Travis Alabanza Guest Blog: Since We Last Kissed

Image by Griff Townsend

Throughout autumn of 2023, MAYK have been working on Confluence; an exciting new residency commissioned by Ginkgo Projects exploring Bristol’s changing city centre. Culminating in a weekend programme of film, photography, live performance and installation 1-3 December, Confluence has been the collaborative effort of four fantastic artists, one of whom is Travis Alabanza.

Travis is an award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker. Born in Bristol and recently relocating back to the city, Alabanza is fascinated by how the city is changing and about the things that will never change. Whether creating theatre, live art, or poetry, the performer’s work shows those with marginalised identities deserve to be both seen and heard.

Alabanza’s writing has appeared in the BBC, Guardian, Vice, Gal-Dem, in numerous anthologies including Black and Gay In the UK, and previously had a fortnightly column in the Metro. After being the youngest recipient of the artist in residence programme at Tate Galleries, Alabanza’s debut show Burgerz toured internationally to venues including The Southbank Centre, London, UK; Mostra Internacional de Teatro de São Paulo, Brazil; HAU Berlin, Germany; and the Edinburgh Fringe where the show won the Total Theatre award (2019).

In 2020, their theatre show Overflow debuted at the Bush Theatre to widespread acclaim and later streamed online in over 22 countries, and most recently their new show Sound of the Underground was staged by the Royal Court in London (2022). Their work surrounding gender, trans identity and race has been noted internationally, including talks given at the University of Oxford; Harvard University; and the University of Bristol. Noted for their distinct voice, in 2019 the Evening Standard listed them as one of “the 25 most influential under 25-year-olds”; as well as being listed in the Dazed100; The Guardian asking if ‘they are the future of theatre’, and recently listed in the Forbes “30 Under 30” List.

For the blog, we did a quick artist profile on Travis and spoke about their upcoming Confluence project, Since We Last Kissed.

Of course, Bristol is the over-arching inspiration for this project, but what inspired the specific theme of relationships for your track?

After moving back to the city, I kept hearing people who had stayed here since I'd left talk about all the ways it had changed. For better or for worse. I wanted to capture that idea of change, but through the eyes of interesting subjects, so why not pick people I kissed! It makes for an interesting emotional charge within the question.

What memories do you have of the city that have influenced your creative perspective on this project?

Coming into Redcliffe sixth form far too hungover and needing to throw up in the bin of the church. Oh to be 18?

What three words best describe your track?

Intimate. Queer. Surprising.

Can you remember the first time you were inspired by art or an artist in Bristol?

I think I must've been taken on a school trip to see a show by Travelling Light Theatre, who do incredible work at creating access for all in theatre in Bristol, and I remember watching the work and not knowing what a play or a show was - but being so excited by it.

What is your favourite view in Bristol?

Ooo, too many to choose. Depends on the day. But I love the car park by park street, photographed in this series, for the memories and what it shows me about Bristol.