Where: CRASSH, Alison Richard Building, 7 West Rd, Cambridge CB3 9D
When: 10.30-1.00 on Monday 13th January 2025
For: information about the Platforma arts and refugees festival taking place across the East of England in October 2025, and how you can get involved.
To reserve a free place: email tom@counterpoints.org.uk.
Please feel free to circulate this invitation, but attendees must register in advance by email.
Image: Good Evening, We Are From Ukraine by Frankie Mills (Platforma 2023 in the South West)
AN INVITATION
The Platforma festival takes place in a different English region every two years, produced by Counterpoints Arts in collaboration with local partners and artists to showcase work relating to the arts refugees & migration, build capacity and share learning.
In October 2025, Platforma will take place across the East of England with a range of performances, exhibitions, talks and other events of all kind and scale. Most of the programming will be from local artists and organisations, with touring and visiting contributions making it a truly national event. This edition’s programme will embed a particular focus on exploring mental health and wellbeing through the lens of the arts and its impact on individuals and communities affected by experiences of displacement.
This event on 13th January will be a chance to learn more about Platforma, including how artists and organisations can get involved and what support can be provided. It will also be an opportunity to network across the arts, refugee and other sectors in and around Cambridge. We will also share more about our work around mental health and creative well-being.
It will be an informal and friendly day, and anyone with an interest in this work is welcome. .
Please contact tom@counterpoints.org.uk to reserve a free place or with any questions. We are able to cover the costs of local travel for people who are not supported by an organisation.
Many thanks to the CRASSH for generously hosting this event.
Other similar events have been (or will be) taking place in other places across the region – including in Ipswich, Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
BACKGROUND
In 2023 the 7th Platforma festival was held over 5 weeks across the South West of England, with more than 30 events. A key part of the programme is connecting organisations and people across the arts, migration and other sectors. We also seek to make connections between places, within the region and with visiting artists and practitioners from across the UK and internationally.
By focusing on a different region every two years, Counterpoints is able to spend time getting to know a wide range of new partners and to build and understanding of the context. Our co-commissions and overall programme are responsive to that, with a view to capacity building for the longer term and creating collaborations that last well beyond the festival period.
Platforma also becomes a focus of local media, as with this 2023 report by the BBC.
