South Asia returns to Southbank
SOUTHBANK CENTRE ANNOUNCES ARTISTS FOR ALCHEMY
- Shreya Ghoshal, Zakir Hussain, Jaipur Literature Festival, Bishi, Nirbhaya, Aditi Mangaldas, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Desi Rascals, Maya Jaggi, Meera Syal and the synchronised swimming and dance production Synchronised among the highlights
Southbank Centre, Friday 15 – Monday 25 May 2015
Alchemy, Southbank Centre’s exploration of the cultural connections between the UK and the Indian subcontinent, returns for its sixth year (15 – 25 May) celebrating and exploring the region’s art, artists and society as a whole. Alchemy presents exciting collaborations and new work from both emerging and legendary artists, across art forms – dance, music, theatre, design, comedy and literature – as well as a stimulating programme of workshops, book clubs, talks and debates.
Festival highlights include:
- Internationally-renowned tabla musician Zakir Hussain traverses cultural boundaries for a concert with traditional Irish and Scottish musicians (21 May)
- Bollywood singer and playback artist Shreya Ghoshal plays the Royal Festival Hall for the first time, presented by Rock On Music (23 May)
- World-famous Jaipur Literature Festival returns for an expanded two-day residency exploring the themes of politics, economics, myth and migration (16-17 May)
- Searing Indian play, Nirbhaya, written and directed by Yaël Farber, returns to Southbank Centre investigating gender-based violence following the tragic events of the 2012 Delhi bus rape (21-24 May)
- Synchronised draws ticket-holders off-site to a sensational pool-based production combining synchronised swimming, kathak dance, as well as live music and song (23-24 May)
- Contemporary kathak dance projects: Aditi Mangaldas in Timeless (15 May); Sonia Sabri in Occasionally We Skype (16 May); and dancer/choreographer Nahid Siddiqui presents a work in progress, Maati – infusing the Sufi folk spirit of the Punjab (15 May)
- Director Gurinder Chadha hosts a Bend it Like Beckham talk with the musical’s director and Bhangra legend Kuljit Bhamra ahead of its West End premiere (17 May) as well as a panel with stars off the hit TV show Desi Rascals (23 May)
- Sixteen poets from India, Wales, Pakistan and Scotland collaborate to take part in City to City, the British Council’s first literary presentation at Alchemy (23 May)
- Hardeep Singh Kohli and Shazia Mirza perform the best in British Asian comedy in Alchemedians Live (24 May) with an accompanying comedy school for aspiring comedians led by Singh Kohli.
- London-based progressive pop multi-instrumentalist Bishi (25 May) and India-based experimental music pioneers Wild City (20 May) perform as part of the musical programme
- Engaging children’s show Arabian Nights (23-24 May) tells the story of Ali Baba, Aladdin and a genie
- British sarod maestro Soumik Datta plays his score to Satyajit Ray’s classic 1969 film King of Ghosts with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in a London premiere (19 May)
- Acclaimed sitar player Baluji Shrivastav workshops the first ever Urdu oratorio The Tragic Love of Sohini and Mahiva with Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli, choreographer Gauri Sharma Tripathi and puppeteer Jonny Dixon (17 May)
- UK’s first ever visit by Nrityagram dancers, direct from the world-renowned Odissi dance centre in Bangalore (19 May)
Talks and panel discussions are an important part of Alchemy and this year include cultural commentator Maya Jaggi leading an afternoon of discussions in the Purcell Room exploring Narendra Modi one year on. Actress and writer Meera Syal discusses her first novel in sixteen years The House of Hidden Mothers exploring the moving topic of surrogacy in India. Bloggers, Vloggers and the YouTube Generation, hosted by Noreen Khan and presented with BBC Asian Network, introduces leaders of online commentary; professional newshound Nihal discusses 50 Years of Asian Programming on the BBC; and the LGBT community debates cultural and political issues in Making Progress or Losing Ground followed by a club night to cap off the day.
