South Asian Ambassadors

Feedback

2007-05-30T12:37:00.001Z

The following are a selection of comments left in the comments book about the exhibition 'Layers & Threads':

Very good compositions, sharp images and a brilliant outcome

Excellent work by up and coming artists

Really impressive display of an increible range of artists

Excellent effort by all the contributors. I have felt at home at least for a few minutes. We want to see more of these exhibitions (Cllr Norbury Ward)

A fantastic event, should be advertised better. It has evoked for me the sense of culture & identity which I am proud of. Congratulations and well done to ALL concerned. I will look forward to future notices of your forthcoming plans (Cllr Bensham Manor Ward)

It's a wonderful event, well organised and skillfully put together

It is fascinating and brilliant

Very well put presentation of asian roots and new asian work

Very good layout with interesting images and concepts

Absolutely brilliant. Things like this make you keep the faith with Croydon

Nadia's photos are stunning, beautiful & dramatic. I hope she has a great career

Inspiring. Love idea behind exhibition until I got to female soft porn. Should I be looking at her breast or her face?

Interesting & imaginative to see asian cultural art from young british artists. Would love the opportunity to do something similar

Brilliant work - I love your meditation place. I could come here everyday!

The work was brilliant and very inspirational. I loved seeing different asian cultures all within one roof

I really love all the pictures especially the paint wall

Superb excellent amazing you are awesome totally inspiring work shame about the mounting but your work is ace

liberating, thoughtful and fun desi style. well done

very tasteful and elegant (proud to be an asian woman). My daughter loved it

Very vibrant, visually and creatively. I love visiting this exhibition - very therapeutic and gives me lots of inspiration. Thank you!

Good (must have taken ages to make)

Infectious beat!

Overall, a good exhibition. It would be nice to have more info about the sound of the drum

lovely experience

This is a beautiful portrayal of what is amazing about cultures across the globe. Thank you (ps. I would love to meet Bula Agbo, the artist whose words and art touched me)

What a splash of beautiful culture!

I really enjoy the environment. I suggest one very important factor which is missing, the social awareness specially in Croydon of the greatness, wonderful religion ISLAM

I like the ambiance provided in this quiet corner of Croydon library and it made me think and feel tranquil. Excellent presentation

I liked the paint explosion picture it looks like a massive firework!

So interesting and varied and illuminating

Fantastic photographs showing the diversity and beauty of Asian women

Great. I wish all the writing was available in leaflet form and pictures

Just a word of appreciation to say 'wonderful'! Especially impressed by photo prints of Nadia Mussani - to say she is 'Kenyan Asian' is meaningless as to deny her roots of Indian sub continent

Enlightening to see a natural and accessible presentation into a small window of asian life

It's terrible they (the younger folk) do not know about the poems, plays etc of R.Tagore

I am 18 "i.e. younger folk" and I know about the plays of R.Tagore. Don't judge everyone!

Pretty exciting exhibition, like a bouquet of flowers, neatly arranged, beaming out the diversity of their colours and fragrance. Keep us the good job!

I particularly enjoyed the work of Nasreen Memon. I like the concept of creating a sacred space within a sacred space - an art gallery. But somehow your sacred space is welcoming and loving whereas art galleries can be so cruel, unwelcoming and almost clinical. I thought that having the sounds of the family also brought a new energy into the art space, and the drumming reminds me of my body, like my breathing and heartbeat. Visually decorative and colourful, this exhibition captures the essence and diversity of asian culture. I think it's great that different cultures can share something of themselves with others and this is a true celebration

Layers & Threads Exhibition

2007-05-30T12:01:00.000Z

Entrance

Wide view of entrance

Work by Nadia Mussani

Work by Uz Afzal (Left), Bula Agbo (right)

Right wall

Work by Jigna Chandaria

Comments book

Work by Shiroma Ratne

Work by Shiroma Ratne

Work by Shiroma Ratne (detail)

2 works by Rabindranath Tagore

Video/text based piece by Tania Rahman

Work by K G Subramanyan

Work by Nasreen Memon

Work by Nasreen Memon

Work by Shameem Sanoon

Bengali Folk Art sculptures

Work in progress

Wall painting

Wall painting

Wall drawings by Bula Agbo

Layers & Threads

2007-02-19T15:03:00.000Z

Here is the latest update on where we’re at with the South Asian Ambassador Exhibition.

