In this practice research project, the paradoxical nature of silence in the aftermath of trauma is a catalyst for exploring the ways in which ‘traumatic silence’ manifests itself through both language and form in performance text. The presentation is focused around an enquiry into the idiosyncratic function of silence in relation to trauma. Drawing on sourced material and testimonial accounts of experiences in the aftermath of the 2011 shootings on Utøya – the work questions what silence is and where we find it.

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My Research:

Outlining the highly paradoxical nature of silence in the aftermath of trauma this practice research project explores moments where ‘traumatic silence’ manifests itself in performance text – considering both language and structural composition; specifically looking at time, space and voice. By looking at ways in which silence can be produced by language itself the practice explores ways in which we can ‘speak silence’. (Loevlie, 2004:82). The research specifically looks at manifestations of silence in cultural, as well as artistic, responses to the shootings on Utøya 2011 – to inform the multiplicity of form which silence in the aftermath of trauma can take.