Gen X Gen Z

A preview of a show about parenting, being parented and the ongoing process of becoming who you are, no matter what your age, with your family as your witness.

This show is part of the KUNSTY series at Southbank Centre.

Tom of Finland. Turkey Basters. Love Island. Raving at the Hacienda decades apart. Just the usual parent and child catch-up. For Tink (parent) and Abra (child), it’s just another Tuesday. 

This is a show about parenting when you have no blueprint and when you don’t know if you’re a mum or a dad. It’s about growing up when your politics at home is miles ahead of the outside world. Imagine being parented by a Mancunian renegade who stays out all night but gets cross when you do.

How does it feel being brown with a white mum? How do you know you’ve done a good job as a parent when you left home at 15? Abra thought her mum was normal until she started school and saw that no one else’s mum looked like hers.

Tink and Abra are at a critical point where Abra is becoming a woman and Tink is becoming less of a woman. Their relationship, bodies and lives are changing, and so is society’s gaze on them both. Everything is up for grabs except their relationship.

Their dynamic might seem unique, but if you are a parent or are somebody’s child, then you know what it’s like when you feel special and when you don’t. These two talk about it.

Tink is a loving parent, trained advocate and performance artist. They make bold and provocative work exploring their disability, class, queerness, neurodiversity and Irish traveller heritage. Centring connectivity and radical inclusivity, Tink is deeply committed to creating work that is accessible and engaging for traditional and non-traditional audiences.

Directed by Sarah Frankcom, with design by Tim Spooner.

An Unlimited UK Open Award 2024 commission made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England.