BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Counterpoints - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Counterpoints X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Counterpoints REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20220101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20220327T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20221030T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20230326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20231029T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230623T183000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230623T200000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230602T073254Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T145000Z UID:10000018-1687545000-1687550400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:The Art Persists: Live Podcast and Music DESCRIPTION:Bosla Arts and Counterpoints Arts are hosting the first ever live podcast recording of The Art Persists Podcast\, featuring artists Laura Nyahuye\, Ghafar Tajmohammad\, and Olga Tkachenko\, hosted by Georgia Beeston. \nThe live podcast will draw on Nyahuye’s exhibition\, Resilience: Friend or Foe?\, and Bosla Art’s latest issue Beyond Resilience. Together\, we will examine role of resilience and its limitations in each of the artists’ contexts; from addressing social issues through art\, to the Afghan diaspora experience\, and finally escaping war in Ukraine. The conversation will uncover each artist’s practice and explore solidarity action between countries and contexts. \nThe event will be followed by a Q&A and a performance by Syrian musician USTAVI. After the event attendees will be invited to stay for drinks and a social. \nFull details and booking via Eventbrite \nSupported by Pearson Lloyd \n \n \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/the-art-persists-live-podcast-and-music/ CATEGORIES:Learning,Multi-Art Form ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3faccf8e-8920-4e5c-b9ac-f8ca9c5f7244-e1686581327737.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230623T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230623T203000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230602T140104Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000017-1687546800-1687552200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:BAFTA Lecture: Hassan Akkad DESCRIPTION:Following a screening of his short film Matar\, which tells the story of a Syrian asylum seeker living on the fringes of society\, hear from BAFTA-winning filmmaker and refugee rights activist Hassan Akkad\, as he shares his own experiences of fleeing conflict in Syria in 2015\, and subsequent work as a filmmaker in the UK. \nThe first in a series of events delivered in collaboration with BAFTA\, which aims to explore the importance of authentic storytelling of refugees onscreen\, and the positive impact of collaboration with creatives who have lived experience of migration\, in order to build narrative power and create social change. \nHassan’s lecture will be followed by a moderated Q&A. \nPlease join us after this event for some informal networking drinks in the Reuben Gallery from 20.30 – 22.00 BST. \nHassan Akkad is an award-winning filmmaker and creative director at Choose Love. He co-directed Netflix’s Convergence: Courage in a Crisis (2021) and was the associate producer of the Netflix film The Swimmers. Hassan’s short film\, Matar\, which he co-wrote and directed was released on WaterBear in 2023 and produced by Deadbeat Films. Hassan was part of the team that made Exodus: Our Journey to Europe which won a BAFTA for Best Factual Series in 2017. \nBAFTA is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film\, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops\, masterclasses\, scholarships\, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK\, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence\, discovers\, inspires and nurtures new talent\, and enables learning and creative collaboration. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726). URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/bafta-lecture-hassan-akkad/ CATEGORIES:Film and Photography ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hassan-Akkad.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230624T000000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T000000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20220517T103829Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000071-1687564800-1687651200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Alter: Brought to Life DESCRIPTION:Members of the public will be invited to interact with Alter\, an exhibition of seven sculptures featuring movement\, light and sound.\n  \nAlter has been co-commissioned by the Southbank Centre and Counterpoints Arts for the Southbank Centre’s public spaces during Refugee Week 2022. \nThe work consists of seven interactive\, movable sculptures featuring light and sound. As the sculptures are manoeuvred by both performers and the audience\, the space of the Southbank Centre is permeated with traces of sound and colour\, representing stories of migration. \nThe piece is created by Paria Moazemi Goodarzi and Francisco Llinas Casas\, and was inspired by the rich history of the Southbank Centre and notions of refuge and displacement. \nApproximate run time: 15 mins. Run times may vary by up to 20 minutes as they can be affected by last-minute programme changes\, intervals and encores. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/alter-brought-to-life/ CATEGORIES:Community & Participation ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CA.DigitalSketches-1-03-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230624T090000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230627T170000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230718T104829Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144958Z UID:10000008-1687597200-1687885200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:CompassionART DESCRIPTION:Nucleus Arts presents an exhibition at the Halpern Gallery in Rochester by three artists for Refugee Week\, in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts. \nCompassionART features work by Kent-based artists Olesia Serohina\, Vladislav Zadorozhny and Farida Yesmin \nMore information is on the Halpern Pop Facebook page \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/compassionart/ LOCATION:The Halpern Pop\, Rochester\, Kent\, The Halpern Pop\, Rochester\, Kent\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Visual Arts ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/halpern.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230624T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230624T210000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230515T091656Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000037-1687604400-1687640400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:I'd search forever\, I want to remember DESCRIPTION:A project by Tamara Al-Mashouk \nAn all day multidisciplinary exhibition at a disused citadel in Dover featuring performance\, workshops guided tours and food. \nJoin us for a day in which Tamara Al-Mashouk and collaborators take over a disused Citadel exhibiting a wave machine + sound score\, a three-channel film and a photographic series. \nSet in a fortress built in the 1700s on the cliffs of Dover\, the day-long programme features a dance performance\, workshops and food. The day culminates with an audience-participatory performance that makes space for collective remembering. \nThe work presented is the result of a gathering of artists thinking and organising together. Manon Schwich\, Sami El-Enany\, Parker Heyl\, Angus Frost\, Lorella Bianco and Fadi Giha join Al-Mashouk in considering sites of solace within embodied experiences of hyper-politicisation. \nI’d search forever\, I want to remember is the culmination of a body of work that began in 2018 with a 10.5 hour durational performance by Al-Mashouk called Can you die if you don’t exist? where she read the names of 34\,361 refugees who died on their way to Europe off The List (published by The Guardian\, 2018). The performance was for Deeplab and commissioned by Mediale. \nI’d search forever\, I want to remember is in commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and Arts Council England and co-commissioned by Shubbak Festival. \nIn partnership with: Dover Arts Development\, The Citadel\, Refugee Week\, Samphire\, Future Foundry and SENSE. \nPRESS RELEASE_I’d search forever\, I want to remember URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/id-search-forever-i-want-to-remember/ CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Multi-Art Form,Performance & Dance,Visual Arts ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Insta-post_square.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230624T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230624T220000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20220615T051117Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000047-1687631400-1687644000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:V&A Friday Late: On The Verge DESCRIPTION:This Friday Late features a programme curated by BLM Fest\, commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and the V&A during Refugee Week 2022. BLM Fest was founded by Kayza Rose\, and is a celebration of Black lives. BLM Fest is an invitation for everyone to take part and an exciting model of cultural production that fairly compensates Black people for their ideas\, time and labour. \nMasculinity does not exist\, only masculinities. Identity doesn’t exist\, only identities. We live in a promising world of gender expression and exploration\, where how you define yourself can take on multiple forms. In this plural world\, On the Verge explores the tipping point\, highlighting the artists\, designers\, and performers\, questioning the norms of masculine and feminine identity and the possibilities to come. Let a thousand genders bloom. \n\n@blmfest \n\n\nAll events are free\, and places are designated on a first-come-first-serve basis unless stated otherwise. Filming and photography will take place at this event. If you have any access requirements\, please let us know in advance by emailing disability@vam.ac.uk \n\nPlease note\, if the V&A reaches capacity\, it will allow access on a one-in\, one-out basis.