At the heart of Alchemy there are a range of free events. Southbank Centre’s foyers will be transformed with art installations from UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and India, including photo exhibition The Singh Project, an interactive installation Pother Golpo - Street Stories of Bangladesh and Dil Phaink, an audiovisual showcase of Pakistani street culture, cult cinema, visual memory and matters of the heart. Marking 200 years of peace and diplomatic relations with the UK, Nepal is playing a part in Alchemy for the first time this year as artists and local school children collaborate to create traditional Mandala art installations taking over the Clore Ballroom and outdoor terraces. The latter three projects are in partnership with the British Council, currently in its fifth year of partnering with Alchemy. Minds to Lose in the Hayward Project Space is the first UK solo exhibition by multimedia artist Neha Choksi. Free foyer shows range from Kathakali, a traditional dramatic production dating back to the origins of Indian theatre, to a series of UK based contemporary musical artists Unnati Dasgupta, Shama Rahman and Project 12.
Street food inspired by the Alchemy countries is being served in the Festival Village and the Southbank Centre Square by Kerb Market.
This year sees Alchemy tour for the first time across the UK to Oldham Coliseum Theatre (Oldham), Cast (Doncaster) and Black Country Touring (across the Black Country). The productions on tour are Nirbhaya; Sonia Sabri with Occasionally We Skype; Colours of FrustrAsian directed by Kully Thiarai; Variety is the Spice, a music and comedy variety show with artists from the North West; and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli examining the relationship between food and cultural history in knives, forks and fingers.
Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, said: "Alchemy, now in its sixth year, continues to broaden the scope of its offering, not only in the wealth and diversity of cultural activities, performance, debate and learning, but in the new touring programme launched this year. This is a hugely exciting opportunity to collaborate with arts centres across the UK and extend the reach of Southbank Centre's acclaimed festival and artists to new audiences.
“I'm particularly proud that alongside an array of cultural events Alchemy also offers a platform to explore vital contemporary issues such as the 2012 Delhi gang rape in Yaël Farber's extraordinarily powerful play Nirbhaya and One Year On, a discussion around Prime Minister Modi’s first year in office. We have a responsibility to tell these stories, whilst celebrating our cultural connections, and the legacy and vitality of all this region has to offer."
With a range of both ticketed and free events, Southbank Centre will captivate the beauty, energy and enchanting work inspired by South Asia. For tickets please see:
www.southbankcentre.co.uk / 
0844 847 9910
# ENDS #
FULL EVENT LISTNGS ATTACHED
For further press information and images please contact:
Hugo Mintz, hugo.mintz@southbankcentre.co.uk / 0207 921 0917 and
Mary Rahman at MRPR mary@mr-pr.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, comprising three iconic buildings (Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery) and occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain.
Building on this rich heritage, Southbank Centre offers an extensive artistic and cultural programme including annual and one-off themed festivals and classical and contemporary music, performance, dance, visual art and literature and spoken word events throughout the year. www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Alchemy is on Tour
2015 will see the popular festival of South Asian culture tour areas of the UK, with partners Black Country Touring, Cast and Oldham Coliseum Theatre, thanks to support from the Arts Council England and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The festival will travel to areas in the Midlands and north of England, including Doncaster, Oldham and the Black Country, working as part of a jointly-led partnership to develop sustainable new audiences within South Asian communities, where there is currently low engagement within the arts.
Alchemy will also be staged in Scotland for the first time this year in a new partnership. The initiative will be presented by Glasgow Life and Celtic Connections in partnership with the British Council Scotland.
Southbank Centre’s Alchemy Partners
Alchemy has been developed since 2010 to the present day with support from a wide range of partners and collaborators including: British Council, Akademi-South Asian Dance UK, Pakistan High Commission, Wild City, Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network, DJ Nihal, Zee TV, Eastern Eye, Swaraj Music, Darbar Arts Cultural Heritage Trust, Fanaah Media, Asia House, Sampad South Asian arts, artist Vaiyu Nadu, SAMA Arts Network, artist/producer Kuljit Bhamra, artist Sangeeta Datta, Encee Arts, the British Pakistan Foundation, Satrangi Arts, Pan Asian Women’s Association, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Asian Music Circuit, Association Sargam, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Nehru Centre.
ALCHEMY 2015 LISTINGS
Music
UNNATI – INDIGO SOUL
Friday Lunch with MasterCard
Friday 15 May, 1pm, Central Bar at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Anticipating the release of her album “Indigo Soul”, Unnati performs with her band made up of keyboard, guitar and percussion.
PROJECT 12
Friday Tonic with MasterCard
Friday 15 May, 5.30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Project 12 is a mix of British musicians, self-taught as well as classically trained – both in the west and India.
