Aesthetics of Hope and Other Nonsense is a Theatre & Film company, founded by Paul Koloman Kaiba & Işık Kaya, which mixes theatre, artistic experimentation, and activism, to tell previously marginalized stories, with hope and resilience at the core of them. Mute Messiah is the company's debut play, having completed their first co-directed film "Cheap Meat" in 2024.
Paul Koloman Kaiba is a theatre and film director, dramaturg, writer and scenographer who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Aberystwyth University. His past work includes the National Theatre Wales production A Proper Ordinary Miracle, and the performance project GALWAD, and he is currently an emerging Dramaturg with NTW.
He is a former Artist-in-Residence at Theatr Clwyd, and received the Riverfront Theatre’s Creative Commission. His work revolves around fostering exchange with individuals from diverse lived realities to facilitate access and participation in both creative and democratic spheres, creating a politicized theatre that opens discourse on a spectrum from global to hyperlocal issues.
Işık Kaya is an international stage and screen creative based in the UK. Her diverse body of work includes directing, scriptwriting, and performing. Işık's creations often explore themes of identity, mental health, political safety and liberty, all viewed through a feminist and working-class lens to create a voice for the marginalized. Deeply committed to collaboration, community, and social impact, Işık focuses on the immigrant experience and socio-political landscapes. Work outside of Mute Messiah includes the short film ‘Metamorphosis’ (2023), video art projects ‘Dew’ (2024) which has started its festival journey at Ruthin International Arts Festival, and ‘Fool Me Once’ (2024), the installation artwork ‘Görüldü / Seen’ (2024).