\n\n\n\n\nFull Friday Late  programme and map of the Museum is HERE. BLM Fest x Counterpoints programme:\n\n\n\n\nBlack Queer History (B)\n\n\nPoetry Workshop \nEurope 1600–1815 Galleries \nThe Salon\, Room 4 \n18.45\, 19.45\, 20.45\, drop in \nPoet\, educator\, cultural curator and activist\, PJ Samuels leads  this workshop where you’ll work together to interrogate issues of autonomy\, race\, gender\, patriarchy and identity and explore belonging. Originally from Jamaica\, she is passionately vocal about human rights\, mental wellness\, stigmatisation and inequalities. PJ Samuels founded ‘Weather the Storm’\, an LGBTI Refugee peer support group she started in 2015. \n@pjsamuelspoet \n  \nA Taste of London Ballroom (C) \nThe Raphael Cartoons\, \nRoom 48a \nTalk at 19.15\, Workshop at 19.45\, \nPerformance at 20.45 \nA 3-part dip into Ballroom and the art of Voguing hosted by Kayza Rose. Delve into the living roots of UK Ballroom with a history lesson by London’s OG Harliyana 007. Then let your body do the talking as Pop-Dip-Spin extraordinaire Bronze 007 teaches a beginner’s voguing workshop. Followed by a performance by Tiffany 007\, aka The Banji C*nt (She/They)\, and Bronze 007. \n@kayza_rose \n@swarovskibae_ \n@tiffany.the.mannequin \n@groingthroughit \n  \nScreening of VISIBLE and Panel Discussion (E) \nHochhauser Auditorium\, \nSackler Centre for arts education \n18.30\, 19.00\, 19.30\, 20.00\, 21.00 \nPanel discussion at 20.30 \nFilm duration: 20 minutes \nVISIBLE\, directed by Campbell X and produced by Kayza Rose\, challenges common misconceptions about LGBTQI+ Black and People of Colour. The film calls upon inspirational ancestors\, contemporary artists and activists working to challenge mainstream perceptions and the sanitisation of LGBTQI+ legacies. At 20.30\, hear from founding director of Mzz Kimberley’s LIFE\, Kim Tatum; writer and performer Keith Jarrett; and international athlete and advocate for diversity and inclusion\, Corinne Humphreys in a panel discussion chaired by Kayza Rose\, founding Director of BLM Fest. \n@campbellx \n@kayza_rose \n@keithjlondon \n@cdhumphreys \n@mzzkimberley \n  \nMemoirs of a Masculine Man (G) \nThe John Madejski Garden \nDurational performance throughout the evening Rwandese born\, British movement-based artist\, Ishimwa Muhimanyi delivers a site-specific performance in the central garden of the museum. For Ishimwa\, masculinity is synonymous with fragility. Ishimwa’s work will explore the cracks in the masculine. Butt cracks\, emotional cracks\, spiritual cracks\, and temperamental cracks. Using movement\, fashion and furniture\, Ishimwa will take you on a journey of a man. \n@ishimwa \n\n\n  \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/friday-late/ CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Film and Photography,Performance & Dance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Kayza-Rose-scaled-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230625T113000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230625T130000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T084344Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000024-1687692600-1687698000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Singing Our Lives DESCRIPTION:Singers\, instrumentalists and poets share their responses to the theme of Compassion – and give you a chance to join in the singing. \n‘Singing Our Lives’\, now in its seventh year\, is produced by Together Productions and brings displaced people\, sanctuary seekers and local communities from around the UK to compose new music and perform together. \nThe project unites amateur singers and performers\, professional musicians and writers from around the world in a unique coming together of cultures\, disciplines and traditions. \nThis performance marks the finale of ‘Refugee Week’\, and culminates in a thrilling mass performance of a ‘Singing Our Lives’ original composition. \nTogether Productions is a social change organisation based in the UK\, producing innovative collaborative projects that connect people across social and cultural divides. Through their programmes\, music and the arts become a catalyst to break down barriers\, reduce isolation and enhance well-being. Together Productions’ work includes those who are marginalised or excluded – such as displaced people and those seeking sanctuary – people facing mental health challenges\, the elderly\, the financially disadvantaged and socially excluded. \nPerforming groups: \nThe Sing for Freedom Choir is a community of torture survivors and friends who sing together in a spirit of joy and hope\, in solidarity with all those who are oppressed. The choir sings for freedom and to give back a voice to those who have been silenced. \nThe Mixed Up Chorus is passionate about the power of music to bring people together in the spirit of empathy and understanding. Performing global and original new repertoire\, the Chorus believes that singing next to each other helps us to live well next to each other. \nWrite to Life are the world’s only long-running creative writing group for survivors of torture and have been working with survivors from around the world for over 20 years. \nThe Orchestra of Syrian Musicians are a collective of professional singers and instrumentalists who have settled in the UK after being forced to flee the war in their homeland. Their haunting and uplifting music celebrates the rich cultural traditions of Syria. \nEvent presented in collaboration with Southbank Centre\, for Refugee Week 2023. Singing Our Lives is supported by IOM. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/singing-our-lives/ CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/singing-our-lives.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T140000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081506Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000031-1687698000-1687701600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Migrant Futurism: Kenmure Street DESCRIPTION:This panel brings together community activists and organisers to reflect on the power of the Kenmure Street protest\, two years on. \nThe panel features Mohammad Asif and Pinar Aksu\, who were active throughout the day\, alongside Sami\, an organiser in the anti-raids network. It’s moderated by film-maker\, activist and founder/director of Radical Ecology\, Ashish Ghadiali. \nOn the morning of 13 May 2021\, UK immigration officials conducted a dawn raid in Glasgow Southside’s Kenmure Street\, detaining two Indian nationals in a Home Office van\, only to be met by an organised response from members of the local community who surrounded the vehicle. \nWhat unfolded was an eight-hour grassroots protest\, animated by the spontaneous chant\, ‘These are our neighbours\, let them go.’ \nThe action\, which took place during Eid in one of Scotland’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods\, resulted in the release of the two men\, and was celebrated as a symbol of hope and solidarity in the face of the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’. \nHow did it come about? Why was it so effective? What happened after the cameras had gone away? And what can activists and communities learn from the anti-raids movement about organising in response to the Illegal Migration Bill? \nMohammad Asif is director of the Scotland-based Afghan Human Rights Foundation. \nPinar Aksu is a campaigner and development officer at the Maryhill Integration Network which works across Glasgow to facilitate connection between refugees\, migrants and settled inhabitants of the city. \nThis event is part of the launch of ‘Migrant Futurism’\, a long-term curatorial strand of research and public programming led by Radical Ecology\, in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre. \n‘Migrant Futurism’ interrogates cultural strategies\, in the context of displacement\, for the imagination of just and sustainable futures. \nFree event. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/migrant-futurism-kenmure-street/ CATEGORIES:Learning ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/migrant-futurism-kenmure-street.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T140000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000025-1687701600-1687701600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Amani Collective Showcase DESCRIPTION:Modern African music’s breathtaking variety gets a proper outing. \nPalm wine from Sierra Leone and seben from the DRC – just two of the genres in this afternoon showcasing the complexity and variety of contemporary African music. \nThis is a chance to experience a slice of the vast diversity of African music\, with acclaimed lead singers and instrumentalists Papa Sam Alafia\, Emmanuela Yogolelo\, Tshepe Thsepela\, Herve Vika and Fade. \nOther genres that feature include Afro-fusion and agwaya\, rumba and mutwashi. \nThis event is presented in collaboration with Southbank Centre\, for Refugee Week 2023. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/amani-collective-showcase/ CATEGORIES:Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/amani-collective.