ALCHEMY UNPLUGGED MUSIC LOUNGE
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, Riverside Cafe at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
A relaxed platform for new emerging artists and community groups to showcase the innovative musical forms and styles taking inspiration from South Asia. Dates and times vary, please see website for details.
BALUJI SHRIVASTAV AND DARIO MARIANELLI: THE TRAGIC LOVE OF SOHINI AND MAHIVA Work-In-Progress Presentation
Monday 18 May 2015, 7pm, Blue Room, Spirit Level at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £5
The world’s first Urdu oratorio is being created in this research and development showing of a new piece of work. The showing will be led by musician Baluji Shrivastav and Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli, dance by Gauri Sharma Tripathi, puppetry by Jonny Dixon, and a company of accomplished musicians from different traditions.
YORKSTON THORNE AND KHAN
Monday 18 May, 7.45pm, Purcell Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £14.50, £10
A collaborative group that includes Scottish folk singer James Yorkston; Suhail Yusuf Khan, an award winning sarangi player and classical singer from Calcutta; and Jon Thorne, best known as jazz double bass player with electro outfit Lamb.
Project presented in partnership with the British Council
SOUMIK DATTA AND LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – KING OF GHOSTS
Tuesday 19 May, 7.45pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £20, £15, £10
Set to the classic 1969 Indian art house film, Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, by Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, King of Ghosts weaves Soumik Datta's melodious Sarod and players from Southbank Centre’s resident orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, into a live atmospheric experience as scenes from the film are projected above the stage.
WILD CITY PRESENTS: ALTERNATIVE INDIA – SULK STATION, NICHOLSON & CURTAIN BLUE
Wednesday 20 May, 8pm, Front Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £10
An evening showcasing some of the most forward thinking and cutting edge sounds coming out of India.
ZAKIR HUSSAIN: PULSE OF THE WORLD
Thursday 21 May 7.30pm, Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £35 £30 £20 £10
A brand new cross-cultural performance featuring the globally renowned Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, together with an array of Scottish and Irish traditional musicians including Patsy Reid (fiddle/viola), Charlie McKerron (fiddle), Ross Ainslie (small pipes/whistle), Matheu Watson (guitar, mandolin), John Joe Kelly (bodhran), Michael McGoldrick (flute, pipes and whistles) and the beautiful Hebridean singing of Jenna Cumming. They will be joined by Indian stars selected by Hussain: Kumaresh (violin), Rakesh Chaurasia (bansura [bamboo flute]) and Navin Sharma (dholak) as well as the spectacular sound of the drum corps of the Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band.
Originally produced by Celtic Connections and Serious.
SHAMA RAHMAN
Friday Lunch with MasterCard
Friday 22 May, 1pm, Central Bar, Royal Festival Hall, Free
Shama Rahman sings with her sitar mixing music from English, Bengali, Bulgarian and West African folk traditions, with jazz improvisational textures and urban world beats.
FRIDAY TONIC: THE ALCHEMY EDITION
Friday Tonic with MasterCard
Friday 22 May, 5.30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Join DJ’s, young singers, beatboxers, dancers and fashionistas for a special sonic and audio-visual Friday Tonic. Urban Vani is followed by a street fashion show.
BBC ASIAN NETWORK PRESENTS: THE FRIDAY NIGHT DJ MIX
Friday 22 May, 9pm-12am, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
A range of DJ talent presents the best of new, unsigned and up-and-coming British Asian music.
SHREYA GHOSHAL
Saturday 23 May, 7pm, Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £130, £125, £100, £75, £65, £55, £10
Rock On Music will join Southbank Centre in welcoming the new nightingale of India, Shreya Ghoshal to the Royal Festival Hall for the first time.
CLUB FUTURE
Saturday 23 May, 9pm – 1am, Front Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Age: 18+, £8
Bhangra and Bollywood beats will fill the room at this gay and lesbian club night as part of Alchemy. A vibrant evening packed with dance floor fillers featuring Garage, R'n'B and Hip-Hop and Asian favourites.
BISHI
Monday 25 May, 7:00pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £12.50, £10
Multi-instrumentalist, Bishi, sings and plays sitar whilst immersed in visuals, projected over and around her to form an environment of ever shifting lines and perspective. The uniquely integrated music, technology and performance presentations have received glowing reviews from art galleries to concert halls worldwide.
