All Kinds of Limbo

The brief: ‘This is my story, my lonely island, cast into dark shadowing waves that have left me in limbo’ Written by lyricist and vocalist Nubiya Brandon, musician Raffy Bushman and the Nu Shape Orchestra, All Kinds of Limbo takes the audience on a unique virtual reality / augmented reality journey across reggae, grime, classical and calypso. Originally developed as a response to the NT production of Small Island, Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel about the Windrush generation, All Kinds of Limbo recounts Nubiya’s experience of a life in limbo: the struggles of being born with estranged roots, striving for an identity that is uncertain – whilst purely being a product of her surroundings. Based on an idea from Nubiya, the image shows an island of artefacts – a mix of objects from her personal life, musical memorabilia, and objects referencing the golden age of the British Empire. Behind her, a portal represents the threshold between the real world and the virtual world. Photography by Blue Laybourne Scenic Art by Sophie Barrett