Dark Circles (2022) is an essay, of sorts, about the deep weirdness of being Anglo-Indian. It takes the form of an installation (archive video, spoken word, field recordings, ephemera, works on paper, haunted waiting room) exploring Anglo-Indian identity, a sort of uncomfortable by-product of the Empire, simultaneously privileged and marginalised within it. Its focus is three performers of Anglo-Indian heritage: Merle Oberon, Cuckoo Moray and Helen, who were able to negotiate a path to success through their ambiguous identity. It was developed on the Jerwood Arts x FACT Fellowship which I received in 2020-2021, and was shown in Let The Song Hold Us at FACT Liverpool in 2022.
Some selected press:
The Guardian ****
At the heart of it is archive video of Cuckoo, Merle and Helen, and a new audio work: a text by me, with sounds/field recordings/samples produced by the excellent Gus Bousfield.
And here’s some installation pictures.
Tessa Norton, Dark Circles (2022). Commissioned by and developed in residency at FACT as part of the Jerwood Arts / FACT Digital Fellowship, supported by Jerwood Arts. Supported with funds from Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council. Installation view at FACT. Images by Rob Battersby.
Tessa Norton 