Dance and Theatre
NAHID SIDDIQUI: MAATI
A Work-In-Progress Dance And Music Presentation
Friday 15 May, 6pm, Blue Room, Spirit Level at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £5
Pakistani Kathak dancer and choreographer Nahid Siddiqui returns to London to give insight into the creation of her new work based on the writings of 17th century Sufi poet Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah.
TIMELESS: ADITI MANGALDAS DANCE COMPANY
Friday 15 May, 7.45pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall
Classic and contemporary Indian dance are brought together to explore the idea of time. Made up of seven male and female dancers, the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company uses classical Indian Kathak dance in contemporary context, together with percussion and vocals, to produce a richly textured and multilayered dance production.
ADITI MANGALDAS: MASTERCLASS
Saturday 16 May, 4:30pm and 5:30pm, Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Following the UK premiere of the Company’s exquisite Timeless performance at Alchemy the previous night, renowned Kathak dancer and choreographer, Aditi Mangaldas and associates give two workshops:
Beginners: 4.30-5.30pm
Anyone with any level of experience is welcome to join in and try this beautiful classical dance style.
Advanced: 5.30-6.30pm
A chance for proficient kathak dancers to work with some of the company’s unique repertoire exploring the classical form in a contemporary context. Please bring kneepads and bells.
VEIL: AN INSTALLATION PIECE WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
Saturday 16 May, 10am-10pm (installation), 2.00pm, 4.00pm, 6.00pm (performances), Sprit Level Blue Room at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Installation: Free, Performances: £10, £5
As part of an installation, a number of British Muslim women were interviewed and their voices recorded. Moving around, you hear their stories and get a glimpse into what it means to be a Muslim woman in Britain today.
BODYLINE: ANKH DANCE
Saturday 16 May 2015, 4pm, 6:30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
ANKH presents a new dance performance, Bodyline, choreographed by Southbank Centre artist-in-residence, Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Ten dancers explore different dynamics and contrasting movement styles, slow and fast, shadow and light, reality and illusion, maintaining the traditional kathak dance form whilst creating a new vocabulary.
OCCASIONALLY WE SKYPE
Saturday 16 May 2015, 8pm, Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, £15, £10
Dance, music and theatre combine to explore existence in a digitally connected world. The show combines Kathak dance, spoken word and theatre with live music and digital projection – and features performers armed with iPhones.
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM MUSICAL: WORKSHOP
Sunday 17 May, 5:30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Director Gurinder Chadha hosts a Bend it Like Beckham talk with the musical’s director and Bhangra legend Kuljit Bhamra ahead of its West End premiere.
UNITED COLOURS OF FRUSTRASIAN
Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 May, 7.30pm, Blue Room of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £10
Five artists explore their personal journeys in a witty and poignant exploration of identity that fuses live music and storytelling.
NRITYAGRAM: SAMYOGA
Tuesday 19 May, 7:30pm, Purcell Room, at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £22.50, £10
Nrityagram’s first ever UK performance as part of Alchemy 2015. A world-renowned centre for the practice and teaching of Odissi dance, based outside Bangalore in India, their holistic practice has earned them an international reputation.
NRITYAGRAM: MASTERCLASS
Wednesday 20 May, 5pm-6:30pm, Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Performer from Nrityagram on Tuesday 19 May will teach some basic phrases, incorporating yoga, martial arts and Western methods of body conditioning. Open entry but some experience of dance necessary. Led by Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy.
KNIVES, FORKS AND FINGERS
Thursday 21 May, 6.30pm, Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
India passes many of its traditions from mother to daughter, perhaps most crucially that of food. Food is all about stories and, for the immigrant generation, a fundamental axis between heritage and the here and now. Knives, forks and fingers celebrates the timeless bond between the generations of women through food.
OF ANOTHER WORLD: A TALE OF MIGRATION AND BELONGING
Thursday 21 and Friday 22 May, 8pm, Blue Room, Spirit Level at Southbank Centres Royal Festival Hall, £14
This collaboration between award-winning poet and playwright Avaes Mohammad and theatre makers Waxbaby Productions pairs a live actor with a carved marionette, and employs shadow puppetry and projection, to tell the stark tale of what life is like for a newly arrived immigrant.
KATHAKALI: THE TRADITIONAL DANCE DRAMA OF KERALA, SOUTH INDIA
Saturday 23 May, 11am – 6:30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
A company of Indian performers present the vibrant art form of Kathakali. Kathakali embraces dance, drama, music, visual arts and ritual to create a powerful form of visual performance dating back to the origins of Indian theatre.
