Veil play/artwork – hidden commentaries

November 14 2014

A mixture of art and performance about women wearing veils has blurred boundaries and asked questions about a shared identity, where seemingly, none appear to exist…

BY Chayya Syal

AN INNOVATIVE digital art installation is stirring audiences and has already captured the attention of theatre makers and communities of all ethnicities.

“Veil” aims to open a discussion and presents a piece of artwork, illustrating the types of veils with which women cover themselves. One last show of three in a current series can be seen in Leeds tomorrow.

The installation is complemented by four monologues, performed by four actors and uses the power of story-telling to explore the complicated structure behind identity.

“Veil” is written by award-winning poet and playwright Kay Adshead, directed by Kully Thiarai, who is also the director of Cast (a performance venue) in Doncaster, and the art installation is executed by Shanaz Gulzar, who has a growing reputation in this area.

It is produced by Adshead’s Mama Quilla – Arts for change outfit, which seeks to perform non-conventional drama and project and articulate voices from the margins.

“There is no political standpoint or agenda with ‘Veil’. It is a presentation of art,” explained Llila Vis, one of the show’s performers.

Eugenia Low and Llila Vis in 'Veil' live performance

But don’t be fooled by its title: there is so much more to this art installation than meets the eye.

Firstly, it goes beyond physical veils we all know – such as the burqa and niqab.

“Veil” picks up on and explores the more “subtle nuances of veils that we do not see or would not even regard as a veil – such as: make up, mental, emotional and psychological veils,” explained Vis.

The project explores identity in a deep, thoughtful and sensitive manner and gives women a voice and highlights the similarities between all women, regardless of their backgrounds.

Secondly, despite its title, “Veil” is far from exclusive or relevant to Asian communities only: it is a piece of thought provoking and sensitive artwork about identity as a multi-layered and fluid entity, which is open to interpretation.

“Veil” is an intimate and immersive installation, which is split into two experiences for members of the audience. The installation is set in a very clean, minimalist room with three suspended domes for members of the audience to stand under and listen.

Upon arrival, it sounds like “a hubbub of voices,” but when an audience member stands under one of the domes, they only hear one voice. Those domes then stay in the space as the second half of the installation begins.

And as if that wasn’t enough of a twist, each location uses a different setting and style of presentation. For example, in Bradford, VEIL used a black box whilst in Manchester a white space was utilised. The setting in Leeds will be held under arches. The thought process behind this was that “different settings create different moods,” said Vis.

Kay Adshead; Kully Thiarai; Shanaz Gulzar

The first showing was on Saturday, November 1 in Bradford, and it was also exhibited in Manchester last Saturday.

It is staged in Leeds tomorrow (Saturday, November 15).

Main picture: ‘Veil’ as an art installation in Z, Manchester, inset: Llila Vis in Veil