When the Voice (re)Turns
A solo multidisciplinary performance work — in development
A woman, and depending on who is telling the story, that alone is enough to condemn her— and women have always been among the storytellers.
Rooted in ancient Mesopotamian myth, When the Voice (re)Turns weaves ritual movement and dance, live song, and storytelling to trace the oldest stories of control — how power learns to sound like truth.
These are ancient stories, told in the present, where audiences are not passive observers — they are witnesses.
Scratch sections of the work were shared with Theatre in the Pound at the Cockpit Theatre, London, in March 2026, and Scratching the Itch at New Diorama, London, in May 2026, with Halfpace Theatre and Ensemble Not Found. The piece is currently in development.
Seven Gestures of the Unseen
Seven Gestures of the Unseen is a collaborative performance work by Sheelan and artist/ photographer Esther Sabetpour. Born from Esther’s vision of an embodied reimagining of the Haft-Seen (هفت سین) — the traditionally inanimate ceremonial table at the heart of Nowruz or Newroz (نوروز), the Persian and Kurdish New Year. Developed through movement, photography, and shared spiritual inquiry, the piece asks which traditions we carry forward with intention, and which patterns we are ready to release.
The work reclaims the body and reclaims faith — away from political structure and back into personal, embodied practice. It holds identity in both its visible and inherited forms, and honours the necessity of difference existing alongside difference. Amidst ongoing grief and destruction, it holds space for hope.
On Newroz, the 20th March 2026, this was presented as a live installation to an invited audience. Seven Gestures of the Unseen is currently in development in both its photographic and live forms.
Sheelan زكي 