The exhibition officially opens on Thursday 5 April. We will also hold the Private view on that evening.
Please whatever you do, even if you are not exhibiting any work, do make yourself available for the private view.

On April 3 and April 4 we will be getting the work into the gallery and there might be a possibility of a group workshop (to create a display on the walls) on either or both of these days – so again, please keep them free if you can!

The date for submissions of work is Monday 12. So far we know that Jigna, Tania, Nasreen and Nadia are definitely creating works for the exhibition. Please contact me and Bula as soon as possible with your brief, outlining the plan for your work and the medium you will be using.

Akber, Pritti, Nihar, Berni and Moksha - it would be superb if you would also like to contribute some work – if you would like to add ideas or develop an idea with myself, Bula or any of the other ambassadors just shout! Remember, it is your exhibition so now is the chance!

The official title of the exhibition will be Layers & Threads and this is intended as something of a metaphor for describing the complexity of local South Asian culture, in terms of ‘layers’ of influences (i.e. both western and eastern) and ‘threads’ of culture that remain constant despite change.

A very short listing (due to a new style brochure) will appear in April’s Clocktower brochure.

We have permission to display the 2 original works by Tagore (we will get special insurance for the exhibition in this case and there will be some restrictions in terms of lighting levels in the gallery). This will mean that the exhibition instantly has appeal to people that know his work and it might be an idea to think about how we might involve the Bangladeshi community in this exhibition? Could we invite a group of Bangladeshi’s of all different age groups to an art workshop where they create something for the exhibition in response to the 2 works by Tagore?

Worried that there won’t be enough submissions, but also as a means of drumming up more interest and making new contacts, I have sent an advert to the local press looking for interested people. On Wednesday and Friday this week it will appear in the Croydon Post and The Croydon Advertiser respectively. This advert is attached to the email if you want a look.

Please send your brief as soon as possible to me and Bula who is curating the exhibition (her email address is pepperton1@yahoo.co.uk).

2007

2007-01-04T16:14:00.000Z

Happy New Year to you all!

As you may have noticed the blogger seems to have changed! I needed to update my account and I expect you will to, in order to post anything! Please do it.

Firstly, great news! Funding for SATTC (South Asian Touring Theatre Consortium) has been granted for the next 3 years....it hopefully means there will be more great South Asian theatre and opportunities for us to work more closely with some of the companies involved...more about this later!

Other than supporting the work of these companies when they come to the Clocktower, our other aim for the year is to raise our profiles as ambassadors of the Clocktower. I hope we can begin to do this by creating an interesting exhibition of artwork based around the current (abstract) theme of 'layers' and ideas about our community. It is planned that there will be a short series of artistic workshops led by local South Asian artists where we'll share, develop and create our own individual or group works (from photography or poetry to painting and sculpture). Please begin to think of ideas for work inspired by and hopefully reflecting our local community and fitting in with the theme or idea of 'layers'. The first workshop will be in decoupage (or the art of layering photographs with materials) and will take place in late January/early February.

The next bit of news is sad. Jonathan Kennedy is leaving the Clocktower at the end of the month, to become chief executive of Tara Arts (Ironically, one of the most established and successful of the South Asian Touring Theatre Companies). He was one of the founders of SATTC and will still be involved with the consortium at Tara Arts (so we won't lose touch).

The date of the next meeting will be Wednesday 17th at 6:30pm in the Workshops. At 8pm we can see the performance together, Memoirs de la Nuit, if you can stay. Look forward to seeing you soon.