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T143000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T163000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T052406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000035-1687703400-1687710600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:About Us! Artists’ Scratch Showcase DESCRIPTION:Looking for a safe space to share your creative ideas? Need inspiration for your next project? \nCalling all artists! Are you a creative looking for a safe space to share your ideas? Are you looking for inspiration for your next creative project? \nWhether or not you’re ready to embrace the name ‘artist’\, if you’re making work or thinking about it\, this event is for you. \nSign up via the form below for a chance to be selected to present your work (or work in progress) and engage in discussions with a room full of like-minded artistic experimenters. \nMusic\, film\, comedy\, drama\, improv\, visual art\, fashion and everything in between is welcome! \nFull running orders to be updated when the presenters have been selected. \nThis is an ongoing artists networking project\, led by AWATE\, supported by Counterpoints and Southbank Centre. Quotes from last year’s participants: \n‘It’s a wholly unique way to connect with your audience; I learned more about how audiences engage with my work at this event than I have for any other performance!’ – Laith Elzubaidi (writer/film-maker) \n‘[Artists’ Scratch Showcase] was such a warm\, collaborative and encouraging environment. It was so helpful to collaborate on my comedy in a space with lots of different perspectives and allowed me to look at what I was presenting from a different angle and incorporate new ideas.’ – Emily Bampton (writer/comedian) \n‘It allowed me to debut my first humanitarian documentary. Having had a shift of career direction from corporate industries\, I was so grateful to be able to present this important work\, which was well received by a beautiful crowd.’ – Saoud Khalaf (film-maker) \nTAKE PART\, APPLY HERE\n \nIf applying\, please make sure you’re available on the day\, and do join us even if you’re not selected. \nBook a FREE ticket to be part of the audience. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/about-us-artists-scratch-showcase/ LOCATION:Southbank Centre\, Belvedere Road\, London\, SE1 8XX CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Multi-Art Form ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/MCH_1VA1661-Counterpoints-RW2022-551.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T150000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T160000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081638Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000028-1687705200-1687708800@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Migrant Futurism: Françoise Vergès DESCRIPTION:Presented by Radical Ecology\, Francoise Verges will deliver a key-note presentation in the Purcell Room\, reflecting on the context of the UK’s Illegal Migration Bill and drawing connections between forced migration\, climate breakdown\, gender violence and systemic violence to insist on the need to develop and enhance international solidarity in the face of these interconnected planetary crises. \nFrancoise Verges is a renowned decolonial activist and theorist\, who through works including A Decolonialism Feminism and A Feminist Theory of Violence explores the intersections of race\, migration and gender in the context of 21st century global capitalism. \nThe panel will be moderated by filmmaker\, activist and founder/director of Radical Ecology\, Ashish Ghadiali and will be followed by a Q&A. \nThis event is part of Refugee Week\, and launching Migrant Futurism\, a long-term strand of research and public programming by Radical Ecology and in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre. \nMigrant Futurism is a long-term curatorial project\, led by Radical Ecology\, that interrogates cultural strategies\, in the context of displacement\, for the imagination of just and sustainable futures. \nTickets – £7.50. \nAge recommendation – For ages 14+\nContent Warning – Contains themes of gender-based violence URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/migrant-futurism-francoise-verges/ CATEGORIES:Learning ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/fran-oise-verg-s.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T150000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T160000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081831Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000026-1687705200-1687708800@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:West African Dance Workshop DESCRIPTION:Dance soca\, reggae\, calypso and Afro-jive in this family-friendly event. \nThis family-friendly workshop and performance features West African percussion and dance with Imani Jendai and Tagne Tebu. \nParticipants have the opportunity to explore dance styles such as soca\, reggae\, calypso and Afro-jive. \nThe workshop is designed and delivered by Imani Jendai\, an exceptional and dynamic performer and choreographer with extensive knowledge of many different dance styles. \nBorn and raised in Cameroon\, Tagné Tebu is a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist\, band leader\, music director and composer who has worked with musicians from many different cultures and musical backgrounds. \nHis music blends African melodies and grooves with jazz harmony and is based on African storytelling on the themes of love\, war and peace – it conveys a bittersweet sense of melancholy balanced by irrepressible optimism. \nThis event is presented in collaboration with Southbank Centre\, for Refugee Week 2023. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/west-african-dance-workshop/ CATEGORIES:Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/west-african-dance-workshop.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T163000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T063145Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000034-1687708800-1687710600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Migrant Futurism: Angela Camacho DESCRIPTION:Presented by Radical Ecology\, Angela Camacho will perform a Future Ancestors Ritual to conclude an afternoon’s programme on Migrant Futurism\, including a panel on the Kenmure Street Protest of May 2021 and a keynote talk by decolonial activist and theorist Francoise Verges. \nAngela Camacho aka @thebonitachola is a London-based community organiser and domestic worker who fights for the rights of indigenous and Latinx communities and works to amplify the struggles of indigenous\, trans and womxn activists in the global south. \nHer practice is guided by the principle of becoming a good ancestor. \nThis event is part of Refugee Week\, and launching Migrant Futurism\, a long-term curatorial strand of research and public programming led by Radical Ecology and in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre\, that interrogates cultural strategies\, in the context of displacement\, for the imagination of just and sustainable futures. \nThis event is part of the launch of ‘Migrant Futurism’\, a long-term curatorial strand of research and public programming led by Radical Ecology\, in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre. \n‘Migrant Futurism’ interrogates cultural strategies\, in the context of displacement\, for the imagination of just and sustainable futures. \nFree event. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/migrant-futurism-angela-camacho/ LOCATION:Southbank Centre\, Belvedere Road\, London\, SE1 8XX CATEGORIES:Performance & Dance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/angela-camacho.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T190000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081657Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000027-1687712400-1687719600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Refugee Week Short Films Screening DESCRIPTION:Image credit: Panic!\n  \nWatch exceptional short films from around the world\, made by refugee and asylum-seeking film-makers\, and curated by Sarah Agha\, founder of the Arab Film Club. \nEach title is either written and directed by a refugee film-maker or draws on real life experience to tackle the theme in some way. \nThis showcase proves the power of cinema\, as each film-maker succeeds in humanising both struggle and injustice with their art. \nThe programme includes projects from BAFTA-winning film director Hassan Akkad and Counterpoints Arts’ Pop Culture & Social Change Producer\, Laith Elzubaidi. \nThe screening is followed by a Q&A hosted by actress\, curator and presenter of the BBC’s ‘The Holy Land and Us’\, Sarah Agha. Agha founded the Arab Film Club during lockdown\, a community celebrating and exploring cinema from the Arab world. \n  \nThe Programme: \nYellow by Elham Ehsas (12’). In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan\, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil from a Talib shopkeeper\, and face a new future. \nAziza by Soudade Kaadan (13’). A newly displaced Syrian couple take a drive around Beirut\, which soon morphs into a hallucinatory and nostalgic trip. \nAddress Unknown by Anton Fisher (24′). A postman goes looking for his childhood best friend who went missing due to forced removals\, before he himself is forced to relocate or face the bulldozers. \nPanic! by Laith Elzubaidi (8’). Every night Layla and her sister Noor are forced to huddle under candlelight to protect themselves from an ominous threat. Until one night\, a more psychological threat endangers them both. \nMatar by Hassan Akkad (23’). The story of Matar\, a Syrian asylum seeker in England. When confronted with the hostile immigration system\, he is forced to live on the fringes of society and rely on his bike to survive. \n  \nThis event is presented in collaboration with Southbank Centre\, for Refugee Week 2023. