talks – and so she thinks

London’s voices – life in the global city

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:09:57 +0000

Many artists and visitors to London are inspired to create. The capital infuses the sentences of books, the scenes of TV, the worlds of films, either as a location, character, or just a sense. The second year of London Book & Screen Week, taking place 11 – 17 April, 2016 reveals an eclectic array of events all over the capital in a seven day celebration of the popular culture the city inspires.

London’s voices – life in the global city is an intimate evening at London’s museum of immigration, 19 Princelet St, with readings, performances and talks from four authores. These Londoners have all come from other places, and write about their experiences of immigration, building a home, connection with other centres, and what it means to be in a global city today.

On the line up is Amanda Elhag-Paul, a young Londoner who uses the mediums of writing & performance to express herself, drawing on personal anecdotes for her social commentary. Ayisha Malik is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books and like many creative divides her time between writing, being an editor, and studying. Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged is Ayisha’s debut novel. Sathnam Sanghera is an award-winning journalist, author and trustee and board chair for Creative Access, a charity which helps find internships in the creative industries for talented young people from under-represented backgrounds. And Nikesh Shukla is the acclaimed author of Coconut Unlimited which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2010 and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2011, The Time Machine and Meatspace, as well as editor of the forthcoming anthology, The Good Immigrant.

Taking place at 19 Princelet Street, the first museum of immigration and diversity in Europe, the event takes the museum’s values of debate, dialogue and connectedness to explore the role of immigration within the city, and the importance of conversation.

Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Museum of Immigration – 19 Princelet Street Spitalfields, London E1 6QH, United Kingdom

Tickets are available here

Changing Minds Festival

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 22:06:33 +0000

Bringing the topic of mental health out of the medical setting into the mundane reality is an important and laudable endeavour – particularly when it comes to the arts. I fear that some of the less knowledgable, or less open minded, might see any link as implying that severe illnesses can be ‘cured’ by a mindfulness colouring book, or biological disorders solved with only a short dance and a pretty picture.

Changing Minds, the weekend festival at the Southbank Centre about the role of arts in mental health and the intersection between the two was a fabulously balanced collection of events curated and presented by experts (whether that’s professional or from lived experience). Entertaining and informative, the six story building was awash with people curious to learn more.

A complex blur of physical, emotional and environmental triggers, there is no one size fits all solution. It’s the same for physical health of course, but we can see that, so as visual beings tend to find it easier to understand. Art and creativity can do everything from take the edge off to literally saving a life by providing a lifeline. There’s evidence that the arts can have significant impact upon health outcomes in studies by Arts Council and the National Alliance.

The programme was filled with talks covering everything from how humour can take the sting out of shame with comedians Jack Rooke and Sofie Hagen, how therapists can be ore creative (a panel including Nicola Crooke and Paul Gurney), the place of art versus chemicals (Jo Marchant, Rachel Kelly, Danny Cunningham), what the words ‘mental health’ actually mean (Bobby Baker, David Adam) and more.

There was also the opportunity to try some of the ways in which art can enhance wellbeing, and participants were invited to move the body through dance with Yunkong Song, read poetry alongside Ellie Stamp or craft in Amy Brown’s workshops. Stalls from Mind, Rethink, Time To Change, CALM, Biblio, Bethlem, Lambeth LivingWell, B-EAT and Articulate made for a vibrant area of exchange and inspiration. There was also the opportunity to try some of the ways in which art can enhance wellbeing, and participants were invited to move the body through dance with Yunkong Song, read poetry alongside Ellie Stamp or craft in Amy Brown’s workshops.

The weekend was a reminder than open and honest dialogue, mutual partnerships and curiousity are crucial to changing the perspective of mental heath, but also that it is happening. The spectrum between illness and wellness is a grey one. Good mental health isn’t about not being crazy. It’s about being comfortable, communicating, and connecting.

Sometimes art can be the tool to make that happen.

Canterbury Festival 2015

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 21:35:03 +0000

Chaucer was a fan, David Copperfield loved its beautiful ‘hot light’ and Virginia Woolf believed there to be ‘no lovelier place.’ The country’s most eminent Archbishop lives here and the Romans resided here long before them. There’s an avant garde jazz style named after the city, and Christopher Marlowe drew huge inspiration from his birth place. Throw in a vibrant student population, inspiring Kent countryside and a vigour to make things happen, and it’s no wonder that Canterbury has become one of the brightest places in the south east for quality, innovative and inspiring art and culture.
This year’s Canterbury Festival is evidence of that. The multi arts festival takes place every year, and every year becomes bigger and bolder in its diversity and calibre. Kicking off on Saturday 17th October with street performances, the programme includes creative writing and literary debates with Save As Writers, humour and laughs with Andy Hamilton and Austentatious, a hilarious improvised comedy inspired by Jane Austen, and the controversial sounding Opera Naked. A fascinating programme of talks includes Julie Summers exploring Women on the Home Front and Anthony Stattin looking at the early life of T.E. Lawrence. A number of walks will introduce visitors to the city and residents to its hidden secrets, whilst the beautiful Cathedral plays host to the Canterbury Cathedral Choir and London Choral Society to perform Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
With over 200 events taking place, there’s a lot to choose from, and the varied and brilliant fortnight of arts will see over 60,000 people visiting the city. Tickets are available here.