NOVEMBER 10th (Meeting)

2006-11-14T10:44:00.000Z

Friday's meeting was almost a washout! First the show (Darwaza Khula Hai) was cancelled and then only 3 Ambassadors turned up. However, on reflection it wasn't such a bad thing and it forced us to get real about the exhibition's timescale. We decided that there's no way we could turn round a fantastic exhibition in Space C by early February + create all the publicity! It also makes sense to time an exhibition created by the SAAmbassadors around the public live event in May 07. Hence, I took our reflections to Jonathan Kennedy who will change the dates accordingly (tba).

At Friday's meeting were Nadia, Moksha, Nasreen and myself. We concentrated on finding a theme for our exhibition - and although we didn't come up with anything solid and conclusive, we did agree that the exhibition should reflect South Asian diversity and be a celebration of culture in Croydon. Nadia spoke about her work as an artist and described the wonderful techniques she uses to create 'layered' photographs that use all kinds of materials to convey particular expressions or moods (these are often produced as gifts). From this we were inspired by the idea of inviting local South Asian artists to portray Croydon's SA community.
Some ideas for who the artists might be at this stage include, Sohail Anjum (photographer), Parminder Sekon (photpgrapher/actress) and of course yourselves, the Ambassadors! This will involve some research and decision as to who we might approach. We decided to meet again on Tuesday 28th November at 6pm to advance our plans further and then we can also stay on and see Too Close To Home together.

Since the meeting.......

Nasreen has been thinking about the concept for the exhibition and the word that came to mind was layers. rather than rip off one person's specific idea of layering a photo, she likes the idea of taking the term and applying it to differnt mediums. She likes the idea of making a short film that would use the notion of layers. She has also been talking to a few SA artists to see who might be interested in contributing......

Last night's meeting (16/10/06)

2006-10-17T10:18:00.000Z

Last night we began planning a South Asian Ambassador Project.

The project will include:

An 8 week exhibition in Space C from Feb 2nd - 30th March 2007
A one off live event in the Theatre on Saturday 19th May 2007

The reason behind the project is twofold, to engage new audiences and develop ambassadors own arts practice. Ultimately, it is your project, so creative decisions should come down to you and the team! These include......ideas for exhibition and event content, which arts organisations and companies we invite to perform and which responsibilities you personally want to shoulder.

Here are our notes from last night's meeting (which we might call our first official project meeting!):

Aims:

To create an Ambassador exhibition in Space C (theme & ideas to be discussed)
To hold a one off live event in theatre (either a whole day or 2/3 hours)

Objectives:

Develop ambassadors own skills and knowledge (particularly in a specific area of arts practice that they would like to focus on for this project)
Develop closer ties to local arts organisations, companies and groups
Celebrate rich diversity of arts practiced by S.Asian local community
Bring S.Asian arts groups and organisations together to share and experience work
Provide a public performance opportunity for local groups wanting to showcase what they do
Promote the work of the Clocktower to new audiences and develop the interest of the existing audience
(feel free to add any others)

Agenda items (Space C):

Photography
Caricatures
Pottery & sculpture
live drama/spoken word
(It would be good to put the exhibition into context. I wondered if we couldn't unite everyone's work around a single theme, image or idea for instance? Could we create an installation to house each individual work? Could this be an exhibition based on your own aspirations for instance? Could you set yourselves your own artistic challenge and combine this with something you want to say? This is open for discussion)

Agenda items (Live event):

Dance
Music
Drama
Comedy
Magic
Massage
Yoga
Mehendi

Programme options for one-off live event on 19th May:

Whole day event (where audience are free to come and go)
2-3 hour event with an interval or two

Please keep blogging your thoughts, ideas and suggestions............

Next Meeting!

2006-10-09T14:08:00.000Z

Is everyone coming to the next Ambassador Meeting on Monday 16th October 6:30pm – 8pm Workshop 1?
If you’re staying to see The Trouble with Asian Men afterwards at 8pm – just to warn you it’s doing well and there are only about 50 tickets left – so do grab your free ticket before they all go!

The Tuesday performance has 8 tickets left, so if you can urge anyone to see it please recommend them the Monday night! And don’t forget to tell them about the 2 for 1 special offer with the postcards (available in the Clocktower).