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Yellow by Elham Ehsas\n \n \n \n \n \n Yellow by Elham Ehsas\n \n \n \n \n \n Aziza by Soudade Kaadan\n \n \n \n \n \n Aziza by Soudade Kaadan\n \n \n \n \n \n Address Unknown by Anton Fisher\n \n \n \n \n \n Address Unknown by Anton Fisher\n \n \n \n \n \n Matar by Hassan Akkad\n \n \n \n \n \n Matar by Hassan Akkad URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/refugee-week-short-films-screening/ CATEGORIES:Film and Photography ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Panic_Stills-23-scaled-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T193000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081430Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000033-1687717800-1687721400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Songs to Heal and Empower DESCRIPTION:Samia Malik celebrates the launch of her new album\, ‘Songs to Heal and Empower’ – music that extends and subverts the traditional Urdu Ghazal form. \nMalik’s powerful original songs are written in Urdu and English\, and explore contemporary issues around identity\, race and gender. \nThe music combines soaring Eastern melodies\, electronics\, tabla and deep bass grooves\, and are supported by live visuals of Malik’s original art and translations. \nMalik has collaborated with world-class artists including celebrated Indian dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai and ‘sitarist to the stars’ Baluji Shrivastav OBE. \nThis event is part of our Refugee Week programme\, and is presented in collaboration with Southbank Centre. \nFree event. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/songs-to-heal-and-empower/ CATEGORIES:Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SM_PressPack_Portrait_1080p_01.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T200000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081619Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000029-1687719600-1687723200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Rainbows Across Borders DESCRIPTION:Listen to a performance by the Rainbows Across Borders community choir\, a voluntary self-help group for LGBT asylum seekers fleeing persecution. \nWorking with Music Action International\, this community choir writes and performs their own songs with messages of compassion\, identity and belonging. \nThe choir provides a secure and safe space for members to share experiences as LGBT asylum seekers and to mutually build confidence whilst making music together. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/rainbows-across-borders/ CATEGORIES:Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/rainbows-across-borders-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T200000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230625T213000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230517T081603Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144959Z UID:10000030-1687723200-1687728600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Notes on Compassion: Words\, Music and Us DESCRIPTION:Image: Sukina Noor \nMarking the 25th year of Refugee Week\, an evening of music and spoken word hosted by comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri responds to this year’s theme\, Compassion. \nWe are bringing together poets and musicians to share their responses on Compassion\, helping us create a safe and shared space of community in which to unpick what compassion means in today’s political\, social\, economic and cultural context\, and how important it is to extend it beyond our own networks. \nDo we live in times where acting with compassion may feel like a radical act? How can we grow compassion by doing small\, everyday acts that have potential to affect and support people outside our immediate circles of friends and family. \nSee poetry performances from Vanessa Kissule\, AWATE\, Momtaza Mehri \, FaceSoul\, Rachel Long and Sukina Noor commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and Southbank Centre\, an original choral performance from Woven Gold\, and musicians still to be announced. \nUnderneath Fatiha El-Ghorri‘s colourful hijab is a mind full of cutting observations and engaging witticism of the life and times of a British Muslim woman. By sharing stories of her own experiences – which are funny\, thought-provoking and honest – El-Ghorri smashes the Muslim stereotypes and challenges people to reconsider what they know about Islam\, Muslims and Muslim women especially. \nVanessa Kisuule is a writer and performer based in Bristol. She has won over ten slam titles including The Roundhouse Slam 2014\, Hammer and Tongue National Slam 2014 and the Nuoryican Poetry Slam. She has been featured on BBC iPlayer\, Radio 1\, and Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour\, Blue Peter\, Don’t Flop and TEDx in Vienna. She has appeared at an array of literary and music festivals and was Glastonbury Festival’s Resident Poet in 2019. She has been invited to perform all over the world from Belgium to Brazil to Bangladesh. \nRachel Long is a poet and the founder of Octavia – Poetry Collective for Womxn of Colour\, which is housed at Southbank Centre\, London. She was shortlisted for Young Poet for Laureate for London in 2014 and awarded a Jerwood/Arvon Foundation mentorship in 2015. Rachel has run poetry workshops for The Poetry School\, The Serpentine Galleries and at University of Oxford. She is Assistant Tutor to Jacob Sam La-Rose on the Barbican Young Poets programme 2015-present. \nAWATE is a critically acclaimed rapper\, writer\, producer and performer focused on stories at the intersection of race\, class and surrealism – with a dose of humour. Awate’s 2018 debut album\, Happiness was supported by BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra\, Spotify\, Noisey\, MOBO x Help Musicians UK and called a\, “British rap masterpiece” by Trench Magazine. \nMomtaza Mehri is a poet and independent researcher working across criticism\, translation\, anti-disciplinary research practices\, education\, and radio. She is a former Young People’s Poet Laureate for London and Frontier-Antioch Fellow at Antioch University (Los Angeles). Her writing has appeared in the likes of POETRY\, Granta\, Vogue\, The Guardian\, Bidoun\, and The White Review. A former Columnist-in-Residence at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Open Space\, she has also completed residencies at St. Paul’s Cathedral and the British Library. \nSukina Noor is a poet\, spoken-word artist\, playwright\, workshop facilitator and educator\, artistic curator\, writer and public speaker. She has toured extensively across UK\, Europe\, America and Africa performing\, delivering poetry workshops\, partaking in panel discussions and delivering lectures. \nFaisal Salah\, known by his stage name ‘Facesoul’ is a London-based artist born in East Africa. He moved with his family to the UK at the age of 2 and has been singing for as long as he has can remember. At 19 he began travelling the world\, performing for different communities and sharing his story through his voice. Faisal’s upbringing with traditional Islamic roots have been paramount to forming his truth and identity and his sense of spirituality is imbued in his practice. When he started performing at 15\, he would combine his love of singing\, poetry and storytelling as a tool to escape from the constraints of inner city living\, and aspire for something better.   \nKaia Laurielle is a singer/songwriter from south-east London whose music is a blend of electronic\, alternative soul and R&B. As a champion for Black love\, her lyrics tell the stories of those forgotten or overshadowed. \nWoven Gold is a choir of refugees and asylum seekers from around the world\, performing original songs and music written together\, or traditional music from their own countries. They are led by professional musicians who give their time.  The richness\, energy and power of Woven Gold comes from the combination of a close sense of family and shared experience\, and the range of musical cultures – from Burma\, Congo\, India\, Iran\, Kurdistan\, Nigeria\, Pakistan and Uganda\, making Woven Gold a community choir like no other. \n  \nTickets – £10 \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Kaia\n \n \n \n \n \n Sukina\n \n \n \n \n \n AWATE\n \n \n \n \n \n Rachel\n \n \n \n \n \n Vanessa\n \n \n \n \n \n Fatiha\n \n \n \n \n \n Momtaza URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/notes-on-compassion-words-music-and-us/ LOCATION:Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer\, Southbank Centre\, Belvedere Road\,\, London\, SE1 8XX CATEGORIES:Literature & Spoken Word,Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Sukina.imgp2885-scaled-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230714 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230717 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230718T104610Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144958Z UID:10000007-1689292800-1689551999@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:No Direction Home at Byline Times Festival DESCRIPTION:The Counterpoints Arts comedy collective No Direction Home will be performing at The Byline Times Festival in Dartington\, with a special guest headliner. \nDartington Trust and Byline Times Festival is a weekend of ideas\, food\, dancing and thinking about how we can change the world for the better. \nOriginally a three-day event in Sussex\, in 2023 Byline is collaborating with Dartington Trust on their beautiful estate in Devon. \nMore information: https://www.dartington.org/whats-on/info/byline/ URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/no-direction-home-at-byline-times-festival/ CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/byline-festival.