Dhaqan-Illustration-by-Maya-Mihindou

The Platforma festival is produced by Counterpoints Arts every two years in a different part of England, in partnership with organisations, artists and venues across many different art forms.

The 7th Platforma festival will take place across the South West, to showcase the brilliant work being made, develop networks and capacity, and to share practice.

While the focus will be on organisations and artists from within the region, it is also a chance to feature those from elsewhere across the UK and internationally, to forge new connections.

With more than 30 events across 5 weeks, it will be the biggest Platforma ever. We believe it can also be the most impactful – at a time when the perspectives, opportunities and connections that arts and culture can bring are urgently needed.

Platforma feature article by BBC Bristol

Events calendar

For more information contact hello@counterpoints.org.uk

PROGRAMME LISTINGS

30 September and 1 October: Core: Electronic Music Workshops (Redruth, Cornwall)

1-31 October: Good Evening We Are From Ukraine – Photography exhibition by Frankie Mills at (Ivybridge and Paignton Libraries, with Libraries Unlimited)

1 October: Celebrating the Arabic Speaking World – Try your hand at calligraphy, sample snacks and hear poetry (Bristol)

4 October: Come We Grow  – A sharing event celebrating the end of the Hip Hop Gardens programme working with a group of young people with refugee backgrounds by May Project Gardens (Bristol)

5 October: Creating Connection – Inspiring a shared vision for the arts, refugees and asylum seekers (Swindon)

6-7 October: Ellipsis by Belén L.Yáñez – An interactive audio experience devised as a walking tour (Plymouth)

7-8 October: The South West SIM Project install Memories in Motion at the BOP Festival (Bristol)

7-28 October: Gwyrdh Glas Workshops (Redruth, Cornwall)

10 October: Palestine Comedy Club at the Palestine Museum (Bristol)

12 October: Theatre of Migration – Carlota Matos and Hiba Elhindi discuss the ethics of working with migrants in theatre, chaired by Vandna Mehta (Bristol)

13 October: Soumik Datta Arts present an evening of music, networking and the launch of their Green Room project (Stroud)

15-18 October: The South West SIM Project workshops (Bristol)

18 October: Picturing Displacement – A symposium with four photographers, alongside a month-long exhibition of their work (Bristol)

20-21 October: The Creative Sanctuary –  Online seminars exploring the story of Dartington Hall in Devon as an important place of sanctuary for refugees from Fascist Europe, including many artists (online)

20-21 October: Ellipsis by Belén L.Yáñez – An interactive audio experience devised as a walking tour (Swindon)

21-22 October: Flamm – Two new commissions addressing themes of heritage, language and migration by Cornwall-based artists Abigail Reynolds and Sovay Berriman (Redruth, Cornwall). CORE by Abigail Reynolds will take place on Saturday 21st October. Gwyrdh Glas (tr. Green Green) by Sovay Berriman will take place Saturday 21st October  – Sunday 22nd October.

21 October: CROWN//تاج  – The UK’s first touring production by Company Scheherazade, combining classical Persian dance, contemporary dance, and Sufi movement (Dartington)

21 October: Mohand and Peter – With humour and visual poetry, Mohand and Peter will take you on a theatrical road trip through Sudan (Bristol)

21 October: Humanity Hotel : Feasting – Bringing together asylum seekers, refugees and local residents to celebrate the diversity of our cultures (Winford)

22 October: Sudafest: Hope and Healing – A celebration of Sudanese storytelling, live performances and music (Bristol)

28 October: CROWN//تاج  – The UK’s first touring production by Company Scheherazade, combining classical Persian dance, contemporary dance, and Sufi movement (Bristol)

28-29 October: Dear Laila – Art installation by Basel Zaraa at The Palestine Museum that shares the Palestinian experience of displacement and struggle through the story of one family (Bristol)

31 October: Theatre, Food and a Culture of Belonging – Sharing practice with Trigger and Maison Foo (online)

3-4 November: Climate and Displacement Mini:Retreat (Stroud)

4 November: Re-imagine Community Practice: Cooperation Disco + Arty Farty Karaoke (Bristol)

5 November: Name Me Lawand – documentary film about a young Kurdish boy seeking asylum with his family in the UK (Gloucester)

5 November: No Direction Home stand-up comedy featuring Sami Abu Wardeh (Gloucester)

As part of Platforma we ran an open call for two public art commissions in partnership with ArtReach for work exploring Climate Justice and Displacement. The selected artists are:

  • dhaqan collective, a feminist Somali art collective, who have constructed the House of Weaving Songs. The audio-visual outdoor installation seeks to preserve Somali nomadic culture and provide a sanctuary for our collective climate anxieties.
  • Kaajal Modi – a multidisciplinary designer, artist and creative researcher with over five years experience working through accessible modes to engage communities around the UK into important conversations about culture, sustainability and climate. Their co-creation practice incorporates illustration, live art, sound, video and workshops to create lively and situated encounters between people, organisms and ecosystems

More information about the presentation of their work will be coming soon.

Illustration credit: Maya Mihindou