Look forward to seeing everyone! Please bring your usual enthusiasm and we’re gonna have a round table (well actually, it’s a square table) discussion about our ideas for a South Asian Ambassador event (or exhibition) in 2007. So come armed with ideas and comment!

The Trouble With Asian Men

2006-09-25T14:03:00.000Z

Hi everyone.

Minutes from the last Ambassador meeting on Friday 15th September:

Private tour round the brand spanking new Museum of Croydon
We talked about the possibility of a South Asian Ambassador' Exhibition in 2007
Looked at the upcoming shows and in particular, The Trouble With Asian Men and Too Close to Home

We then ran out of time! But went to see The Specialists in the theatre....which was weird and personally speaking, a good laugh. What did you lot think??? The blog is a perfect place to stick a review up!

So the next meeting is on Monday 16th October in Workshop 1 from 6:30-8:00pm. Come armed with some suggestions and ideas for an exhibition of your own - that might be about what the South Asian Ambassadors do (i.e. write reviews, take photographs of shows, organise events like the stall at the Mela, design flyers etc etc) or based around another theme altogether.....!

If you have ideas or comments you want to convey sooner than next meeting - just blo 'em here or email me.

Oh and gooooood luck Berni (say, I do!!!!)

2006-09-25T13:59:00.000Z

The Trouble with Asian Men
(review from The Stage, Sep 06)
That researchers rather than writers are credited with this interesting short piece is due to the fact that the verbatim technique is employed, in which actors perform exactly what they hear through their earphones - interviews recorded on minidisc by researchers - and reproduced by the actors.
It is a style well suited to the subject matter and admirably played by the actors, though Jo Harper, standing in for Louise Wallinger, who actually introduced the technique to the company, has a small voice even for an intimate space such as the Arts Depot’s studio.
The episodes related by the actors are quite fascinating, covering attitudes from all sides, parents, children and outsiders such as the English girl who has married an Asian man. And what is remarkable are the similarities with the attitudes of earlier immigrants, for instance the Jews.
Like them, Asians usually have a strong family structure, with traditionally minded parents at some odds with their offspring, the former anxious to maintain the traditional lifestyle, including arranged marriages, the latter eager to sample the more free delights of British life.
Though tensions inevitably arise, there is a general air of good humour, an acceptance that these people are ready and able to take advantage of the opportunities to improve their lot, even if the men find it difficult to give up some of their privileges.
It certainly owes a good deal to the actors, who respond eagerly to the unusual mechanism of the piece, with Ajay Chhabra, Divian Ladwa and Sonia Likhari illustrating a wide variety of relationships and making it evident that the majority of Asians will succeed because of their energy, while retaining their own identity.

THEATRE....anyone?

2006-08-31T10:37:00.000Z

Would anyone like to go and see a reheared reading (with movements) of Indo-Pak's latest new play Friendly Fire? On at the Rudolph Steiner Theatre, London on Sunday 24th September. It would be a chance to witness their brand of theatre that I believe, touches on political issues quite closely and would be a good indication of what Darwaza Khula Hai will be like in November. There will also be a rehearsed reading of Too Close to Home coming up at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in early October if anyone fancies it. Plus.....would anyone like to go and see The Trouble with Asian Men at Soho Theatre in September with me and Jonthan Kennedy? We haven't booked a date so if anyone has any preferences let me know.

FESTIVAL 06

2006-08-22T11:37:00.000Z

Photos from this year's Summer Festival. Too bad the photographer only came by once!

AUTUMN SEASON 06

2006-08-02T09:52:00.000Z

Dear Ambassadors

Hi how are ya? I've just got back from a holiday in France (hidden away in the middle of nowhere) and a weekend in Derby attending a Sikh wedding with over 1000 guests. After the stormy excitement of the Summer Festival the holiday in the french countryside couldn't have been more contrasting. By the way, a big thank you to all my helpers at this year's festival! The Ambassador stall by all accounts was a huge success (thanks to your wonderful outreach work and loud mouths!) and I've already spotted 2 of our drawstring bags about town (worn proudly around the shoulders by those who won them)! I have been wearing mine as I cycle to and from the Clocktower as I attempt to stop at as many traffic lights as I can to get the word out there. The only bad news regarding this year's Summer Festival was the promotional flyers for our S.Asian events that didn't turn up on time! So now we have 5,000 flyers sitting on my desk at the moment - which badly need distributing (more about that later).