ARABIAN NIGHTS
Saturday 23 May-Sunday 24 May, 11am and 2pm, Blue Room, Sprit Level at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Ages: 5+, £14
Classic tales of Ali Baba, Aladdin and a genie retold for children with music and puppetry.
MY BIG FAT COWPAT WEDDING
Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 May, 2pm, Level 5 Function Room at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £20
A new interactive comedy-theatre piece featuring plenty of mishaps and misunderstandings. Based on real-life experiences of mixed marriages and city dwellers out of their comfort zones at a rural wedding, this is a light-hearted exploration of relationships across the rural/urban, race and gender divide. Presented by Kali Theatre
SYNCHRONISED: THE UNIQUE POOL-BASED SPECTACULAR
Saturday 23, 5:30pm, 7:30pm and Sunday 24 May 2015, 2pm, 4:30pm, Orchard Lisle Swimming Pool at Guy’s Hospital £10
Synchronised draws ticket-holders off-site to a special show combining synchronised swimming, kathak and contemporary dance, as well as live music and song. Directed and choreographed by Balbir Singh with music composed by Jesse Bannister.
NIRBHAYA: WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY YAËL FARBER
21, 22, 23, 24 May, 7pm, Purcell Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, 16+ £22.50, £10
A dramatic performance based upon a true incident and the life events of the performers. On the night of December 16, 2012 a young woman and her male friend boarded a bus in urban Delhi heading for home. What followed changed the lives of these two people and countless others forever. Will be BSL interpreted on 24 May.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE
Monday 25 May, 5pm, Purcell Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £15, £10
The best in British Asian entertainment unite to showcase their different talents in a line-up featuring bands, online sensations and TV stars. They include singer-songwriter Hussnain Lahori; Michael Jackson dance duo, Signature, of Britain’s Got Talent fame; and British-Asian musicians Alpha Nomega.
YUVA: SOUTHBANK CENTRE AND AKADEMI YOUTH DANCE COMPETITION
Monday 25 May, 11:30am – 6.30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Watch soloists and groups perform kathak, bharatanatyam and more. Following the success of recent years, Southbank Centre’s YUVA returns to Alchemy for the fourth time, but on a larger scale. This year they will collaborate with Akademi and an additional competitive element.
Comedy
ALCHEMY COMEDY SCHOOL WITH HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI
Sunday 24 May, 5:45pm-6:30pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free
An open call for applicants has been shortlisted to eight finalists, who are invited to attend a comedy masterclass. A pool of emerging British Asian comedy talent from across the UK has been uncovered and supported through this project led Hardeep Singh Kohlil, produced by the Southbank Centre, Cast, Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Black Country Touring.
ALCHEMEDIANS LIVE
Saturday 24 May, 8pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £17.50, £10
An evening of razor-sharp humour from the best of the British Asian comedy scene. Hardeep Singh Kohli introduces guests including Shazia Mirza.
Literature and Talks
50 YEARS OF ASIAN PROGRAMMING ON THE BBC
Friday 15 May, 7.15pm, Purcell Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £10
BBC presenter, DJ and professional newshound Nihal leads a debate to mark this historic moment in UK broadcast culture asking if British Asians feel represented in the television they watch.
JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May, 10.30 – 6pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, Day pass £20, Weekend pass £35
This two-day residency gives an insight into 'the greatest literary show on earth'. It showcases South Asia's multilingual literary heritage, oral and performing arts, books and ideas, dialogue and debate, Bollywood and politics. This year the Jaipur Literature Festival is expanded –it has themes of politics, economics, myth and migration as well as live music from 6pm on Sunday.
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM MUSICAL: WORKSHOP
Sunday 17 May, 5:30pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Director Gurinder Chadha hosts a Bend it Like Beckham talk with the musical’s director and Bhangra legend Kuljit Bhamra ahead of its West End premiere.
GRAPHIC TALES: THE ART OF THE SOUTH ASIAN GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sunday 17 May, 4-5:30pm, Sunley Pavilion at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free, but ticketed
This informal illustrated panel discussion will be an opportunity to hear from some of the graphic novel artists participating in the festival. The artists will give an insight into the work they have made for Alchemy as well as their work more generally to give a sense of the rich diversity of this narrative art form.
