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Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner at the Jaki-ed weaving workshop, Majuro, Marshall Islands, September 2017 / Photograph: Christine Germano / Image courtesy: The artist and University of South Pacific, Majuro
Kathy Jetñil-KijinerPerformance: Lorro – of wings and seas 2018
Not Currently on Display
Jetñil-Kijiner’s spoken-word performance responds to her experience in the Jaki-ed Project, and weaves together words and movement. In her performance, she uses the symbolism of weaving and the weaving circle to explore how women’s roles and identities are shaped by Marshallese culture, the nuclear legacy and climate change. The closing segment is inspired by butoh (Japanese dance theatre) and addresses the influence of the nuclear legacy on women’s bodies. Each strand of Jetñil-Kijiner’s performance connects local wisdom with global issues, and opens the weaving circle up so new audiences can see the spirit of resilience that characterises the weavers of the Marshall Islands.
Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner is a poet, teacher and performance artist who was born in the Marshall Islands. Her poetry explores cultural issues and the threats faced by her people — nuclear testing, militarism, rising sea levels as a result of climate change, forced migration and economic adaptation. In her work, Jetñil-Kijiner draws on the stories, cultural values and local practices underpinning the traditional, spiritual and social structure of life in the Marshall Islands.