The new season at the Clocktower begins in September so here are the dates for our Ambassador meetings (all take place from 6pm onwards with a performance at 8pm which I hope you can stay to see):

Friday 15th September (with The Specialists at 8pm)
Monday 16th October (with The Trouble with Asian Men at 8pm)
Friday 10th November (with Darwaza Khula Hai at 8pm)
Wednesday 13th December (with The Impossibles at 8pm)

As far as this Summer goes - has anyone been to see any shows? Any festivals, performances or community events? Did you get to the G.O.A festival any of you (Bernie?) or any of the Melas around the country? I'm looking forward to hearing from you.........and I'll blog again soon!

2006-07-11T15:15:00.000Z

Saturday (World Party)

1pm - 2pm nihar
2pm - 3pm nihar
3pm - 4pm nasreen
4pm - 5pm
5pm - 6pm nasreen
6pm - 7pm
7pm - 8pm

Sunday (Mela)

1pm - 2pm nasreen
2pm - 3pm
3pm - 4pm
4pm - 5pm nasreen / moksha
5pm - 6pm nihar
6pm - 7pm nihar
7pm - 8pm

Above is the timetable for volunteering at the Summer Festival at Lloyd Park this weekend. Please let me know if you can help out at any of the times unfilled (and please also read post below) Thanx!

CROYDON SUMMER FESTIVAL

2006-07-11T12:11:00.000Z

Hi everyone!

At the meeting last night we made final arrangements for our participation at the Croydon Summer Festival. As Ambassadors our main goal at the World Party and the Mela will be to promote this Autumn's Live Events. I would dearly love to give you all the latest Clocktower Theatre & Music magazine but unfortunately it isn't back from the printing press yet! It will definitely be with us by Saturday though. As a back up I will post a few details below about what we already know about the 4 South Asian performances. I will also attempt to post a spreadsheet (!!!!how, ooo, arh, eee!!!!) timetable of when we'd like you to volunteer your help. And if you want to help out please email me the times you'd like to do. It would be great if you could volunteer 2 hours (1 hour to be at the stall and 1 hour to go around the festival giving out free prize vouchers - but some of you won't fancy that so that's OK too).

The plan is to have a stall quite near the entrance of the event (near the Clocktower information tent). There should be at least 2 Ambassadors (South Asian and/or Young Ambassadors) at the stall at all times (I will be around all day) - we will have magazines and promotional fliers to give out. The fliers will promote the key South Asian performances and the key performances for young people at the Clocktower this Autumn. The flier above shows the S.Asian live events.

The Trouble with Asian Men Macho men or metrosexual guys? Mummy’s boys tied to the apron, or house husbands under the thumb? These thriving, sassy and spirited men have come a long way, but they’ve all got roots!

Self-made entrepreneurs, pukka professionals and successful executives with their Mercedes Benz lives and designer clad wives…but does the fire still burn in their bellies?

Using only the testimonials of real people, award-winning theatre company tamasha (creator of Strictly Dandia and the original East is East) lifts the lid on modern-day Asian men in this revealing and hugely entertaining new show. Husbands, fathers, brothers, friends and colleagues…you might just recognise someone you know!
“You can bet that whatever is on the cutting edge of multicultural Britain, tamasha have sensed it.” The Herald http://www.tamasha.org.uk/

Zoe Rahman Described in The Observer newspaper as “one of the finest young pianists in Europe”, Zoe Rahman has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars on contemporary jazz scene. In the words of critic Sholto Byrnes (Independent on Sunday) her new album, Melting Pot, “confirms the pianist as a distinctive voice on the British jazz scene”. The album has been hailed as “one of the most distinctive piano trio albums” (Jazzwise magazine), a “fantastic new album” (Courtney Pine, BBC Radio 2), and “in every way, an impressive sequel to her debut” (Jazz Review).

