Agility and agitation: The Rising Buns

This presentation was delivered as a provocation. Following the publication of an open letter announcing my withdrawal from an exhibition at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA) in Manchester, and the subsequent withdrawal of artists from exhibitions and commissions at CFCCA in the months that followed, an artist working group and research collective called The Rising Buns formed independently to discuss the role of arts institutions and their impact, in the midst of a racialisation of the Covid-19 pandemic, on East and Southeast Asian bodies. Drawing on the discussions of this group and a recently published text on performing porosity this presentation briefly addressed the necessity of agility and agitation, and on establishing forever re-emerging practices of collectivity against forever re-emerging practices of colonisation. The presentation put forward an argument that under current circumstances in the academy, ‟decolonising research” was in fact a contra dict ion of terms, often used to place specific parameters around knowledge production. This presentation was delivered during a half-day event exploring the varied ways in which researchers at Kingston University are currently addressing vital areas relating to decolonisation, as subject matter, as method, and within research and the curriculum. The session included a range of short talks by speakers, group discussion, and space for participation. This session was presented by Helena Bonett, Éadaoin Agnew, Bill Balaskas and Martin Dines. The event was programmed as part of the Festival of Research in 2021.