On 12th February 2015, Maria Balshaw was interviewed By Radio 4, she talked about the very diverse communities in Moss Side on their doorstep and stated “We want to give something back to Moss Side”.
This was in answer to the question about the Whitworth Art Gallery being about catering for all walks of life. She is now to be promoted to the top job of director of the Tate. We wonder what people from Moss Side think about her publicly broadcasted statement?
Earlier this year we were involved in a research project devised by the University of Manchester Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice and a series of interactive drama-based workshops led by Theatre in Prisons and Probation to faciliate conversations about radicalism.
The project was devised as ‘a collaboration between young people, school staff, interdisciplinary researchers, and creative artists, that focuses on developing an inclusive and open discussion about how schools approach extremism that speaks to, and is led by, young people’.
The government’s Prevent strategy has been accused of being more damaging than enabling; acting as a mechanism of exclusion that represses rather than encourages conversation. It was fascinating to hear the views and frustrations of teachers and pupils in dealing with Prevent and Safeguarding legislation highlighting even more the need to “talk about this”.
Here’s the poem that [Read more…]
Following our recent tour, here is a photo gallery of Continent Chop Chop as it was performed in Leeds, all photos by Max Farrar. We are going to add more updates about that tour as time goes on, as well as details of what we are currently developing. For full details of the Continent Chop Chop project, go to http://virtualmigrants.net/continent-chop-chop/ or locate the project in the drop down menu above.
Click on any image to view the photos in a nice and cool large-size slideshow.
…an alternative to the usual festive items for those of a conscious disposition…
OUT NOW! only £15.99 including free delivery [Read more…]
We have received the following call for creative contributions from Jennifer Heath and are posting it as an interesting and potentially worthwhile project (with the disclaimer that we know very little about the project):
Call for Photos and Artwork
Nowhere to Run: Climate Refugees
Contact: Jennifer Heath, Baksun Books & Arts for Social & Environmental Justice
baksunarts [at] aol.com
Nowhere to Run: Climate Refugees is seeking eye-witness accounts of the experiences of people forced to leave their homes and communities because of climate change and environmental degradation, whether from flood, drought, storm, rising sea levels, deforestation or agricultural uncertainty. Climate refugees, also called environmental migrants, are found worldwide in places of both privilege and poverty (ranging from New York to Bangladesh). There are said to be at least 50 million environmental refugees today and the United Nations predicts the number could grow to 120 million by 2050. [Read more…]
CONTINENT CHOP CHOP
austerity, refugees and climate destruction: a story told through music, poetry, transmedia and spoken word
With performances currently touring from October-December 2015 in Manchester, London, Liverpool, Huddersfield, Leeds and Leicester. Tour dates and tickets
Climate justice stories from across the world weaved together via Afrobeat influences, experimental electronics, English Folk and deconstructed imperial anthems.Continent Chop Chop asks: What are the connections between climate change and poverty? How does the wider climate of austerity and scapegoating of migrants connect with climate change? And why should anyone care when they don’t have enough to eat?
Featuring commissioned recordings and footage from Nnimmo Bassey, a Nigeria-based leading environmental activist, and from Zena Edwards, a London-based performance poet, writer and musician.
A performance project by the Virtual Migrants collective.
Devised and led by Sai Murray (writer, performer), Aidan Jolly (musician, composer) and Maya Chowdhry (transmedia artist). Supporting artists: Tracey Zengeni (vocals, performer), Jaydev Mistry (musician, digital soundscapes), Kooj Chuhan (video artist), Mazaher Rafshajani (photography and video).
Directed by Amanda Huxtable.
Full details of Continent Chop Chop climate justice performance at: www.virtualmigrants.net/
Saturday 31st October, 7.30pm
Kirklees Media Centre, Huddersfield http://www.the-media-centre.
Saturday 7th November, 6 – 8pm
Highfields Centre, Leicester http://www.highfieldscentre.
Tuesday 10th November 6pm (excerpt as part of ‘Dance The Guns To Silence’)
Rich Mix, London http://www.richmix.org.uk/
Saturday 14th November, 7.30pm
Anthony Burgess Centre, Manchester www.anthonyburgess.org
Tickets: http://continent-chop-manchester.eventbrite.co.uk
Sunday 15th November, 3 – 5pm
The Lantern, Liverpool http://www.
Friday 20th November, 7.30pm
Seven Arts, Leeds http://www.sevenleeds.co.uk/
Thursday 3rd December, 6.30pm
Free Word Centre, London www.freewordcentre.com
Full details of the performances and online videos at www.virtualmigrants.net/
Information on our participatory workshops to be announced soon.
an exhibition by Virtual Migrants + performance / discussion events
on show at the Manchester Museum 10th October – 17th November 2013
migrant art – alternative connections – cultural boundaries
A rare exhibition of work by a new wave of visual artists whose experiences include life as refugees in the UK engaging with objects from The Manchester Museum
Opening event:
In Conversation with artists and curators plus live music from Emmanuela Yogolelo
Thursday 10th October, 6.00 – 8.30pm
FREE to attend, but please register at www.90degreecitizen.eventbrite.co.uk
Produced in partnership with Street Level Photoworks (Glasgow), Manchester Museum and GM Immigration Aid Unit. Part of Platforma 2013 national festival of arts and refugees.
Special performances / discussions on 10th and 30th October, starting at 6pm.
90 Degree Citizen presents artworks that resonate with experiences of migration and refuge. They represent a sample of a new wave of expression in the UK outside of the limitations of western art schools and markets, often with a greater interest in symbolism, narrative and cultural hybridity.
Exhibiting artists include [Read more…]
NNIMMO BASSEY is an award-winning African climate activist and poet: we want to make a film about his work and how it connects with austerity, refugees and our wider realities. Please spread the word about our crowdfunding campaign, or donate yourself if you can:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nnimmo-bassey-award-winning-climate-activist .
This film will be more than a film about a strong and critically important activist – which is worthwhile in itself. It will also connect Nnimmo’s work with immediate headline issues concerning many of us – austerity and refugees – and so will join some of the dots which many environmental films do not. [Read more…]
Nnimmo Bassey with international activist Vandana Shiva
We’ve launched a crowdfunder so that we can work with poet, author, activist Nnimmo Bassey. To support us click on the CCC logo on the right to go to Indiegogo.
For more information about the project click on the Continent Chop Chop menu.
A new transmedia performance by Virtual Migrants, touring from November 2015. It focuses on climate destruction and how it is linked to global austerity policies and refugees. It currently includes only a short voice-over from Nnimmo Bassey as a part of the story. We’ve launched a crowdfunder for this climate justice film project on Indiegogo. The new film created in collaboration with Nnimmo Bassey will become a centre-piece of the performance.
Selected posts by Kooj Chuhan recently on Virtual Migrants’ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VirtualMigrants :
Whose World Is The World by Poster Film Collective cultural consciousness in the 80s. Any parallels now? http://poster-collective.org.uk/whoseworld/index.php
These posters were often in the youth clubs and community centres that we worked in, running creative, campaigning and discussion activities focused on anti-racist and suppressed historical ideas and knowledge. They gave a continuity in the environment that the people who used the building could continue to reflect on after the activities and workshops, in an immediate and visual way without too much text clutter. I really think we need this kind of stuff again in our physical environment, maybe the digital world makes us forget these possibilities?
The Chance Or Choice report suggests long term answer lies in [Read more…]