“Where We Belong” is a body of work exploring themes of belonging, femininity and escapism through a portrayal of Jane Austen devotees. The “Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society” is formed by a group of people who share a strong passion for the English author and have created a strong community with which celebrate her work. Through my work, I explore how the sense of safety and belonging that specific groups might offer can empower the individuals and strengthen their own identity. I use physical and psychological closeness to represent the intense relationships fostered within these communities and to depict the existential need to belong. I also examine the threshold between fiction and non–fiction, past and present. My goal is to invite the viewer to question where the performance starts and ends, and challenge where the limits between reality and imagination lie.
