Up In Arms

Up In Arms uses ritual, photography and immersive theatre practice to create intimate conversation and radical social change.

Anna Maria Nabirye and Annie Saunders invite two participants – a Black woman* and a friend of her choice – to re-embody and re-create Dan Wynn’s iconic portrait of Dorothy Pitman Hughes and Gloria Steinem. The re-creation of this image acts as a ritual to open space for uncomfortable, challenging, transformative conversation, led by the artists.

The resulting audio and video recordings and portraits from the live event will form an interactive visual exhibition, a live documentary presentation, a performance lecture and a handbook on collaboration and intersectionality.

‘Honesty and humour pervade the process – a journey that the two artists are undertaking in catalysing conversations between friends. The chatter of every day experience is punctuated by sudden, profound utterances which strike a chord and are memorable… It feels healthy, of the moment and needed.’

Artlyst

Up In Arms has been developed in the home countries of the two artists, the UK and USA, with residencies, performances and live events taking place at The Showroom Gallery, London, UK; MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, USA; The International Female Film Festival, Dortmund, Germany.

*Throughout Up in Arms, the term ‘women’ includes all women – whether trans, cis, non-binary or gender non-conforming.