ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
★ ★ ★ ★
CRAW
DEE MULROONEY
In My Grandmother’s Womb
I crouch in the ancient dark space of my Grandmothers Womb
Waiting for a spark to ignite me once again
Into this cycle of pain
Perhaps this turn of the wheel will bring me more fortune
Will I have legs to crawl from the mud
Will I have eyes to look up at the stars
Will I venture into the abyss of my own dark caverns
Will my mother hold me to her breast and let me drink her golden milk
Will my father stand by her side and walk with her hand in hand through the thorny bed of roses
Will my belly be full
Will I go to school
Will my tender heart survive the taunting
Will men be kind
Will my child survive
Will I remember
Will I remember to dance
Will I remember the dark waters in the centre of my being wherin lies my power
My power to heal
My medicine
My power to transform
My power to love
I crouch in the dark space of my Grandmothers womb, I wait, I hope…
Dee Mulrooney has been teaching art, craft and design for more than 20 years. Since moving to Berlin in 2015 she has re-discovered her own creative impulse through storywriting and telling. A Pandora’s box of sorts opened up and she hasn’t stopped creating ever since. She writes stories, paints, performs and makes films. Her work is informed by her deep love of her own ancestry, her femaleness, and a desire to engage with what’s hidden in the shadows. Since her hugely successful premiere show in last years 48hrs Neukölln, she has been performing and collaborating and exhibited in the highly acclaimed Vulvae show. deirdre-mulrooney.squarespace.com
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE
Photo by Nina Harwick
A Murder Of Craws
We are Richie Heffernan, Nina Hynes, Candice Gordon, Shaun Mulrooney, and Dee Mulrooney. We have begun a journey together which started with many sing-songs around a kitchen table and a few bags of crisps. This journey has become a dream manifested, in the form of a festival, CRAW.
CRAW will be an immersive experience, the festival goers will be taken on an eclectic journey throughout the weekend. From spoken word to wakes, film, dance, art and drama, Craw promises to engage, entertain and connect.
When somethings gets stuck in your Craw, your throat as it were, it causes an abiding resentment or rankle. Through many years of discussion, sharing and friendship, we found a common thread with which to weave a group tapestry. We have a shared country of origin, Ireland and we have found ourselves somehow in exile. At times we have avoided conversations that address this CRAW for fear of singing the same ole tune of bitterness and resentment but through laughter, play, song, jokes and supporting each other, we’ve given voice to what has gotten stuck there. We’ve had conversations with the hurt, the reasons why we left. CRAW means something different to us all, it is as individual as our own subconscious but we found a common bond through our creative expression. We’ve started to clean our own backyard together, sweeping out the corners, sorting, sifting, letting go of what no longer serves us. It has been a deeply empowering experience for us a group.
Dealing with group dynamics is always challenging, we press each other’s buttons, we take on roles, we act from subconscious hurts. However, we made a pact at the beginning that we would prioritise our human relationships throughout the entire process of birthing this festival, reminding ourselves at the beginning of every meeting, why we are doing this. This has served us well and despite the fact that we are all doing this for free, we all have other jobs and lives, children and partners, we keep going.
We have planted a seed in the muck that was made from everything rotten and this seed has taken root, we are beginning to see its potential, its fragile shoots reaching for the sunlight, a dream becoming. It is exciting, nerve racking, edgy, authentic and fundamentally human.
CRAW
Berlin, 22 May 2018
DEAR READER
At The Wild Word we are proud to present some of the best online writing around, as well as being a platform for new and emerging writers and artists.
As a non-profit, the entire site is a labour of love.
If you have read the work in The Wild Word and like what we do, please put something in our tip jar to keep this amazing platform alive.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
