Virtual Migrants

art, digital media, performance exploring race, migration, environment, global justice

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Poetic, filmic, visual & rhythmic responses to BREATHE!

Excited to invite you to our event on Friday 15th May online on Zoom or FaceBook Live at 7:30pm
A Numbi-Virtual Migrants-XR Tower Hamlets collab
feat. a stellar lineup of local/global artist + film premiere of BREATHE!

Join live audience on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/511372970

Raffle ticket & donation link: https://tinyurl.com/y7p8yn6q

Proceeds from the event will benefit NUMBI Arts.

BREATHE!
Development – Exclusion – Community – Environment – Resistance
a documentary of a protest/performance project in a public community garden
by Virtual Migrants and Numbi with XR Tower Hamlets, the Women’s Environmental Network and local people

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Breathe! reconnect: recover: reclaim social space

Virtual Migrants and Numbi Arts presents:

BREATHE!
reconnect: recover: reclaim social space

 

artwork: Amber Perrier

 

“Breathe!” takes inspiration from Numbi‘s legacy of local/global art for change and Virtual Migrant’s methodology of protest performance, to explore the internal and external space of our communities, calling attention to the privatisation and commodification of social spaces.

The history of struggle, resistance and community in East London is rich and vibrant. Yet perhaps now more than ever, our communal spaces are under pressure. The whirlwinds of rising property prices, rents, gentrification, surveillance and over-policing are destroying connections with neighbours and breaking up long standing communities; spaces that we rely on for solidarity, health and conviviality; places where we can meet, connect, share food, dance, sing, breathe.

 

Through a FREE one day creative workshop (as part of Arts Admin’s #2DegreesFestival) with artist/ activists we will explore and create performance artworks on the themes of reconnecting to community and reclaiming social space, to be performed in a location the following week.

WORKSHOP – Sunday June 2nd 2019
12pm – 6pm
@ Rich Mix, 39-47 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6LA

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PERFORMANCE – Sunday June 9th 2019
– meet at 11am  – location tbc (3 hours)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS 

Virtual Migrants connect art, digital media and performance with new aesthetics and perspectives exploring race, migration and global justice. They create, exhibit, perform and distribute work that can be installed in galleries, performance venues, public or community spaces.

www.virtualmigrants.net | @VirtualMigrants (Facebook) | @VirtualMigrants (Twitter)

Numbi Arts CIC is a non-profit organisation based in London that creates cross-art projects and works collaboratively with artists, educators and peer organisations, providing a range of inspiring opportunities for communities to engage with local/global art for change, contemporary arts and heritage. Somali-originated African-centred, with globally inclusive programming and outlook. 

Numbi.org | @numbiarts (Facebook) | @numbiarts (Twitter) | @numbiarts (Instagram)

To sign up please send us your details via this online form

#2DegreesFestival

This event is also part of #NumbiFest 2019.

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Continent Chop Chop documentary re-launches critical climate justice creativity by Virtual Migrants

Around the end of 2015 Virtual Migrants toured Continent Chop Chop, an innovative theatrical performance which is now the short film – the Continent Chop Chop documentary.  This film exposes the complex process involved in making an authentic artist-activist statement that avoids being didactic, doesn’t pull punches, and steers away from the common trappings of climate change art and performance.

Here it is, please leave comments below or watch it directly on YouTube and leave comments there: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPKS3IobTk.

Background to the Continent Chop Chop Documentary

‘Continent Chop Chop’ is a touring transmedia production linking narratives of climate change to the broader issues of poverty, race and social justice. Using interwoven narratives portrayed through music, poetry, and projected imagery, it will ask:

  • Continent Chop Chop documentary - still from the performance by Max FarrarWho controls the narrative of climate change?
  • 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?

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.

Featuring commissioned work from guest artists:

Nnimmo Bassey, a leading environmental activist who has won a number of awards and has played leading roles in Friends Of The Earth International, Oilwatch Africa and the Global South Network.

Zena Edwards, a London-based performance poet, writer and musician and creative director of Conversations: Verse in Dialog; Re-Imagining Arts In Action; The Fury Project; The Poetic Debaters.

Visit www.virtualmigrants.net/continent-chop-chop for more information about the project.

More is coming…

Virtual Migrants have been involved in a number of small interventions and mini-projects over the last two years, and have been working on organisational development over the last six months in preparation for sustained and focused slate of projects which will begin to emerge soon.  If you liked watching our work in the Continent Chop Chop documentary, please watch this space and see you soon!

Photo Gallery of Continent Chop Chop show in Leeds

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Stand up for La Guajira!

The Threepenny Festival Association, Virtual Migrants, Rainbow Collective, Voices That Shake!, with the London Mining Network and War On Want created an artist led intervention in the protest outside the BHP-Billiton Annual General Meeting in London on October 19th. A map representing villages displaced by the Cerrejón open cast mine was created and rolled out in front of the entrance to the conference hall, leaving shareholders with the choice of confronting or dodging their complicity. The film was made alongside this process, documenting the struggle of the WaYúu people, and calling for action.

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Mining as Neocolonialism – Stories of Resistance

Members of the Threepenny Festival and Virtual Migrants have to got together to perform songs, poetry and music for this event on October 19th at UCL in London – there will also be a special surprise! Come and show solidarity for communities affected by mining at this event, featuring speakers from indigenous communities in Colombia and Brazil. For more information click here.

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Photo Gallery of Continent Chop Chop show in Leeds

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.

Photo Gallery:

Click on any image to view the photos in a nice and cool large-size slideshow.

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Continent Chop Chop | Climate justice performance

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

Continent Chop Chop climate justice performanceClimate 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/continent-chop-chop

LIST OF PERFORMANCES IN 2015:
Ticket prices and ticketing details here

Saturday 31st October, 7.30pm
Kirklees Media Centre, Huddersfield  http://www.the-media-centre.co.uk

Saturday 7th November, 6 – 8pm
Highfields Centre, Leicester  http://www.highfieldscentre.ac.uk/home.html

Tuesday 10th November 6pm  (excerpt as part of ‘Dance The Guns To Silence’)
Rich Mix, London  http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/dance-the-guns-to-silence-ii/

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.lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk/

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/continent-chop-chop
Information on our participatory workshops to be announced soon.

Continent Chop Chop climate justice performance - funders and partners logos

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NNIMMO BASSEY award-winning African climate activist: help make a film about his work

Nnimmo Bassey crowdfunderCardNNIMMO 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…]

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CONTINENT CHOP CHOP: climate justice film project on Indiegogo

Nnimmo Bassey with international activist Vandana Shiva

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.

What is CONTINENT CHOP CHOP?

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.

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Cultural consciousness: Poster Film Collective in the 80s and other online pieces

Selected posts by Kooj Chuhan recently on Virtual Migrants’ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VirtualMigrants :

Poster Film Collective cultural consciousness in the 80s

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?

Migrant crisis: tackle the cause and not the symptom?

The Chance Or Choice report suggests long term answer lies in [Read more…]