About
Nameless Yet Her Heart Is Like the Waters of the Sea imagines one of Lua Shayenne’s ancestors: a forgotten woman taken as an enslaved person from Ghana who perished during the Middle Passage. Through song, dance and the traditional Guinean rhythm of Soko, Shayenne pays tribute to ancestral stories, centring on a tranquil and tumultuous sea, holding the memories of lost spirits.
Commissioned by KUUMBA 365, this work responds to Charles Campbell’s installation how many colours has the sea, a portal into a realm where spirits lost in the Middle Passage find solace. The exhibition features large-scale sculptures, “Breath Portraits,” visualizing the breath of the Black community, and an audio installation that captures the sea’s contrasting calm and chaos.
Choreographer, performer: Lua Shayenne
Percussionists: Cécé Haba and Yohance Francis Parsons
Costume Designer: Courtney Roy
About Lua Shayenne
Video Presentation
This video captures Lua’s response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery’s how many colours has the sea exhibition by Charles Campbell. Lua Shayenne’s performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
More KUUMBA 365
KUUMBA 365 is Harbourfront Centre’s annual initiative commissioning original works by Black artists, focusing on the disciplines of literary arts, spoken word, dance and theatre. These artists are presenting new work in 2025 for its second edition.
