Huru-Hara; Binary Disturbance

Medium: Live Performance Art (approx 18 minutes), Performance Documentation Video

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Laila’s performance work critiques the gender binary system through movements of absurdity and struggle, drawing from Butoh’s philosophy and the embodied rituals of her Malay-Bugis heritage. Guided by Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, it explores how gender is not an innate truth but a series of repeated acts reinforced by societal norms. Central to the performance is the kain pelikat—a cloth traditionally worn by men for prayer—which Laila reclaims and repurposes. She draws inspiration from the Bugis sarong fight, channeling its spirit of tension, resilience and honour. The physicality of Butoh also finds resonance with the Bissu shamans of Bugis culture, whose identities transcend the gender binary and whose roles are crucial in maintaining spiritual and harmonious balance.

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By weaving together these embodied traditions, Laila transforms the body into a site of resistance—disrupting binary constructs, challenging the gendered codification of movement, and embodying alternative narratives of identity and power.

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Music: Oud Solo by Space Gambus Experiment (Kamal Sabran: Oud, Eric Hausmann: Sound Design)