Parasite TV by PolyVocalCity
‘The local as a condition that embodies global conflicts’- Jeanne van Heeswijk
Over the past two years, we’ve been working in Croydon with local stakeholders to understand how processes of redevelopment and regeneration shape the area, who holds the power in these changes, and who gets to make decisions.
Building from these conversations, participants have been making worlds using storytelling, choreography, music and games to imagine fairer environmental, social and cultural narratives for Croydon and beyond. Over the past 7 months, our 2024 cohort has in particular used parasitic life as a way to challenge existing power structures and explore how mutual support can build resilience and break down hierarchies.
Parasite TV is a four episode show, adopting different formats from a talk show giving voice to the inhabitants (both human and more than human) of a tower block, taking you on a strange encounter with the ghosts of shopping centres, inviting you to build new realities through a gaming session and meet Croydon’s local through music and conversations.
The Elysium
Throughout this programme, we contended with the act of building alternative realities. For us, these worlds are not only important to imagine, but also to play and test with. So, we made a card game where you can build your own utopia with other people and collectively traverse the challenges of maintaining this ideal world. Even when you believe you align with each other, you may learn some new things through this process…brace yourselves!
New News Now
This fictional talk show where different stakeholders debate whether to exterminate a mysterious green substance called P.U.S.S which has been taking over a high-rise residential building. The segment explores connections between spatial and environmental justice, gives voice to the voiceless—including the more-than-human P.U.S.S—and demonstrates the ineffectiveness of adversarial, us-versus-them debates.
Shadow Play
Shadow Play is an attempt at romance, set between the corridors of the Whitgift Centre, a surveillance room, and the security guard’s bedroom. The film follows the developing relationship between the watched and the watcher, exploring the push and pull between the desire to obey, and the urge to resist. As they face these conflicting feelings, the story reflects how vulnerability and control shift between them.
Monolith
What do you hear when you listen closely to a place? In mid-July 2024, we visited Croydon’s Surrey St Market—and the surrounding areas—with a portable sound system. Our battery powered setup was equipped with a turntable, microphone, and bluetooth audio connection. We were ready to provide the system to anyone we met who might want to use it. We moved through the streets like a scrapbook dyed by the atmosphere of wanderers passing by. We listened closely and conversed with locals. What is a day but a snapshot of the interplay between characters? What is a dream and what is a joke?
PolyVocalCity is an intergenerational, educational cohort aimed at individuals who have a strong interest in cities and culture. The 2024 cohort includes: Sara Anand, Naomi Credé, Madonna George, Daisy James, Barbara Kaczmarczyk, Norman Mine, Shiza Naveed, Tamusaqa Nkiwane, Bansi Patel, Matthew Pembery, Nick Smith, Angus Tarnawsky, Kaye Toland,Coco Wheeler, Annie Williams.
