Writing with Surya Namaz: The Body as a ‘Living Archive’ of Diaspora

This article proposes to reflect on notions of the embodied archive in diaspora art, with particular focus on my situated knowledge and positionality as diasporic artist of mixed Turkish and Austrian heritage who lives in the United Kingdom. Taking my multilingual video performance Surya Namaz (2018) as a case study, the article addresses the question of roots, ancestry or lineage that arose in the making of the video through writing with the practice. It critically explores the pitfalls of self-othering, the trope of the return and the problematic position of the ‘Native Informant’ (Spivak, 1999) in the context of diaspora art. Through reflecting on the multiplicity of voices and encounters which have shaped the making of Surya Namaz, the article highlights the potential of Relation to resist an essentialist conception of identity, while exploring the body as diasporic archive and site of multiple belongings.