Back the Bid!

We’re backing the bid – in fact, as mentioned previously, we’ve even contributed to the consultation process. So please join us! If Tower Hamlets won the title of London Borough of Culture for a year it would be brilliant for our local arts scene, bringing in more funding and much wider recognition.

You can pledge your support here.

East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK

Rehearsing for East

Here are some photos from rehearsals for East’s next performance, an evening of songs and stories from people living, working or otherwise connected to East London. It’s going to be a lovely night and we hope to see you there! 10th Nov, Rich Mix at 7pm, as part of A Season of Bangla Drama.

Here’s the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/618550445201568/

And here’s the info on Rich Mix’s website: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/theatre/east

A Season of Bangla Drama 2017 Sharing Day

Some of the group from East – the storytelling group we run in partnership with BSK – joined other theatre companies from A Season of Bangla Drama 2017 yesterday, to get to know each other and see extracts of work in progress. It was a great day and a great chance to meet some very lovely and talented people!

East will be performing at Rich Mix on Nov 10th at 7pm. More info here: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/theatre/east

Photo: A Season of Bangla Drama

London Borough of Culture (fingers crossed)

Tower Hamlets is bidding to be London Borough of Culture in 2019 or 2020. This is really exciting. It’d be amazing if we get it but, even if we don’t, the work going into the bid will still be beneficial. Already, it’s created new networks in the borough, the research results will be really helpful, and there’ll be some exciting projects that emerge from it. On the other hand, we might win!

Anyway, Daedalus has contributed to the research and general knocking around of ideas, but the bid team also need to hear from individuals in the borough. Please do your bit by completing their survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TPMPMBW

Thanks!

Mile End Park, photo: Paul Burgess

The MIU at the Propeller Foundry

Artist and Black Smock Band member Andy Bannister, designed our Mobile Incitement Unit. It’s on display this weekend as part of open studios at Acme, Childers Street, where Andy has a studio. The studios are in an old propeller foundry, and there around about 130 of them. Definitely worth a visit!

More info on Andy’s website.

Here’s Andy with the project’s director Paul Burgess. Photo by Martin MacFadyen.

So, what did you think?

Thanks to all of you who came to see the Mobile Incitement Unit! If you didn’t get a chance to give us any feedback after the show, please get in touch to let us know your thoughts. You can use the very quick survey form below or just send us a message here or via social media. The project hastag is #mobileincitement.

Here’s our (very short) Mobile Incitement Unit Feedback Survey.

Your opinions are hugely important to us because, after all, it’s you we’re making our work for.

Mobile Incitement – into the final week…

As you must already know by now, we’ve brought together South London’s premier gay socialist folk band (probably) The Black Smock Band and C17th rebel Mr Gerrard Winstanley to save England’s radical history from oblivion.

And now we’re into the final week of production, making our final tweaks and getting ready to share our work with you.

The Mobile Incitement Unit will be taking over Ovalhouse Car Park on Thurs 21 with performances at 6:30pm and 8:30pm and Festivals Hub, Atlantic Road in Brixton on Friday 22 with performances at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. You can also visit Mobile Incitement Unit to make a placard, write song lyrics and share your stories of protest from 3pm on Fri 22 at the Festivals Hub.

Free Entry. No booking required.

Lots more info here on the Ovalhouse website.

And here’s the Facebook event page for Thu 21 and for Fri 22.

A Report on Silk River

As Kinetika’s incredible Silk River project moves on to Greenwich, here’s a blog about yesterday’s events, for which we advised on music and facilitated the involvement of The Black Smock Band. The band supported young people from A Team Arts in their street performances as the Silk River walk passed through Tower Hamlets.

Here’s a photo of the band in action (credit Payam Torabi).

 

Silk River

We’re excited to be part of Kinetica’s Silk River Project, linking the Thames with the Hooghly River in India in an international celebration of the silk trade. We’ll working with our regular collaborators The Black Smock Band to support young people from Tower Hamlets’ A Team Arts with street performances as the project passes through the borough tomorrow.

More info below…

 

Day 2 – 16th Sept Tower Hamlets