Don’t you know
They’re talking about a revolution?

There! You can see it through the trees. A tower, a wall, a path through the leaves. A place out of time. 

Everyone is welcome at the Palace — but you have to leave everything behind: memories, your old life, even your name. For your new name, you can choose a colour: Rose, Turquoise, Fuchsia, Sage. There are rooms for sleeping, workshops, an infirmary and gardens. There’s karaoke sung in a brand new language. A lonely dance we dance once a year.

In this new live performance, Queer performance collective ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS attempt to imagine a Queer Utopia: post capitalist, post trauma, post addiction, post sadness, post joy — an After to the mess that came Before. 

Don’t you know you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run …

Palace of Ash and Rain is the fifth chapter of With Forests in Our Mouths, a durational constellation artwork made up of multiple interconnected chapters shared across 2024 and 2025 and including performances, films, exhibitions and publications.