, the UK movement for culture and a founding member of Migrants in Theatre, the movement advocating for a better representation of 1st generation immigrants. Lora was born in Bulgaria and lives between Sofia and Sheffield where, besides her creative practice, she also works as a personal and professional development coach.
For more info about Lora’s work visit www.lorakrasteva.com and follow on @lorakrasteva
Return (working title) is a multi-sensory performance project about the complex dynamics behind the idea of returning.
In a world increasingly obsessed with borders, many demand others “go back to where they came from”: anti-immigration rhetoric & sentiments continues to rise with the previously far-right idea of “remigration” gaining mainstream traction at home & abroad. Many people might in fact be considering “going back”: be that because of their (economic) reality in the UK or the hostile environment, amongst other reasons. At the same time, many do not want or do not have where else to go since the UK is their home.
Return will investigate these dynamics through 6 lenses (migration & territory; return and its impacts on the body; return as ritual; return to the land and its relationship to the more-than-human; food and culinary aspects and return and grief). The projects combine binaural sound performance, text and object storytelling in a “box” delivered to audiences, inviting them to be both spectators and participants.
This is Lora’s most recent project and it is currently in its first phase of research and development which will include: research into the themes of return, collecting real life testimonies, co-creating the box and its objects with migrant community members, creating bespoke storytelling text to be recorded as binaural sound and making box prototypes to be tested with target audiences. Potential audiences will also be invited to return elements of the box to us, thus contributing to a future collaborative exhibition.