**** 4 STARS
Mending Nets is a collaboration between two artists, one Scottish, the other Palestinian, musing on the connections between us in a warm artistic embrace between our cultures. We are asked to come and share that creative cuddle.
The bridge of friendship between Janice Mackay and Nada Shawa is obvious from the very beginning. As we take our seats both are warming up on stage. The gentility of the performance is defined once Shawa directly addresses us. Reciting her beautiful poem, ‘Bridge of Flowers’, Nada Shawa, a Palestinian from Gaza who has settled in Edinburgh, reminds us of the bridge she crossed to join us. It asks what other bridges are needed to cross. Shawa’s poetry is well regarded and performed by her throughout Scotland. That experience shines here, alongside her relationship and friendship with Mackay.
Mackay is a sublime storyteller, never more obvious than in her telling of ‘The Fish’s Mouth’, a folk tale from old Palestine. It is the central piece of the performance which includes interludes of Shawa dancing. Her abilities in dance are beautifully imagined and combined with the words make this a combination of both artforms which is theatrically well delivered. There was hardly a murmur in the auditorium as Mackay took us through this story of Omar and Noah. Holding us in a silence whilst delivering a parable from yesteryear, from a war zone of today, without talking death and destruction is indicative of how art gets underneath your skin and illuminates what someone else’s skin must cope and deal with.
Amidst the bustle of the Fringe, this is a moment to stop and simply breathe in art. Around the central story are further examples of that collaboration including the Stromness collaboration duet, Shawa’ own a solo dance piece, more poetry in ‘The Wave’ and finally a friendship duet, accompanied by the perennial song of friendship, ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Sung by Mary Campbell and Dave Francis, it is reduced in tone and ferocity to continue the tonal resonance of this genteel performance.
It is notable that Shawa is both an immigrant and a wheelchair user. What is more notable is the wheelchair does not define her, her artistry within her movement does.
This is not a performance with flashes and bangs. It is a whispering in the ear, a murmuring to your mind that over time brings you back to decency, humility, humanity, normality and the hand across various oceans and experiences held out to be grasped. It was also nice to see the panel from the Scottish Diaspora tapestry from Dr Andrew Crummy projected on the back of the performance space. The connection to the motif of the tapestry was never more so obvious as both artists ask for a hand to pull people out of the mire in Palestine. And so here’s a hand, my trusty friend…
Mending Nets: Scottish Storytelling Centre, 1:30pm till 25th August (odd numbered days only)
Review date: Thursday 7th August 2025
