Souvenir of England

On June 12 at 8pm, Festival of Rejects (Feed The Hand That Bites You) presents the UK premiere of visual theatre production 'Souvenir of England', created and performed by French-American artist Marianne Dissard.

The central feature of the show is Dissard's urban b/w photography series of ultra-wealthy Knightsbridge, Central London set against a selection of songs including Thatcher-era masterpieces 'Shipbuilding' and 'Ghost Town' re-imagined by musical director Raphael Mann making extensive use of sounds of metal hitting metal to evoke the docks, shipyards, and steelworks - the labour on which the 'mighty empire' was built.

A tumultuous and densely layered journey through British but also global history, culture, and politics, 'Souvenir of England' radically reframes British filmmaker Joanna Hogg's tender coming-of-age story 'The Souvenir, Part 1' as a blunt meditation on England's legacy of wealth and power.

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Held from Friday 7 to Sunday 23 June 2024 at The Revelator in Glasgow, the Festival of Rejects (Feed The Hand That Bites You), Revelator's very own Salon des Refusés, will present the work of artists and collectives whose applications were rejected by GI 2024 (Glasgow International Festival, running concurrently).

Production, direction, photography, video, and performance: Marianne Dissard.

Set design: Bastien Forestier and Remo Lotano.

Dramaturgical assistance: Ami Garmon.

'Souvenir of England’ was originally commissioned in 2022 by Paul Wallfisch, musical director of the national Volkstheater in Vienna, Austria. It has since been performed in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart. The multi-talented artist is now set to present the UK premiere on 12 June at Festival of Rejects at The Revelator, Glasgow.

Born in the French Pyrénées, Dissard lived in Tucson, Arizona, for three decades before moving to the UK in 2017. She relocated to Glasgow in early 2022, and from Glasgow to Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire in 2023. She explains: “I have only been living in Scotland for a little over two years now but have felt very welcomed by the city's creative community. I'm happy to contribute this work, 'Souvenir of England', to the critical conversation around the UK's legacy of wealth and power".

Dissard has published two books of photos and exhibited in Glasgow (The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Saltspace), Edinburgh (Agitate Gallery), Paris, Margate, and Ramsgate. Her current Knightsbridge series premiered at Ramsgate Festival of Sound 2023.