MARHÖ THÉLKI ARAPNA MOOKI BAWU NYAP AH

The central character of this film is called Shipala-shijala-falajala-valamaya-valajala-valamala-ya, or Shipala for short. Like all of us, they were born without name, and only discovered what they were called during a conversation with a little girl in Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent, who baptised them in a sudden shower of sounds outside the autonomous nation of Poundland.

Some say that Shipala is a full body giant mask, mobile puppetry tent, fabric clown-jukebox, vehicle of unexpected interactions, spasm of interruption in the flow of the normal, hiding place for anarchist fugitives, exploration of erotic subjectivity, emblem of total poetic liberation, or example of a species on the verge of extinction. The truth is that Shipala is all these things and more.

In the footage shown here, Shipala-shijala-falajala-valamaya-valajala-valamala-ya can be seen exploring various sites around Stoke-on-Trent, Northern England. They are lost but they know exactly where they are. They are asked what their cause is but they do not respond. They are mistaken for an elephant on numerous occasions. In an audio track over the top of the footage, Shipala tells a tale from their series of stories entitled ‘How to do what we are not allowed to do‘ – exploring themes of righteous rule-breaking, kindly subversion, and foolish hope. The story is told in the supersensible language of Toetapoelib yet is subtitled in English.

Street performances and video-work produced during The Fool Residency at AirSpace Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, July 2022 with support from Arts Council England.

Videos and photos: Glen Stoker.