Recognising the need for single mothers to have that much needed mental, emotional and spiritual support, the Only Giving Back Unconditionally Colllective, fronted by Chimna Orji have returned with their second project, Haven Nurture, a relaxing escape for young single mothers. Taking place at the Battersea Arts Centre, the therapeutic event will continue on with OGBU’s mission of supporting their local community, having previously created care packages for NHS workers during the pandemic last year. Ahead of the retreat this year, Chimna tells us more about this very thoughtful initiative!
Exploring her own personal experiences of being misunderstood for her learning disability, writer and performer Charlene Salter, in collaboration with Access All Areas present The Interrogation, a bespoke interactive audio experience also drawing on real life cases of learning disabled people unfairly criminalised. Having already toured Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, The Marlowe, The Lowry, Tobacco Factory Theatres, the experience will also show at Battersea Arts Centre and Rich Mix. Charlene tells us more about exploring this important topic via audio technology.
Returning with their hyper local radio show Radio Local; creatives Jenny Hunt and Holly Darton stop off at Nine Elms to bring listeners a mixture of gameshows, song requests, news bulletins, interviews with influential residents and more – ‘celebrating the joys and necessity of local radio and community.’ Ahead of their Nine Elms visit, Jenny and Holly tell us more about the show!
There is a delicate intimacy which explores time, storytelling and what makes something feel like home to Autoreverse. All the while Florencia Cordeu makes us feel at home in her curation of memory and how we relate to past versions of ourselves.
Courtesy of Helen Murray
Within the UK, we often find we learn and hear about international conflicts via the news, online and print media. The role of technology playing a crucial role in us all finding out what’s happening, yet simultaneously creating a barrier between us and those directly impacted by said conflicts. Drawing on the use of technology to report on such issues, Artist Caroline Williams talks about her show ‘Now is the Time to Say Nothing’, co-created with Syrian Filmmaker Reem Karssli and currently playing at the Battersea Arts Centre.
A show about trust, intimacy and vulnerability presented through an overtly playful and ironic questioning of performance and the relationship between audience and performer, I think.
“The old days are gone” – in today’s world of political and social upheaval this line can be applied almost anywhere in the world currently, but in war torn Syria the words of filmmaker Reem Karssli’s grandfather sound even more pertinent.
Marking 35 years since the influential poetry organisation formed; creating a space for emerging artists to hone their craft, Apples and Snakes acknowledges this exciting achievement by curating an immersive production taking over the newly renovated Battersea Arts Centre. Rallying Cry, just like Apples and Snakes is a call for vibrant, non-apologetic voices that disrupt the norm, fighting for equality. Apples and Snakes’ Associate, Roger Robinson celebrates over 3 decades of writing and spoken word poetry, having performed with influential bands, touring internationally with the British Council, been featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s New Generation Poets collection and having been chosen by the arts organisation Decibel as one of their top 50 influential Black British writers. A project that witnesses emerging and established spoken word talent collaborate, Robinson talks about what audiences can expect.
Hi Roger! You’ll be performing in Apple and Snakes’ event Rallying Cry from the 4th to 6th October. How do you feel ahead of the performance?
Following its huge success in Edinburgh in 2017 , Adam finds its new home at the recently renovated Grand Hall of the Battersea Arts Centre.
The mythical Phoenix, rising from the ashes is emblematic in everyday culture of something that is destroyed and then reborn. It was after a massive fire engulfed and reduced Battersea Art Centre’s historic Grand Hall in 2015 that a Phoenix rose in the form of a hashtag, #bacphoenix, which inspired thousands on Twitter in an outpouring of generosity and support.
