Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson

In Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson, a profound and emotional performance unfolds as participants follow a mother’s mournful cry, connected by a string. Together, they move slowly and carefully, laying small rocks on burning ash as a collective funeral unfolds. This powerful act of grief honors lives lost to suicide, with names and sorrow rising like smoke. The performance evokes deep sorrow and shared humanity, a meditation on loss, healing, and the fragility of life.
Written Jazmine Rose Phillips – 2023 Written responses were curated and edited by Sasha Francis
Leafa Wi...
Jazmine ...

Content Warning: mentions of death and suicide

We hold out the palms of our hands small colourful rocks are placed at the centre, like perhaps what you might find at the bottom of a fish tank trying to trick the fish into thinking it isn’t captive, I am still in my world of in-between - the person next to me puts them in their mouth to test, and spits them back out, which is after all how we find out what things are when we are babes. It isn’t food.

The mother stands up and with certainty and holding tells us all “come on”

We are connected by a string.

A chord from us to her.

The mother leads us outside.

We follow, slowly and carefully, we need to move slow and careful.

please move slowly and carefully

Please

Move

Slow

And

Careful

And then it happens a sound I would know anywhere.

A sound I knew before I knew of any knowing

You can always tell a mothers cry

A wail penetrates my body, I am here there is no denying.

I am so sorry I am so sorry I am so sorry I am so sorry

It is okay

We are moving, a large string on bodies, weaving from inside to outside and then we find it.

Earth.

The small rocks are put on burning ash, smoke tangled with the mothers prayer floats above us.

This a container, we are inside it now.

We didn’t no we were coming here, we often don’t know.

The mother cries and cries and cries.

And I - I’m so sorry. I am so sorry

We are by the grave yard, this is a collective funeral this is a collective grief.

this could have been my name

I am so sorry.

My son took his own life the mother says

Please

Move

Slow

And

Careful

Thank you the mother says

I’m so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry

We begin placing names in the space between us

Name suicide summer

Name suicide I miss him

Name suicide I'm sorry

Name silence

Name

The smoke and names dance together and float up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up

And we cry

And cry

And cry

And cry

And cry

Please move slow and careful

And, stutter

And, breathe

And, you’re okay

Jazmine Rose Phillips a performance Artist, Musician and writer. They seek to embrace the grit and beauty of the human experience. Their works aim to evoke and embody transparency and healing. Often motivated by the destruction we all take part in as humans. Jazmine has released 2 albums under Moniker Jazmine Mary and in 2022 Won best Independent Debut award for their Album The Licking of a Tangerine. Jazmine has performed their works in Galleries across Aotearoa, Melbourne and India. Most recently a season at the basement Theatre of “Their feet did not touch the ground” a performance highlighting the experiences and human rights violations detained refugees face currently in Australia.

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Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson

Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson

Written Jazmine Rose Phillips – 2023 Written responses were curated and edited by Sasha Francis
Leafa Wilson &...
Jazmine Rose Phil...
Leafa Wi...
Jazmine ...
In Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson, a profound and emotional performance unfolds as participants follow a mother’s mournful cry, connected by a string. Together, they move slowly and carefully, laying small rocks on burning ash as a collective funeral unfolds. This powerful act of grief honors lives lost to suicide, with names and sorrow rising like smoke. The performance evokes deep sorrow and shared humanity, a meditation on loss, healing, and the fragility of life.

Content Warning: mentions of death and suicide

We hold out the palms of our hands small colourful rocks are placed at the centre, like perhaps what you might find at the bottom of a fish tank trying to trick the fish into thinking it isn’t captive, I am still in my world of in-between - the person next to me puts them in their mouth to test, and spits them back out, which is after all how we find out what things are when we are babes. It isn’t food.

The mother stands up and with certainty and holding tells us all “come on”

We are connected by a string.

A chord from us to her.

The mother leads us outside.

We follow, slowly and carefully, we need to move slow and careful.

please move slowly and carefully

Please

Move

Slow

And

Careful

And then it happens a sound I would know anywhere.

A sound I knew before I knew of any knowing

You can always tell a mothers cry

A wail penetrates my body, I am here there is no denying.

I am so sorry I am so sorry I am so sorry I am so sorry

It is okay

We are moving, a large string on bodies, weaving from inside to outside and then we find it.

Earth.

The small rocks are put on burning ash, smoke tangled with the mothers prayer floats above us.

This a container, we are inside it now.

We didn’t no we were coming here, we often don’t know.

The mother cries and cries and cries.

And I - I’m so sorry. I am so sorry

We are by the grave yard, this is a collective funeral this is a collective grief.

this could have been my name

I am so sorry.

My son took his own life the mother says

Please

Move

Slow

And

Careful

Thank you the mother says

I’m so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry

We begin placing names in the space between us

Name suicide summer

Name suicide I miss him

Name suicide I'm sorry

Name silence

Name

The smoke and names dance together and float up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up and up

And we cry

And cry

And cry

And cry

And cry

Please move slow and careful

And, stutter

And, breathe

And, you’re okay

Jazmine Rose Phillips a performance Artist, Musician and writer. They seek to embrace the grit and beauty of the human experience. Their works aim to evoke and embody transparency and healing. Often motivated by the destruction we all take part in as humans. Jazmine has released 2 albums under Moniker Jazmine Mary and in 2022 Won best Independent Debut award for their Album The Licking of a Tangerine. Jazmine has performed their works in Galleries across Aotearoa, Melbourne and India. Most recently a season at the basement Theatre of “Their feet did not touch the ground” a performance highlighting the experiences and human rights violations detained refugees face currently in Australia.

Jazmine Rose Phillips on Leafa Wilson

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