THE CORIANDER CLUB: A MASTERCLASS AND CONVERSATION
Tuesday 19 May, 1:00-2:30pm, Roof Garden at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free, but ticketed
A masterclass in growing kodu (a typical Bengali vegetable) led by Lutfun Hussain, founder of the Coriander Club. The Coriander Club is a group of 25 Bangladeshi ladies who participate in a successful and popular gardening project, based at Spitalfields City Farm.
MEERA SYAL IN CONVERSATION WITH MAYA JAGGI
Wednesday 20 May, 7pm, Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £10
In her first London appearance for the novel, Syal will be in conversation with the award-winning cultural journalist Maya Jaggi about the ethical and artistic dilemmas of portraying the lives of the poor in fact or fiction. Meera Syal's third novel, The House of Hidden Mothers, is a wrenching tale of a couple in East London desperate for a child, and the surrogate mother in rural India who seems the answer to their dreams.
BOOK CLUB: KATHARINE BOO – BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS
Wednesday 20 May, 7pm, Sunley Pavilion at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
A discussion of Katherine Boo’s award-winning account of life in a Mumbai slum. Behind the Beautiful Forevers won the National Book Award 2012 and was adapted by David Hare for the National Theatre.
BOOK CLUB: MONICA ALI – BRICK LANE
Thursday 21 May, 7pm, Sunley Pavilion at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Monica Ali discusses her modern classic Brick Lane which brings the immigrant milieu of East London to life. It tells the story of teenager Nazneen, finds herself in an arranged marriage with a man twenty years her senior.
STORYSLAM: LIVE
Thursday 21 May, 7pm, Level 5 Function Room at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £8
For the 4th Alchemy StorySLAM:Live, writers will present a 5 minute short story on the theme of 'Transformation' to a panel of literary experts.
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP WITH YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN: FOOD AND MEMORY
Saturday 23 May, 1-3pm, Sunley Pavilion at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, £12
A workshop inspired by The Settler's Cookbook, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s personal story of the food and recipes her family have shared together. The book tells the history of Indian migration to the UK via East Africa.
CITY TO CITY: POETRY FROM INDIA, PAKISTAN, WALES AND SCOTLAND
Saturday 23 May, 4.30pm, Front Room of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free
Leading lights from the next generation of poets from India and Pakistan, along with contemporaries from Wales and Scotland recently returned from residencies in Mumbai, Kolkata and Lahore, are united onstage for an afternoon feast of readings and discussion.
Project presented in partnership with the British Council
MAKING PROGRESS OR LOSING GROUND: LGBT ASIA
Saturday 23 May, 6–7.30pm, Level 5 Function Room at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall £12, £6
Alchemy hosts a discussion on gay marriage legislation in the UK and its impact on British Asian communities. Global context will also be touched on, following India’s re-criminalisation of homosexuality - punishable by up to ten years imprisonment.
BLOGGERS, VLOGGERS AND THE YOUTUBE GENERATION
Saturday 23 May, 3pm at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £10,£8
BBC Asian Network presenter Noreen Khan hosts a discussion with leading figures in the virtual world of on-line entertainment and commentary. The session will give the opportunity to hear from this new generation of British-Asian cultural explorers and to discover some of the secrets behind the popularity of this phenomenon.
MEET THE CAST: DESI RASCALS
Saturday 23 May 2015, 7.15pm, Front Room of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £5
Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) in a question and answer session with cast members from Sky Living’s first real-life drama series, Desi Rascals. Chronicling the lives of a multi-generational cast within the British-Asian community, the series is filmed in the suburbs of West London. The series is rooted in the social media landscape, shot in real time and uses social networks so the cast can interact with Sky Living customers as their lives unfold on screen.
INDIA’S CULTURE WARS: ONE YEAR ON
Sunday 24 May, 2-3:30pm, Purcell Room at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, £15 £10
From rebranding yoga to 7,000-year-old aeroplanes, the Indian government of Narenda Modi has fuelled the history wars with Hindu nationalist rallying cries and curbs on freedom of expression. But what are the costs of these culture wars and the denial of what President Obama has described as India’s ‘magnificent diversity’?
Art & Design
THE SINGH PROJECT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMIT AND NAROOP
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-11pm, Blue Side Foyer of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Photographed by Amit and Naroop in their studio over a period of a year, the men who feature in this project include businessmen, boxers, IT professionals, doctors, fashion stylists, temple volunteers, magicians and a host of other occupations, all adapting and interpreting the Sikh traditions in their own way.
