The Politics of Exploring Joy

During her residency at workspacebrussels and for the next two years, Marialena Marouda will explore the politics of joy from a queer feminist perspective. The research, which is deeply rooted in queer and decolonial discourses on joy, also addresses personal experiences of violence and abuse and the transformative experience of joy. What are the implications of understanding joy as a methodology for deepening artistic– and political– practice? Starting from the body and the voice as loci of pleasure and of artistic expression, Marialena will work on stories and songs that attempt to bridge the personal, the professional and the political.

A central focus of the research is also the notion of “home”, and how it can be a double edged sword for many queer bodies. A home can, on the one hand, be linked to experiences of rejection or even violence; it can also signify safety, community and flourishing. The research is therefore also motivated by the desire to have conversations with queer feminist artists and organizers, in Brussels and beyond, who are working with great determination to create pockets of time and space where joy can be experienced. The existence of such safe and nurturing homes is existential, and the research aims to learn from, and to celebrate, the work and political commitment of those artists/organizers that make those homes possible. The conversations are partially recorded, with the aim of creating a series of podcasts that follow the research process.