DIWRIZIENNET - Lost Genealogies

DIWRIZIENNET – Lost Genealogies examines the heritage and the archival of Queer stories. Using his own story, Corentin JPM Leven explores his Celtic roots and his need to escape his imposed social identity to define his own queer identity. DIWRIZIENNET (Uprooted in Breton language) investigates the problematic bond between emancipation and legacy.

"The performance Diwriziennet is an aesthetic ritual in the span between beautiful Celtic folklore and cheeky, joyful queerness." - Scenekunst.no

"(...) it balances nicely between the ritualistic and vulnerable, the heartfelt and joyful, so that it becomes a good and playful space to be in. Taking ownership of the body and sexuality in such a way is a political act in itself in a world where this sexuality is still experienced as so scary for so many." - Scenekunst.no

INTERVIEW Blackbox Theater

“Diwriziennet” means “uprooted” in Breton language. It's the third performance by CJPM Productions, and it's a rather personal exploration of my heritage and the archival of Queer stories. I wanted to examine my Celtic roots and my journey to escape an imposed social identity to define my own queer identity. As we develop this project, we realize that a big focus of ours lies in the concept of performance in social contexts: Performing culture, performing Queerness.

By examining my history and heritage, I questioned the absence of Queer stories and references within my culture. Even though things are changing, at the time I grew up, these stories were nonexistent and silenced. It is evident that there's a strong need for Queer individuals to gather in communities, to create spaces where they can truly be themselves and inform each other. Growing up a queer kid in this rural part of France was very lonely. Survival to me meant escaping the Breton countryside, its language, and culture, to forge a new social identity. I had to let it all rest to find some sort of peace and fulfillment within myself.

There is always something painful in letting go of such an inherent part of your identity, and that is precisely when the legacy comes into play. What was and is my role when the identity I chose to flee is already a minority of its own.Could it be that I am relieving this trauma from a different perspective? The performance confronts my culture by revisiting my upbringing, problematizing my ownership and contribution to Breton culture as a young homosexual. It looks at the cost of separating oneself from their culture, despite lingering emotional ties, and how latent homophobia or mutism creates distance for those who refuse to conform. And yet, in all this effort to systemize this escape, the intense feeling of a Home remains. A genesis from where the individual stems from. It may sound trivial, but in these times where war and politics cause the movement of thousands and thousands of people, we need to remember the meaning of a home, its importance, its weight and necessity, wherever and whoever you are in whichever society.