The first Platforma Festival will take place in London across the week beginning 28 November, 2011. Bringing together performers, artists and organisations from across the UK, the Festival will be a celebration of the arts by and about refugees and a chance to discuss different aspects of artistic practice.
Like the Platforma project as a whole, the Festival will embrace as many art forms as possible including music, dance, visual arts, live art, film, spoken word and literature.
The primary venue will be Rich Mix in East London, close to major public transport links including Liverpool Street station.
The main elements of the Festival will be:
2-3 December: Platforma Conference
Two unmissable days for people interested in the arts by and about refugees. The conference will be lively, informal and infused with performance of all kinds. Contributors will come from all parts of the UK, with the programme shaped by the Platforma network of Regional Hubs.
28 November – 4 December: Counterpoint
A multidisciplinary event of work by and about refugees at Club Row, Rochelle School in London (just up the road from Rich Mix) – We invited proposals from visual and performance artists who are interested in and working around the issues of exile, migration, displacement and related issues to comment on these themes through painting, sculpture, photography, performance, sound or film. The line-up will be announced by the end of September. a selection of my work will be shown at the event. www.platforma.org.uk
2 December: An evening of acoustic and spoken word performance
A chance to relax and enjoy the wonderful variety of performances by and about refugees. Featuring musicians, poets , writers and performers from across the UK. Programming details and ticket prices to be confirmed.
3 December: The Platforma Festival Music Night
The Platforma Festival will climax with a celebration of music by and about refugees. Guaranteed to get you up off your feet and dancing along to music from all around the world. Programming details and ticket prices to be confirmed.