Jane Frieslaar

The Time is Out of Joint

The Time is Out of Joint explores one child’s emotional response to play without socialisation against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. The cinematic tableaux in this exhibition were designed and directed by Jane Frieslaar in collaboration with her daughter Sienna. In the same way as Hamlet found himself in a world disjointed by events, Sienna’s world has been forced into a new paradigm by the emergence of the pandemic, reflected in these staged performances in front of the camera which hint at the contemplation of loneliness and isolation: a life affected by interrupted routines. Sienna re-enacts scenes from fantasy to escape from the external restrictions imposed during this unprecedented time, reflecting her inner journey through the surreal experiences of lockdown, during which the very fundamentals of childhood play have been distorted and constrained, so much so that even her brother Rowan appears as an otherworldly and alien presence.