An Evening with THE POWER
Women have gained the ability to produce bio-electricity within their bodies that can shock and even kill. Almost overnight our familiar world order is turned on its head as women uses their new-found ability to challenge traditional hierarchies and male-oriented belief systems in every culture and society. Welcome to the world of The Power.
Naomi Alderman’s novel The Power is a fascinating piece of speculative fiction that questions not only gender relations but also delves into the uses and abuses of power in any form. It also highly relevant to present-day current affairs, covering many of today’s hot topics; from sexual discrimination to religious fundamentalism, government abuses to drug and sex trafficking.
An Evening with THE POWER used Naomi Alderman’s novel as a basis to discuss some of these topics. Curated and led by Adah Parris, public speaker, coach and futurist, this was a fascinating journey down the rabbit hole of ‘what if’, where participants were invited to put themselves in the shoes of some of the characters in the book and try to empathise with how they might react in this new, altered world.
The evening began with a discussion about what power meant to different people and how power dynamics were shifting radically in our everyday world; politically, technologically, economically, as well as between genders. The storylines of the various characters in the book allowed participants to explore in an objective way some very personal aspects of their lives, as well as to debate some of the uncertainties surrounding so many of the current shifts in power dynamics happening around us.
Participants were then ushered into dinner in a setting of tribal food sharing. A lavish 7-course dinner, cooked by the immensely talented Calypso Harland, was presented, with each course based around one of the chakras of the body; points of energy - or power - which correspond to different attributes. The dinner ended with a communal grolla; a bowl with multiple spouts, filled with hot coffee, sugar and grappa, which was ritually passed around the group.
Finally came the immersive part of the experience, where the atmosphere was created by Adah Parris' carefully curated ambient soundtracks and evocative smells. The group was divided into 'male' and 'female' groups, and several scenes from the book were acted out in a manner which encouraged participants to try and see how they may react in unusual or uncomfortable situations.
AN EVENING WITH THE POWER took place at a private venue in South London on 8th April 2018 with a select group of participants.