3 X 4: CONNECTING AUDIENCES IN DELHI AND LONDON
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-4pm, Green Side Foyer of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Audiences in Delhi and London are invited to experience, perform and play in a shared digital space. Two identical installations measuring 3x4 metres will be draped in special fabric to create a mixed-reality live video connection, allowing audiences at Southbank Centre, London and an arts venue in Delhi to coexist and interact with one another in the same 3x4 metre room. The installation will connect the two cities, live, 6 hours per day.
Project presented in partnership with the British Council
POTHER GOLPO: STREET STORIES OF BANGLADESH
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-11pm, Green Side Foyer of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
An interactive installation and exhibition which showcases newly commissioned work by a select group of three UK and three Bangladeshi graphic novelists. The installation will recreate a typical Bangladeshi street scene, with 2D buildings, street furniture, cars, bikes and pedestrians on specially designed installation pieces. The installation will be accompanied by live events.
Project presented in partnership with the British Council
VEIL: AN INSTALLATION PIECE WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
Saturday 16 May, 10am-10pm (installation), 2.00pm, 4.00pm, 6.00pm (performances), Sprit Level Blue Room at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Installation: Free, Performances: £10, £5
As part of an installation, a number of British Muslim women were interviewed and their voices recorded. Moving around, you hear their stories and get a glimpse into what it means to be a Muslim woman in Britain today.
KARACHI STORIES: FOUR NEW SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-11pm, Foyer at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Using skills in creative documentary developed through workshop training, these filmmakers tell stories of the city they live, love and work in. Films include The Lost Jewish Garden by Fahad Shaikh, Urgent Photo by Danial Shah, Not Out by Ali Ahad and Graveyard for Giants by Madeeha Syed.
Project presented in partnership with the British Council
MANDALA – FLOOR ART FROM NEPAL
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-11pm The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
Nepali artists Deepak Kumar Joshi, Nima Gyamcho Lama and Prachanda Shakya create a unique, site-specific artwork at the heart of the Royal Festival Hall.
SIDDHARTHA DAS STUDIO: NARRATIVE GEOMETRIES
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-11pm, The Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, Free
This installation takes inspiration from India’s rich genre of visual storytelling, from historical scroll paintings to contemporary urban imagery. Incorporating contributions from design and architecture students from India and the UK, this specially commissioned artwork merges architectural forms with photographic, painted and graphic imagery.
DIL PHAINK: AN INSTALLATION BY PEACENICHE
Friday 15- Monday 25 May, 10am-10pm, Foyer of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free
An audiovisual showcase of Pakistani street culture, cult cinema, visual memory and matters of the heart, presented by PeaceNiche, a Karachi-based organisation promoting democratic discourse and conflict resolution through intellectual and cultural engagement.
FIVE NATION FILM
Sunday 22 May, 7:15pm Front Room of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free
Short films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are celebrated in an evening curated by artist and filmmaker Magda Fabiancyzk.
NEHA CHOKSI: MINDS TO LOSE
Thursday 30 April - Sunday 14 June, Hayward Gallery Project Space, Free
Minds to Lose marks the first UK solo exhibition by multimedia artist Neha Choksi (b. 1973, lives and works in Los Angeles and Mumbai). A trilogy of recent video works (drawn from performances) will be presented, together with a new performance devised for the Hayward Gallery Project Space.
Food Markets
KERB DOES ALCHEMY: AN EASTERN FOOD ADVENTURE
15-25 May, 12-5pm except Friday and Saturday 12-8pm, Southbank Centre Square and Festival Village
London food pioneers, KERB, are progressing their offering to bring something special to this year's Alchemy. This will be an 11 day Eastern food adventure played out as a market. KERB will cluster together street food traders, out of town mavericks, restaurants and friends of KERB to make one big spread of spice, heat and flavour for everyone to come and enjoy. DRINKS: There will be a special IPA bar, a gin & tonic bar, a lassi station and chai-wallahs on the move to restore and revive. FOOD: Expect to graze from Kothu Kothu, Dosa Deli, Horn OK Please, Baba G's, Papi's Pickles, The Peckish Peacock and 20 more eastern spice merchants. GAMES: Anyone for cricket?
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