News / Bristol Queer Arts
Performance to bring black, queer, perspectives on UK policing to Bristol
Subira Joy is a performer who has been based in spoken word, but now works in all manners of performance.
Their solo show, Kill the Cop Inside Your Head, will look at their experiences of policing in the UK as a black, queer person.
“I’m using my experiences as a lens to look at policing. In addition, I want to look at the cop inside your head. This is the concept of how we police ourselves and each other, internalising the role of the police,” said Subira.
is needed now More than ever
They expressed the importance of the show as there aren’t a lot of tools to talk about policing in the UK. Subira explained that a lot of the discourse is US-centred when talking about police racism or police violence.
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Subira said “Police violence both explicit and implicit, subtler violences are so pervasive in the UK. The way it impacts us can be subtle and complicated. I want to offer some visuals, language and metaphor that explore the ways we’re impacted by the broader structure of policing.”
Subsequently, their experiences relate directly to policing of people of colour, queer, and trans communities.
Subira continues: “I think, within my communities, as collectives of people we are repeatedly repressed. We can be super powerless within broader societal structures. Within our spaces it becomes hard not to replicate those same discriminatory behaviours.”
Subira Joy is a multi-disciplinary performer who will perform at Trinity – photo: Rosie Powell
Kill the Cop Inside Your Head reflects on how we can replicate experiences of violence and oppression within our own communities.
Subira told Bristol24/7: “We can replicate them as that’s what we’ve been taught is how we can feel in control. For example, people can say ‘You’re not queer enough’, ‘You’re not properly this or that’, what we’ve been taught is to be hypercritical of the self.”
Subira expressed how these ways of being are understandable, but really brutal. Therefore, they want to use art as a way of investigating and critiquing these behaviours.
“I’ve heard there’s lots of radical, alternative queer communities in Bristol, alongside political activists. These are people that might resonate more with what I’m saying in a way that feels exciting to me,” said Subira.
They continued: “I’m hoping queer people and people of colour are introduced to metaphorical and real tools on how to kill the cop in their heads and connect back with themselves. In addition, I’m hoping people will take away questions, how do I police the people in my life? How do I police myself? And do some of that unpicking.”
Subira explained that their internal policing comes from what they learned at school. Furthermore, they said that their partner has a child in school. It is through this that they hear about anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric being taught to the next generation. Thinking about that child’s internal policing motivated Subira to perform this show.
Subira aims to help audiences deconstruct their internal policing – photo: Rosie Powell
They said: “We need to stop letting our government eradicate safety for our trans kids. If we can identify what that is and fight back against it, that’s really important.
“It’s really clear at the moment that we are not supported and welcomed by our government. That’s why it’s important that we learn how to resist the messages that we’re being sent. It’s important to find ways to build a community that doesn’t rely on these external, violent forces.”
Kill the Cop Inside Your Head is being performed on Friday, February 23 at 7pm at The Trinity Centre. Tickets can be purchased via: www.trinitybristol.org.uk/whats-on/2023/kill-the-cop-inside-your-head.
Main Photo: Claire Haigh
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