A Soft Rebellion in Paradise

A Soft Rebellion in Paradise is a short film (9 mins 41secs duration) made by visual artist Chloë Brown and was conceived in response to Sheffield’s proud history as a city known for its political activism, where in 1851 the Sheffield Women’s Political Association was the first organisation in Britain to call for female suffrage. The film focuses in particular on the voices of women that are too often silenced and lost in the retelling of histories around the world. Following in the wake of the ‘Me Too’ movement, the film questions the systematic contemporary and historical silencing of woman’s voices. The film was created with an all-female crew, production team and cast. Over 200 women participated in a filmed event, gathering in Paradise Square on September 2nd 2018 to perform a series of ‘Soft Rebellions’, including The Wigan Clap, being silent for a period of time, chanting and yelling. At the heart of the film is the poem, Soft Rebellions in Paradise Squared by Sheffield-based poet, Geraldine Monk. This part chant, part song and part incantation sits alongside a goose bump-inducing silence and an ear-splitting yell by the crowd. It is a call to action by ‘The Unquiets’ (the women in the crowd) who urgently chant as Monk performs on the balcony where, in the past, John Wesley once addressed the masses who gathered in the Square and the chartists were dispersed by troops leading to a running battle. Alongside this, a group of four women perform a discordant ‘song’ that references both historian Mary Beard’s lecture, ‘Women & Power’ and author Henry James’ criticism of the female voice, which he described as ‘a mumble or jumble, a tongue-less slobber’. To accompany these ‘Soft Rebellions’, Belfast-based musician and performer, DIE HEXEN, has composed an evocative soundscape that builds to an intense and powerful crescendo. The premiere took the form of an outdoor screening in partnership with Sheffield Doc/Fest on Saturday 8th June 2019, in Paradise Square with 1298 people seeing the film during the course of the day. The film was commissioned by Making Ways, an ambitious three-year project that demonstrates, celebrates and develops exceptional contemporary visual art produced in Sheffield. Making Ways promotes and supports the development of artistic talent and leadership by building the profile of the artistic community, brokering relationships with business and industry and developing a living economy that will stimulate and support growth. Making Ways is funded by Arts Council England, Sheffield City Council, The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.