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230718T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230718T170000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20151015T135905Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144958Z UID:10000097-1689685200-1689699600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Performing Migratory Identity DESCRIPTION:Performing Migratory Identity: Performance Research on Displacement\, Belonging and Auto/Bio and Participatory Biography \nLindisfarne Centre\, St Aidan’s College\, University of Durham \n1:00 – 5:00 pm (lunch included) \nCounterpoints Arts’ Learning Lab in partnership with the Centre for Sex\, Gender and Sexualities\, University of Durham\, the Performing Arts\, University of Northumbria\, Platforma Arts + Refugee Network and The Forge\, reflects on the performance\, film and installation work of London-based artist and researcher\, Natasha Davis. \nFrom Rupture\, Asphyxia\, and Suspended\, to her multi-chaptered Internal Terrains and Teeth Show\, Davis imagines and renders intimate auto/biographical architectures of memory\, identity\, migration\, displacement\, trauma and the body. \nDavis’s work is informed by personal experience of enforced migration\, of crossing borders and a temporary loss of citizenship. Her performances – underpinned by longitudinal research – move fluently and fractiously between auto/bio and participatory biographies\, challenging many disciplinary truisms and boundaries. \nInspired by a provocation from Indian dramaturge Rustom Bharucha\, who subverts the question ‘When the play ends\, what remains?’ into ‘When the play ends\, what begins?’ Learning Lab explores the place of performance in engaging publics on the themes of identity\, migration\, memory and auto/biography. \nFollowing a response by performance artist Jane Arnfield (Reader in Arts\, Director of Fine & Visual Arts Programmes\, Northumbria University)\, questions for participants to consider include: how can personal autobiographical material open up and facilitate participatory experiences and insights? What form of knowledge is created and received through Davis’s mix of performance\, visual and live art and academic research? What can be revealed about histories of migration and displacement through using the body and memory as critical\, performance tools? What might performance-led visual and live art bring to the social sciences\, sciences and policy disciplines\, what possibilities can we imagine? \nIn conversation with a range of practitioners from the creative arts\, drama and performance\, and the humanistic social sciences – Davis will present a range of critical methodologies that are central to her work by way of presentation\, excerpts and a public interview. \nOur thanks to St Aidan’s College\, University of Durham for hospitality and support of Learning Lab. \nFor more information contact: \nMaggie O’Neill: maggie.o’neill@durham.ac.uk \nÁine O’Brien: aine@counterpoints.org.uk \nFor more on Learning Lab\, see here: http://learninglabeditions.org/ \nImage: Unrooted\, by Natasha Davis URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/performing-migratory-identity/ CATEGORIES:Learning ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Unrooted-by-Natasha-Davis_image-for-Learning-Lab.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230720T180000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230722T210000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230718T104515Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144539Z UID:10000006-1689876000-1690059600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:I’d search forever\, I want to remember @ Frieze No.9 Cork Street DESCRIPTION:A project by Tamara Al-Mashouk \nCounterpoints Arts\, Dover Arts Development\, Shubbak Festival and Frieze No.9 Cork Street are pleased to present I’d search forever\, I want to remember\, a multidisciplinary body of work by artist Tamara Al-Mashouk that asks if matter and place remember the way our bodies do. \nThe exhibition features a wave machine that contains water from the English Channel brought in as witness\, a three-channel film that explores the psyche of a disused detention centre in Dover and a photographic series that engages with the shoreline as a site of poetic multiplicity. \nI’d search forever\, I want to remember was first presented in Dover. In London (20-22 July) the artworks will be exhibited at Frieze No.9 Cork Street\, alongside images taken in Dover and artefacts created during workshops there. There will be a dance performance by Fadi Giha on the opening night. \nSet in a fortress built in the 1700s on the cliffs of Dover\, the day-long programme on 24 June featured the exhibition\, guided tours with the creative team\, ceramics and craft workshops centering memory and place\, a dance performance by Fadi Giha and food and drinks served by Borough Market’s Juma Kitchen. The day culminated at sunset with a participatory performance inviting the audience to hold space together with the artist(s) for a moment of collective remembrance. \n“The artist takeover [in Dover] by Tamara and her creative team was breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreakingly moving. The work and the location could not have been matched more perfectly. I feel so privileged to have been there for this event. It is something that I will always remember and which has had the power to galvanised me into searching for what i can do to help other human beings who are compelled to flee their homes and make treacherous journeys in the hope of finding safely\, free from fear. Thank you Tamara for your vision\, compassion and artistry\, for giving a voice and dignity to the nameless and lost. This body of work has so many dimensions\, I think it will stay with me forever” – Petra Matthews Crow\, Founder (Ceramic Arts Dover) via Instagram \nThe work presented is the result of a gathering of artists thinking and organising together. Manon Schwich\, Sami El-Enany\, Parker Heyl\, Angus Frost\, Lorella Bianco\, Fadi Giha and Patricia Doors join Al-Mashouk in carving sites of solace within embodied experiences of hyper-politicisation. \nI’d search forever\, I want to remember is the culmination of a body of work that began in 2018 with a 10.5 hour durational performance by Al-Mashouk titled Can you die if you don’t exist? where she read the names of 34\,361 refugees who died on their way to Europe off The List (published by The Guardian\, 2018). The performance was for Deeplab and commissioned by Mediale. \nI’d search forever\, I want to remember is commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and Arts Council England and co-commissioned by Shubbak Festival. In partnership with: Dover Arts Development\, The Citadel\, Refugee Week\, SENSE\, Samphire and Future Foundry. \nTamara Al-Mashouk is a visual artist who incorporates strategies of hosting\, art making and live performance across her multi-disciplinary projects. These days\, she can’t stop thinking about where memory is stored\, about the spirits of water and about how to create spaces of collective healing. She explores her ideas through multi-channel video\, performance and architectural installation. \nFrieze – No.9 Cork Street London W1S 3LL \nOpening night: 20th July 6pm – 8pm \nOpen to the public: 21st – 22nd July 10am – 6pm \nAdmission is free without booking \nFor all enquiries please contact: ercarter19@gmail.com \nSocial Media\n@tamaralmashouk\nJoin the discussion about the exhibition at: #idsearchforever \nABOUT THE CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS \nManon Schwich (creative producer) has been musing & working towards I’d search forever\, I want to remember with Tamara since 2021. She is an organiser and multidisciplinary artist who engages with geo-poetics; the representations of genders\, class and memory. An archivist and post-production coordinator at Isaac Julien Studio for over six years\, she contributed to exhibitions such as Masculinities (Barbican\, 2020)\, Lina Bo Bardi (MAXXI Rome\, 2020) and Life Between Islands (Tate Britain\, 2021)\, amongst others. \nSami El-Enany (composer) is a British Egyptian artist who works with sound\, often negotiating the fringes of modern classical\, electronica\, storytelling and game design. His work has filled spaces including the Barbican\, ICA\, National Theatre\, Tate and South London Gallery. His film score for Walking With Shadows was recognised at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (2020) and his tone poem Creation of the Birds (2022) received accolades from Grand Prix Nova\, BBC Radio Drama Awards and Phonurgia Nova. \nFadi Giha (dancer) derives his choreographic language from experimenting around the emotional connection with our bodies as impacted by social constraints and constructions\, body image and self-perception. He studied a BA in dance at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus\, Syria\, and a Joint Master in Dance\, Knowledge\, Practice and Heritage (Choreomundus)\, on an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. He performed at Southbank Centre (Rubber\, 2021)\, Kunstraum (Sandcastles\, 2022) and Chelsea Theatre (Dissent\, 2023). \nParker Heyl (fabricator) is a kinetic artist who seeks to relinquish computerised regulation in favour of analog aesthetics. His work questions uses of technologies in contemporary music\, art and architecture as it fuels cybernetic fantasies that slowly tranquillise objects and replace them with less potent simulacra of themselves. He designed installations for CentroCentro Madrid (2020)\, Salon del Mobile Milan (2022)\, M.A.D. Gallery Geneva (2022) the Venice Biennale of Architecture and his sculptures have supported musical acts like Crumb\, Floating Points\, Daphni\, and Melissa Weikart. \nPhoto credit: Keifer Nyron Taylor URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/id-search-forever-i-want-to-remember-frieze-no-9-cork-street/ CATEGORIES:Visual Arts ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1.