KINSFOLK

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There are many tales about the bearded lady, sometimes stories of sorrow, sometimes of sainthood and some even fabricated by own own imaginations. We are interested and inspired by the different kinds of qualities represented by bearded woman. In some cases, facial hair might be viewed as unsightly, a weakness or a curse – but we choose to illuminate the strength, power and beauty the beards possess. We are proud to adorn ourselves in performative moments with beautiful beards so that we can be seen and heard clearly in our intention of dismissing societal pressures.

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Holly and Jackie are constantly examining themes of identity, agency, and memory within our experience as first generation Canadians . We believe that the female experience has placed us within a 'box' and we use our work as a way to escape this container. We are interested in exploring issues surrounding gender divides, expectations of gender and the judgment placed on appearance by ways of researching and calling on our personal history and Dutch lineage. We are longing to create new ideas of how we can live within this world with out shame or fear. Through performance we also explore our connection as sisters and women. We investigate how our identity is shaped by each other, our history and DNA; how our past is influencing our present. The syntheses, separation and repetition of these themes drive KINSFOLK towards challenging society's views of the female experience and create new structures to try and exist fully within.