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The Wheel

Fin Kennedy's drama inspired by PJ Harvey's notebooks and poetry from her travels in Kosovo, with unreleased song demos woven through. With Michelle Keegan and Nico Mirallegro.

Fin Kennedy's drama inspired by PJ Harvey's notebooks, poetry and songs from her travels in Kosovo, with her unreleased song demos of 'The Wheel' and 'The Red Road' woven through.

Kosovan born siblings Dardan and Rebeka have returned to Kosovo to find out the truth of what happened to their parents during the Kosovo conflict of 1999. They carry a set of keys, given to them by a neighbour before they left, offering the chance to unlock their home and, with it, their memories.

Songs and music composed and performed by PJ Harvey

Sound design by Steve Brooke

Directed by Nadia Molinari

PJ Harvey album 'The Hope Six Demolition Project' and her book of poetry 'The Hollow of the Hand' draw from several journeys undertaken by Harvey from 2011-2014; one of those journeys was to Kosovo. The inspiration for the drama came from Harvey's Kosovan notebooks, her poems and her Kosovan song demos. Writer Fin Kennedy's research also included travelling to Kosovo with producer Nadia Molinari where they talked to journalists, politicians and human rights activists working on conflict resolution and reconciliation, including Kushtrim Koliqi who was the cultural consultant on the script. 'On Kosovo Field' is the search for an identity via a road trip back through a lost heritage for young, Kosovan born siblings. The story is told in five episodes. The 'play cycle' as an idea takes its inspiration from the traditional song cycles of the Albania/Kosovo region. By the end of the cycle we understand that the siblings are a metaphor for Kosovo itself, the newest country in Europe, poignantly searching for an identity after centuries of conflict.

Available now

15 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Dardan Nico Mirallegro
Rebeka Michelle Keegan
Bukurije Edita Sllamniku
Curator Sokol Cahani
Blind Man Sokol Cahani
Director Nadia Molinari
Writer Fin Kennedy
Performer PJ Harvey

Broadcasts

  • Wed 11 Jan 2017 10:41
  • Wed 11 Jan 2017 19:45

P J Harvey: A Page of Poetry

A page from her Kosovan notebook, written in her own hand, and an unreleased music track

Audio Books

Audio Books

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