-idsearchforever-Dover-June-24-2023-scaled-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230930 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231108 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230129T162013Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144537Z UID:10000010-1696032000-1699401599@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Platforma 2023 : South West England DESCRIPTION:The Platforma festival is produced by Counterpoints Arts every two years in a different part of England\, in partnership with organisations\, artists and venues across many different art forms. \nThe 7th Platforma festival will take place across the South West\, to showcase the brilliant work being made\, develop networks and capacity\, and to share practice. \nWhile the focus will be on organisations and artists from within the region\, it is also a chance to feature those from elsewhere across the UK and internationally\, to forge new connections. \nWith more than 30 events across 5 weeks\, it will be the biggest Platforma ever. We believe it can also be the most impactful – at a time when the perspectives\, opportunities and connections that arts and culture can bring are urgently needed. \nPlatforma feature article by BBC Bristol \nEvents calendar \nFor more information contact hello@counterpoints.org.uk \nPROGRAMME LISTINGS \n30 September and 1 October: Core: Electronic Music Workshops (Redruth\, Cornwall) \n1-31 October: Good Evening We Are From Ukraine – Photography exhibition by Frankie Mills at (Ivybridge and Paignton Libraries\, with Libraries Unlimited) \n1 October: Celebrating the Arabic Speaking World – Try your hand at calligraphy\, sample snacks and hear poetry (Bristol) \n4 October: Come We Grow  – A sharing event celebrating the end of the Hip Hop Gardens programme working with a group of young people with refugee backgrounds by May Project Gardens (Bristol) \n5 October: Creating Connection – Inspiring a shared vision for the arts\, refugees and asylum seekers (Swindon) \n6-7 October: Ellipsis by Belén L.Yáñez – An interactive audio experience devised as a walking tour (Plymouth) \n7-8 October: The South West SIM Project install Memories in Motion at the BOP Festival (Bristol) \n7-28 October: Gwyrdh Glas Workshops (Redruth\, Cornwall) \n10 October: Palestine Comedy Club at the Palestine Museum (Bristol) \n12 October: Theatre of Migration – Carlota Matos and Hiba Elhindi discuss the ethics of working with migrants in theatre\, chaired by Vandna Mehta (Bristol) \n13 October: Soumik Datta Arts present an evening of music\, networking and the launch of their Green Room project (Stroud) \n15-18 October: The South West SIM Project workshops (Bristol) \n18 October: Picturing Displacement – A symposium with four photographers\, alongside a month-long exhibition of their work (Bristol) \n20-21 October: The Creative Sanctuary –  Online seminars exploring the story of Dartington Hall in Devon as an important place of sanctuary for refugees from Fascist Europe\, including many artists (online) \n20-21 October: Ellipsis by Belén L.Yáñez – An interactive audio experience devised as a walking tour (Swindon) \n21-22 October: Flamm – Two new commissions addressing themes of heritage\, language and migration by Cornwall-based artists Abigail Reynolds and Sovay Berriman (Redruth\, Cornwall). CORE by Abigail Reynolds will take place on Saturday 21st October. Gwyrdh Glas (tr. Green Green) by Sovay Berriman will take place Saturday 21st October  – Sunday 22nd October. \n21 October: CROWN//تاج  – The UK’s first touring production by Company Scheherazade\, combining classical Persian dance\, contemporary dance\, and Sufi movement (Dartington) \n21 October: Mohand and Peter – With humour and visual poetry\, Mohand and Peter will take you on a theatrical road trip through Sudan (Bristol) \n21 October: Humanity Hotel : Feasting – Bringing together asylum seekers\, refugees and local residents to celebrate the diversity of our cultures (Winford) \n22 October: Sudafest: Hope and Healing – A celebration of Sudanese storytelling\, live performances and music (Bristol) \n28 October: CROWN//تاج  – The UK’s first touring production by Company Scheherazade\, combining classical Persian dance\, contemporary dance\, and Sufi movement (Bristol) \n28-29 October: Dear Laila – Art installation by Basel Zaraa at The Palestine Museum that shares the Palestinian experience of displacement and struggle through the story of one family (Bristol) \n31 October: Theatre\, Food and a Culture of Belonging – Sharing practice with Trigger and Maison Foo (online) \n3-4 November: Climate and Displacement Mini:Retreat (Stroud) \n4 November: Re-imagine Community Practice: Cooperation Disco + Arty Farty Karaoke (Bristol) \n5 November: Name Me Lawand – documentary film about a young Kurdish boy seeking asylum with his family in the UK (Gloucester) \n5 November: No Direction Home stand-up comedy featuring Sami Abu Wardeh (Gloucester) \nAs part of Platforma we ran an open call for two public art commissions in partnership with ArtReach for work exploring Climate Justice and Displacement. The selected artists are: \n\ndhaqan collective\, a feminist Somali art collective\, who have constructed the House of Weaving Songs. The audio-visual outdoor installation seeks to preserve Somali nomadic culture and provide a sanctuary for our collective climate anxieties.\nKaajal Modi – a multidisciplinary designer\, artist and creative researcher with over five years experience working through accessible modes to engage communities around the UK into important conversations about culture\, sustainability and climate. Their co-creation practice incorporates illustration\, live art\, sound\, video and workshops to create lively and situated encounters between people\, organisms and ecosystems\n\nMore information about the presentation of their work will be coming soon. \nIllustration credit: Maya Mihindou URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/platforma-7-south-west-england/ CATEGORIES:Multi-Art Form,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Test-Platforma-Overlay.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230930T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231001T173000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230919T133228Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144539Z UID:10000359-1696075200-1696181400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Core: Electronic Music Workshops (Cornwall) DESCRIPTION:Core: Electronic Music Workshops\nAS PART OF FLAMM BY CREATIVE KERNOW\nMake dance music for the mix at Abigail Reynolds’ Core in a quarry on the edge of Redruth. \nCore is an invitation to dance to the rhythms and sounds of a quarry which has been drilled with hundreds of deep holes. The quarry was a test site for the drills used to set dynamite deep inside the stone\, but has been silent for decades. The lost rhythm of the percussive drills will be replaced by loud electronic beats created entirely from recordings made in the quarry. For Core\, sounds from the quarry will mixed by an impressive list of music producers\, solo\, in collaboration\, and through workshops. \nThe workshops are for all levels\, from curious young people and beginners who want to learn how to mix a dance track\, through to experienced music producers. Tracks made in these sessions will be included in the final mix performed in the quarry on October 21st. Three beginners workshops for up to 12 people will be led by Stuart Blackmore and Toby Sadgrove. The workshops are free to attend\, with a suggested donation of £10. \nSat 30 Sept \n12pm-2.30pm                workshop 12+ years \n3pm-5.30pm                  workshop 16+ years \nSun 1 Oct \n1pm-3.30pm                  workshop 18+ years \nLocation: Krowji\, West Park\, Redruth\, Cornwall TR15 3GE \nBook here for the workshops! \n  \nFor Music Producers\nCore is looking for dance tracks\, made from sound samples recorded in the quarry. On Sunday 1st October 4-7pm\, there will also be a share session for music producers led by Martin Pease. This is a masterclass for music producers who have already downloaded the quarry recordings and made a start with their own kit. If you work with music/sound and are interested in creating a track for Core and attend the masterclass. Email coresubmissions2023@gmail.com for information and a link. \n  \nCORE is being presented as part of a multi-layered programme of exhibitions and events. Supported by Art Night\, Counterpoints Arts\, Creative Kernow\, Cultivator\, Good Growth\, Levelling Up\, Shared Prosperity Fund and Cornwall Council. Part of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/core-electronic-music-workshops/ LOCATION:Krowji\, West Park\, Cornwall\, TR15 3GE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Learning,Multi-Art Form,Music,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Website-Platforma-Overlay-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231001 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231101 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230805T195835Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144537Z UID:10000345-1696118400-1698796799@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Good Evening We Are From Ukraine by Frankie Mills (Devon) DESCRIPTION:“Good Evening We Are from Ukraine” follows a small community of Ukrainian women and children who have landed in Moorhaven\, Devon\, UK after being uprooted by Russia’s invasion. Photographer Frankie Mills has teamed up with Libraries Unlimited and Counterpoints Arts to deliver the work as part of Platforma Festival. \nEXHIBITIONS\n3rd – 14 October: Ivybridge Library \n17 – 31 October: Paignton Library \nFREE EVENTS\nAll welcome! \nIvybridge Library\nSaturday 7 October 9am – 12.30pm: Activist Prints – Printmaking workshop with Anna Boland\, suitable for families (FREE). Make your voice heard and try your hand at making an activist print with messages and thoughts about the theme of freedom and sanctuary and works in the exhibition. \nPaignton Library\nSaturday 21st October \n10am-1pm: Workshop and Talk with photographer\, Frankie Mills \n\n 2pm \n\n\nPerformance from Ukrainian Harmony women’s choir from Cornwall : Torn from menfolk defending their