And she was
wearing trousers:
a call to our heroines

Kirsty Marillier

Slide into my displacement (2021)

Slide into my displacement is a video work unpacking the lack of connection South African women feel within themselves and their so called “Coloured” or Khoi-San identities. As my practice is based in playwriting, I created a dialogue work centring on a fictional internet conversation occurring between myself and Princess Krotoa. The work represents the lack of tangible information there is recorded of the Khoi heroine – and how heavily South African women have had to rely on the internet in order to to make sense of their identities.
Screen grab of an instagram conversation.
I felt the lack of information and representation deeply through her silence, and although upsetting, it’s the plight we often connect with. This work is an attempt at rewriting mine and Krotoa’s history. Krotoa was never given an opportunity to speak her truth, so inevitably, our modern day DM-ing is fractured.
A screen in a dark room shows an instagram conversation, is opposite a low lit wood structure.
Taken on an angle, is a video still of an Instagram Direct Message screen, showing a conversation between a user and 'princess_kro'.

Single channel video installation with flatscreen monitor. Duration 06:13.

Installation views of Slide into my displacement at Arts House, 2022.


From the waist up in front of a grey background is an African woman with light complexion and big curly hair tied up. She is holding her very large hoop earrings and wearing a black blazer suit jacket.

Kirsty Marillier is a South African actor and award-winning playwright. She is currently a part of the Emerging Writers Group at Sydney Theatre Company, has been shortlisted for 2022 Griffin Incubator Program and has two original works. Her first work Orange Thrower, had its stage premiere in February 2022 with Griffin Theatre Company and National Theatre of Parramatta. Orange Thrower was the winner of the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (2022) and the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award (2019). Kirsty’s second play The Zap, was the winner of the 2020 Max Afford Playwrights Award, which was developed with Playwriting Australia and Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s Next In Line program. She has been a part of multiple creative programs including Griffin Theatre Company’s Studio Artist Program (2020), Sydney Theatre Company’s Rough Draft Program (2019) and Malthouse Theatre’s Besen Writers Group (2018).