An introduction to the Colour of Transformation
The journey to creating the world we want to live in begins inside each of us, in the dreams and the stories we tell ourselves. But what if we do not see ourselves reflected in the dominant stories, systems & structures that are defining our collective response to the world’s most pressing issues today?
The Colour of Transformation is an invitation to step into a state of wild reimaginings and radical hope by turning towards the natural world for inspiration, solace and empowerment. Centring the metaphor of metamorphosis and honouring the voices and lived experiences of Global Majority women, this long-term artist project seeks to untangle and weed-out the patterns and narratives that are preventing our whole selves from connecting to the natural world. In these new spaces we ask, what does it mean to be human in relation to the more-than-human world and, what role do we want to play (and how can we support ourselves to move beyond human-defined boxes and binaries) as leaders, pioneers and change-makers responding to a world that is grappling with climate and ecological collapse?
Photographer: Ewelina Ruminska
Originating in London, the project began life in 2022 as a documentary featuring seven pioneering Black women and women of colour creating change within the UK nature sector. These women work across conservation, land justice, the outdoors and natural history - some of the least diverse sectors in the UK. By sharing their own personal journeys of transformation, they offered inspiring examples of systems change and grassroots leadership challenging stereotypes about who ‘belongs’ in nature and presenting expansive ways of thinking about activism and leadership.
This film has become foundational source material for The Colour of Transformation project as it evolves.
In 2022, Bryony Ella collaborated with musicians, a costume designer and dancers to create an artist’s film response, built around a poem written by Bryony Ella inspired by the documentary. Along with the original documentary, the film was screened outside in London during Black History Month before touring the UK.
In 2023, the project expanded to incorporate the experiences of women activists working in the Trinidad and Tobago to develop both a live performance led by artist A K U Z U R U and women-centred panel events that formed part of Trinidad’s international COCO Dance Festival.
In 2024, commissioned by Digital Black Dance Ecologies, Bryony Ella created a digital artwork integrating dance and cutting edge technology with Milkit Studio, to further interdisciplinary explorations of how embodied storytelling can articulate internal processes of personal change.
BACKGROUND
Photographers Ewelina Ruminska, Michele Cadei, Brendan Delzin.
ONGOING RESEARCH
Photographer: Brendan Delzin, 2023
The concept of personal transformation in relation to the natural world, the creative collaborations experienced thus far, and the wisdom shared by Global Majority pioneers in the documentary continue to inspire and shape the studio practice. Further evolutions of The Colour of Transformation are underway, integrating performance, creative writing & public art installations.
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