homeland\, Ukrainian women\, with their children\, began arriving in mid-Cornwall last spring. Inspired by the conviction that song is a strong part of any national identity\, this resilient group started singing together\, and Ukrainian Harmony was formed. All welcome! \n“Good Evening We Are from Ukraine”\n\nWhen Ukrainian refugees first started to arrive in Moorhaven\, a village on the foothills of the open moorland Dartmoor\, it seemed impossible that the consequences of a single decision had reached some of Devon’s most rural and remote regions. For the first time since the blitz\, households were choosing to open up their doors to strangers from a far corner of the world despite that many had voted to leave the European Union. Through those doors came people who would have never heard of Moorhaven had it not been for war – and now this unfamiliar place would have to be called home. \nThis project is about the need for purpose and meaningful relationships in the face of absolute loss. It is about viewing the environment from the perspective of an outsider when arrival is determined by war and chance. It is about holding onto who you are while adapting – or attempting to – an entirely alien place. It is about how people create meaning when the future is obscure. \nThis work has been made at a time where refugees have been deemed “illegal” based upon how they arrive to the UK. Abandoned places that are cut off from society have become the supplement homes for asylum seekers. \nAt a time when so many asylum seekers\, even those on schemes like Afghan resettlement\, are being left in temporary accommodation or homeless\, a total of 129\,300 Ukrainians have come to live in the homes of people across the country\, an estimated 32\,325 of which have now found their own independent homes. \nThis project documents what a functional asylum system could look like and how people fare within it. It is about our capacity to care for other people when we are given the incentive and financial aid to do so. It is about the experience of being a refugee when people are treated with dignity. \nThe title of this project are lyrics from a song that has become a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance within the country. \n“Good Evening We Are From Ukraine” resonates strongly with Libraries Unlimited’s Vision. Their spaces are vital community hubs which run year-round programmes of cultural events and activities. Libraries Unlimited play a crucial role in creating tangible long-term change by inspiring participation in cultural activity\, building knowledge and skills\, and creating a more equitable\, inclusive\, and fair society for all. Collaborating on this project is one of the many building bricks Libraries Unlimited are putting in place to ensure their spaces are free\, welcoming places of sanctuary. \nDuring Platforma\, 30 images will be shown at Paignton and Ivybridge library. The exhibition will be an opportunity to give a voice to members of the Ukrainian diaspora community and celebrate diversity within the southwest. \nFrankie will be presenting and discussing the work as part of a group symposium this October at the Martin Parr Foundation\, organised by Counterpoints Arts. \nPart of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/good-evening-we-are-from-ukraine-by-frankie-mills/ LOCATION:Paignton Library\, Great Western Road\, Paignton\, TQ4 5AG CATEGORIES:Photography,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Frankie-Mills2-940.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231001T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231001T160000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230922T102655Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144539Z UID:10000363-1696168800-1696176000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Celebrating the Arabic Speaking World (Bristol) DESCRIPTION:Join Bristol Refugee Festival at Arnolfini for a wonderful afternoon of cultural sharing – celebrating the Arabic speaking world. \nThis is a free event\, so please just drop in. \nTry your hand at calligraphy\, sample snacks and hear poetry. \nIt promises to be a welcoming community event\, where you will hopefully learn something too URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/celebrating-the-arabic-speaking-world-bristol/ LOCATION:Arnolfini\, 16 Narrow Quay\, Bristol\, BS1 4QA\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Arabic-event-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231004T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231004T200000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230919T153153Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144539Z UID:10000361-1696442400-1696449600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Come We Grow (Bristol) DESCRIPTION:Come We Grow\nA sharing event celebrating the end of the Hip Hop Gardens programme by May Project Gardens. \nUsing Hip Hop and permaculture values Hip Hop Gardens supports and empowers a group of young people with refugee backgrounds\, residing in Bristol. \nOver a series of workshops in September the programme will focus on five key modules: Wellbeing\, Food Growing & Cooking\, Enterprise and Employability\, Event Management and lastly Hip Hop\, Social Movement and Green Structures. This programme methodology incorporates environmentalism & Hip Hop through song writing\, music production and performances.  \nAbout the Co-Founders of May Project Gardens\nMohammed Yahya (MoYah) is MPGs HHGN ambassador and co-facilitated Bristol´s first HHGN programme in 2022/23 alongside Ian. He is the co-founder of the Afro-Caribbean duo Native Sun\, an established artist\, poet\, educator and event organiser. He uses rap and spoken word to promote equality\, social justice and environmental change. Born in Mozambique during a 16-year war\, MoYah was forced to flee his country as a political refugee at a young age. He has first hand experience of the impact that both access to nature and access to music can have on inclusion\, expression and success. \nKMT (Ian)\, is a highly experienced and dedicated artist who has spent over two decades using the medium of hip-hop to inspire positive social change and bring attention to a wide range of important social issues. His unwavering passion for environmental conservation and preservation is just one aspect of his advocacy work. Since designing the community-led food growing space May Project Gardens\, using permaculture principles\, KMT mentors young people\, nurturing ideas and fueling passions through music and a connection to the environment\, through a 6 month leadership programme called Hip Hop Gardens. \nMay Project Gardens is an award-winning\, London and Bristol-based grassroots organisation. They empower marginalised groups to address poverty\, disempowerment and access to resources and influence. MPG provide practical\, affordable\, and collective solutions for people to live sustainably and challenge power structures that don’t serve their interests. They do this using what they consider universally connecting tools – nature\, food and creative arts – to foster people’s personal transformation\, which collectively leads to social change. \n  \nPart of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/come-we-grow-bristol/ LOCATION:Trinity Centre\, Trinity Road\, Bristol\, BS2 0NW\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Music,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Website-Platforma-Overlay.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231005T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231005T160000 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230921T101620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144539Z UID:10000362-1696501800-1696521600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Creating Connection (Swindon) DESCRIPTION:A free networking event to discuss the arts\, refugees and asylum seekers in Swindon. Showcasing existing work and exploring possibilities for new collaborations. \nProduced by Create Studios in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts. \nFree booking via Eventbrite \nProgramme: \n10.30: Arrivals at Create Studios \n11: Setting the Swindon context for the arts\, refugees and migration \n11.15: Inspirations from previous and current projects \n12.15: Discussing the arts and cultural strategy for Swindon \n13.20: Workshops to explore different aspects of this work \n15.15: Reception STEAM mseum \nPart of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/creating-connection-swindon/ LOCATION:Create Studios\, 10 Carriage Works\, Swindon\, SN1 5FB\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Harbour-project.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231006 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231008 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230724T161822Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144538Z UID:10000332-1696550400-1696723199@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Ellipsis: An Audio Walking Tour (Plymouth) DESCRIPTION:Belén L.Yáñez will be bringing her audio walking tour Ellipsis to Plymouth. Co-created with local communities\, Ellipsis encourages you to reconnect with your local area and observe something new and unexpected in the everyday.  \nJoin us for a free and interactive audio walking tour experience suitable for all ages. Guided by a performer for 60 minutes you will be invited to rediscover and interact with your local area. Explore familiar places from a different perspective and blur the real with the imagined. \nMultiple dates and times in Plymouth on Friday 6 October\, 4.30PM and Saturday 7 October\, 11AM and 4.30PM. \nFunded by National Lottery through Arts Council England. \nCo-commissioned by Counterpoints Arts \nSupported by Arts University Plymouth & Prime Theatre \nImage credit: Collage by Belén L.Yáñez \nPart of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/ellipsis-an-audio-walking-tour-in-plymouth/ LOCATION:Plymouth Random Art Corner\, 30 Union Street\, Plymouth\, PL1 3EX\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Audio,Community & Participation,Performance & Dance,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ellipsis_Overlay-Platforma.