Balancing Act

Balancing Act unfolds across two screens upon which Nina's feet walk the coloured lines marking out badminton and basketball courts on a sports hall floor. Shot from a low angle, the viewer is never allowed to see any other part of the artist, dislocating her from the scene.

Taking inspiration from historical mapping and the origins of sports rules, Nina questions what it means to be in between and to cross physical and mental borders. The accompanying music composed by Oliver Barrett echoes the national anthems of Sweden, Denmark, Sri Lanka and Britain. It hints at Nina’s migratory history while text reveals personal anecdotes and internal negotiations of cultural hybridity.

Balancing Act was a disorientating experience, questioning the rigidity and arbitrariness of systems we take for granted. How might  we negotiate maps and borders? How might we fall between?

A two-minute trailer can be viewed on Nina's website, here.

Nina Mangalanayagam is a visual artist working with still and moving image. She has a Masters in Photography from the Royal College of Art and a PhD by practice from the University of Westminster. In her practice, Nina explores themes of belonging and hybridity, often using a semi-autobiographical approach. Her research analyses the shifting points of identification she experiences as a mixed heritage subject, to explore the dichotomy of black and white notions of identity.