In Chinese script, the characters 月 (moon) and 肉 (meat) share a visual resemblance that can be traced back to ancient oracle bone inscriptions. Over time, their forms converged in what is known as the ‘moon-meat radical’ 月, a component used to form other characters. It can relate to the body, as in 肌 (muscle) and 腸 (intestine), or the changing moonlight, as in 朗 (clarity) and 期 (period). This connection between ‘moon’ and ‘meat’ opens up a lyrical space between the planetary body and the earthly flesh. In the misty, undulating moonlight, the soft, sentient bodies of both humans and non-humans alike emerge as empathetic, cyclical, transformative, and imaginative.  

As a spin-off of the discursive programme L is for the Way You Look at Me, Moon Meat Lyrical collaborates with musicians Yara Mekawei and Amir Rezk, inviting the audience to join a terrace listening session at night. Under the moon, and with a little luck, a meteor shower, this evening brings together stories and readings about the moon, tidal waves, undulating emotions, cyclical bodies, accompanied by music, tenderness, and togetherness.

As part of the Long Night of Museums