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231007 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231029 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230919T140804Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144537Z UID:10000360-1696636800-1698537599@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Gwyrdh Glas Workshops (Cornwall) DESCRIPTION:Gwyrdh Glas Workshops\nAS PART OF FLAMM BY CREATIVE KERNOW \nDuring these workshops facilitated by local artist Sovay Berriman we will share thoughts on identity & Cornwall\, and then using the reclaimed materials available such as cardboard\, paper and cloth to make ‘rubbish sculptures’. Through the practical art-making Sovay invites the identity conversations to flow in a slightly different way. We will draw inspiration from the granite forms of carns of Kernow/Cornwall such as Carn Brea\, The Hurlers\, Trencrom and Rough Tor and are titled Gwyrdh Glas – Liwyow a Gernow / Colours of Cornwall. \nWe will paint the rock sculptures in colours that connect to our identities and relationships with the rocks of Kernow\, and we’ll name these colours in Kernewek/Cornish. If a fitting word does not exist\, we will create one through conversation and use of Kernewek/Cornish dictionaries loaned to the project by Kowethas an yeth Kernewek. \nThe colours and their words will be collected in a sample book – Liwyow a Gernow (Colours of Cornwall) which will be added to the MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh archive\, and offered to the Cornish Language Office to contribute to the gelyver kernewek (Cornish Dictionary). The Cornish Language Service will adjust the names we’ve created to ensure they ‘make-sense’ within the linguistic rules of the language. \nBoth the rock-sculptures and the sample book of colours will be included in Sovay’s exhibition Gwyrdh Glas as part of Flamm in Redruth 21st-22nd October. If they agree\, participants names will be included in the details of the project\, and the MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh PEOPLE page. \nWorkshops are sometimes drop-in\, and sometimes bookable\, please see each listing for details. \nSat 7th October | Krowji\, as part of the Fun Palaces weekend \nTues 10th October 11am – 1pm | The Shire Hall\, IntoBodmin for Hospital Rooms’ Cornwall Project \nSat & Sun 21st & 22nd October | Flamm Cornwall open drop-in. Location: Market Hall\, Market Way\, Redruth\, TR15 2AU \nFri & Sat 27th & 28th October | Lowender Festival\, Redruth \nFor more info about Sovay Berriman\, the workshops and events please visit https://sovayberriman.co.uk/MESKLA-workshops \n  \nCORE is being presented as part of a multi-layered programme of exhibitions and events. Supported by Art Night\, Counterpoints Arts\, Creative Kernow\, Cultivator\, Good Growth\, Levelling Up\, Shared Prosperity Fund and Cornwall Council. Part of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/gwyrdh-glas-workshops-cornwall/ LOCATION:Cornwall CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Learning,Platforma,Visual Arts ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Website-Platforma-Overlay-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231007 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231009 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230915T110318Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144538Z UID:10000351-1696636800-1696809599@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:The South West SIM Project: memories in motion at BOP festival (Bristol) DESCRIPTION:‘As an immigrant\, I don’t really have roots\, I have tendrils\, which stretch to different places in the world where there are people I love’\nArgentinian project artist\, Cyprus\, 2022 \nThe SIM Project install a mobile exhibition in the Paintworks Event Space\, for BOP festival 23\, presenting over 100 personal glass and metal artefacts made by participants from countries including Afghanistan\, Syria\, Turkey\, Venezuela\, Hong Kong\, Senegal and Libya. \nThe SIM Project gives tangible meaning to people’s virtual networks and explores how the images we create and exchange through our smartphones map our place in the world. The unique wearable artefacts in the project collection have been made in workshops across Europe using a process which combines analogue and digital photography with jewellery making. \nThe project is led by artist and anthropologist Liz Hingley with the support of jeweller Sofie Boons and Frank Menger of the Centre for Print Research. It is inspired by and continues to evolve through conversation and craft with refugees and others who have experienced displacement to shape new ways of sharing\, valuing and archiving stories of migration. This chapter of the project is produced with Counterpoints Arts and supported by the University of West England and Martin Parr Foundation. \nPart of the Platforma festival 2023\, produced by Counterpoints Arts and partners across the South West of England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/the-south-west-sim-project-memories-in-motion-at-bop-festival-bristol/ LOCATION:Paintworks Event Space\, The Airstream Main Courtyards\, Bristol\, BS4 3EH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Multi-Art Form,Photography,Platforma ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SW-SIm-Memories940.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231009T191500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231009T201500 DTSTAMP:20260429T235240 CREATED:20230827T135027Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144538Z UID:10000350-1696878900-1696882500@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:No Direction Home with Palestine Comedy Club (London) DESCRIPTION:As part of our autumn run at Soho Theatre in partnership with Show And Tell\, we are collaborating with the Palestine Comedy Club (PalCom) to present guest performers Alaa Shehada\, Diana Sweity and Hanna Shammas on their first UK tour – performing in English. \nThe gig will be hosted by Thanyia Moore\, with guest headliner Catherine Bohart. \nPalestine Comedy Club (PalCom) is a comedy production company established in the UK and Palestine by Palestinian stand-up comedian\, Alaa Shehada\, with assistance from senior lecturer in comedy and solo performance at Middlesex University\, Dr. Sam Beale\, and film producer\, Charlotte Knowles. \nUnder the leadership of Alaa Shehada\,  Palestine Comedy Club is working to establish a stand-up comedy circuit across the West Bank providing space and funds for emerging stand-up comedy talent in the region to hone their craft and develop a culture of live comedy performance that is unique to the Palestinian experience. \nBOOK TICKETS \nThere is also a panel event with PalCom from 4.30pm at 21 Soho \nMore about PalCom \nPalestine Comedy Club’s first show\, ‘Balad’ (بلد ) toured to venues in Ramallah\, Nablus\, Haifa\, Nazareth\, Jerusalem and Jenin in 2022. Performed by Alaa Shehada\, Hanna Shammas\, Raed Sheukhi\, Diana Sweity\, Ebaa Monther and Khalil Al-Batran\, ‘Balad’ explores the complexity of Palestinian identity as it is experienced across the entire region\, from Hebron to the Golan Heights. \nThe show received excellent reviews and was described as “ laughter in extreme pain\, and a turning point towards a different comedy in Palestine.” \nPalCom delivers workshops to non-performers including in women’s centres and refugee camps. They have taught in Ramallah\,  in the Korean Centre\, Hebron\, at the Ibaa Cultural Centre in Dheishah Camp\, Bethlehem\, and at the women’s centre in Jenin. We have also held workshops at Nablus Performing Arts and Circus School. These workshops gave local people an opportunity to share personal stories and explore stand-up skills as a form of personal and cultural expression. \nUpcoming No Direction Home dates at Soho Theatre: \nNov 13: Hosted by Michael Akadiri \nDec 11: Headlined by Shaparak Khorsandi \nSoho Theatre\, 21 Dean St London W1D 3NE\nTickets from £15\nwww.sohotheatre.com \nBook tickets \n020 7478 0100 \n \nPresented by Show And Tell with Counterpoints Arts\, the gigs feature line-ups of new voices from refugee and migrant backgrounds alongside some of the biggest names in British comedy. \nNo Direction Home was established by Counterpoints Arts with Camden People’s Theatre and top stand-up Tom Parry\, who has mentored the group. \nThey have already won over audiences in a variety of venues in London and around the country\, and have now secured their second West End run. \nTV comic and stand-up Nish Kumar\, says: “The No Direction Home comedians are a very exciting\, interesting and creative bunch of people to be around. And they are very funny. The material is really good.” \nNo Direction Home performers are new talents with backgrounds in countries including Syria\, Iran\, Iraq\, Ethiopia and Mali. \nYasmeen Ghrawi says: “No Direction Home is a space to show up/stand up\, a space to be seen and heard\, a space of celebration. We come from places of varying remoteness to the UK\, some of us fresh off the back of a truck\, others migrated here years ago. We hope to keep sharing the love – and our jokes.” \nShow And Tell is an award-winning production company of live comedy\, with a national and international programme of events. With teams in London and New York\, we seek to play an integral role in the live performance careers of many world-class and emerging talents in both the UK and US. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/no-direction-home-soho-theatre/ CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PALCOM-POSTER_2.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR