SYNOPSIS

‘We Gather at Dawn (I have discharged you from our care)’ explores the reality of living with endometriosis through a feminist science-fiction lens. Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting 10% of womb-holders that causes acute pain. It has been obscured, misdiagnosed, and under-researched for centuries.

A group of chronically ill women build, destroy, and rebuild columns as high as their bodies out of cob, a traditional building material made of clay, sand, and hay mixed by stomping. Breaking down the fruits of their labour themselves, they resist demands for productivity and build kinship. Throughout the film, four vignettes are enlarged to offer glimpses of the dystopian world these women navigate – gathering to resist invasive treatments and dialoguing with medical AIs.

CREDITS

Performers: Hsiao-Chien Chiu, Geraldine Hudson, Ellen King, Riley Tu, Anouk Verviers
Cameras: Hsiao-Chien Chiu, Geraldine Hudson, Ellen King, Mehdi Moussaoui, Riley Tu, Anouk Verviers
Editing and sound design: Anouk Verviers
Colour grading: Anouk Verviers and David Ferrando Giraut

The production of this work was supported by a grant from Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) (Canada) and by ACME Studios (London UK) through the ACME Goldsmiths award 2023-2024 residency.

The artist would like to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) for the financial support.

EXHIBITIONS

Groundwork - ACME Awards 24 (2024) at Kupfer in London UK

Write to me for a link to the full video

->