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Day Zero
Institute of Contemporary Arts

Day Zero, Sarah Davis, UK 2021, 13 min. 59 sec.


Day Zero is a surreal account of receiving and recovering from a stem cell transplant for Hodgkins Lymphoma. It is a personal retelling, blending monologue, poetry and collaged sounds. All words written & recorded by Sarah Davis, including intimate hospital recordings she took whilst having her stem cell transplant in February 2018.

The treatment is extreme, a body taken back to day 0 by high dose chemotherapy and infused with life-giving cells in order to recover. At the heart Day Zero is about how we process and remember medical trauma.

The audience will be guided through the disjointed narrative as the speaker reflects on the body that remains after medical trauma. On the body that must navigate the nuances of care, recovery and objectification as it seeks to reclaim autonomy.
Writer: Sarah Davis
Script Editor: Emmy Beber
Sound Designer: Edward Simpson
Mastering Engineer: John Hannon
Creative Producer: Phillip Warnell (The Visible Institute at Kingston School of Art)
This work was produced for New Creatives, supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts.
 
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