DOLL THOMAS
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Synopsis
Doll Thomas is a document of artist and filmmaker Ashanti Harris’ research into the historical relationship between Guyana and Scotland, and the hidden legacies of a female diaspora. In the film, Harris applies Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s theories of translation as a methodology for speculating history and elaborating on the complex and extraordinary life of Doll Thomas, from the limited archival information documenting her existence.
Content Warning: The work makes reference to difficult and traumatic histories including the transatlantic slave trade and the colonial subjugation of women.
Doll Thomas screens as part of the shorts program This Woman’s Work, on Saturday, June 26 at 11:00 am.
Please note: this film can be viewed only once during a three-hour window beginning at the scheduled time. For more information on viewing your film, please visit our FAQ and How to Watch pages.
About the Director
Ashanti Harris is a multi-disciplinary artist and researcher based in Glasgow, Scotland. Working with performance, facilitation, film, installation and writing, Ashanti’s work disrupts historical narratives and reimagines them from a Caribbean diasporic perspective. As part of her creative practice, she is co-director of the dance company Project X, and works collaboratively as part of the collective Glasgow Open Dance School (G.O.D.S.), facilitating experimental movement workshops and research groups. She is also lecturer in Contemporary Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and co-facilitates the British Art Network research group The Re-Action of Black Performance. Recent commissions and exhibitions include: OHCE, Radiophrenia, 87.9fm (2020); Being Present, OGR, Torino (2020); In The Open, The Common Guild, Glasgow (2020); Alchemy Film Festival, Hawick (2020); Pre-Ramble, David Dale, Glasgow (2020); The Skeleton of a Name, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow (2019); Second Site, Civic Room, Glasgow (2019); Walking Through the Shadows Eyes Open, SUBSOLO Laboratório de Arte, Sao Paolo, (2019).