“Rahman is the brilliant young Asian pianist who is finally beginning to receive the acclaim she deserves. A former Perrier jazz musician of the year, she studied at the prestigious Berklee music school in Massachusetts and has since built up an interesting CV, playing punky worldbeat with Terry Hall and Mushtaq, trancey Arabic folk with singer Reem Kelani, and superior hard bop with drummer Clark Tracey, as well as writing for the theatre. Unlike many of her contemporaries she eschews jazz’s current obsession with the three Bs – Bach, Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans – in favour of a highly individualistic, vibrant style (she plays as if in love with the very sound of the piano), occasionally hinting at Monk or Alice Coltrane but remaining determinedly original. She plays with a compelling drive and shifts effortlessly between meditative and hypnotic pieces, pulsating and tricksy modern bebop, rumbling South African themes and off-beat improvisational lines as heard on her superb recent album ‘Melting Pot’ www.zoerahman.com

DARWAZA KHULA HAI (The Door is Open) Performed in Hindi/Urdu
Set in a Council house in London, Darwaza it tells the story of Bhabo, her two daughter-in-laws, Marzia and Shazia and her friend Rahiman. The character’s stories unfold gradually. Bhado is a traditional wife and mother. Marzia has arrived from Pakistan and hopes for a life of freedom and fulfilment. British-born Shazia want to be a good wide. Rahiman is an independent woman and sexually liberated. By using projected film sequences, this drama portrays the predicament of Asian women and their relationships to men in their lives. The heartbreak lies in the knowledge that many have no other option but to yield to their wishes as society often suppresses their desires for liberation. A daring, yet subtle exploration of sexuality within the Asian community. (No website)

Too Close To Home In a world of extraordinary events, an ordinary Muslim family gathers during Ramadan. During a long day’s journey into night, buried secrets are not the only ones exposed. Rani Moorthy brings her generous warmth to a family catapulted into crisis. As attitudes to Islam divide the generations and a new world challenges religious identity, this powerful drama asks ‘Do you really know what is going on under your own roof?’

“Rarely have I seen such talent or intimate contact with the pulse of this nation” The Independent
This is Rasa’s third visit to the Clocktower after the success of Curry Tales and Pooja. http://www.rasatheatre.co.uk/

NEXT MEETING news!

2006-07-03T15:08:00.000Z

Next meeting is on Monday 10th July at 7pm (meet in the balcony bar). We'll make final arrangements for the Croydon Summer Festival Action Plan and I'll update you on where we're at with our promotional tools! Other than that it'll be another chance to socialize and have a chat about what we're all doing. Bernie sent an email around about the Big Goan Festival on Sun 23 July - here's what she wrote (hope some of us can make it along - sounds great!):

Hi all
As promised here is the link for goan events happening in the next few weeks. Maybe we could arrange for a group of us to meet at the Goan festival, which is a bit like the Mela just purely Goan!!!
There will be lovely food on sale and drinks and entertainment and it will be a great chance for you to experience Goan culture at its best. If you are planning on coming there are great transport links and cars cost £2 to come in and £1 per person.

Here is the link

http://goanvoice.org.uk/forthcoming.php

Berni x

2006-06-30T11:54:00.000Z

Here's a sneaky peak at just one of the birds who'll be at the show this weekend!

ALMOST SOLD OUT

2006-06-30T11:27:00.000Z

Hey everyone! G'day Nasreen on the run. My urgent appeal is to get as many of ya down to the Clocktower as possible tomorrow night to see PHOENIX. Tonight is virtually SOLD OUT as is tomorrow afternoon but the evening performance isn't doing well.....I know I know there's football on...But no one will miss England perform as it will be well over by the time PHOENIX begins! So please try and come down tomorrow night and tell as many people as you can - truly, it's looking like a great show (over 25 performers and a giant burning bird!). Hope to see most of you tomorrow :-)

2006-06-29T18:12:00.000Z

Thanks for setting this up Olly. Just a mundane message (running for a train to York) to test it out. Hope to see some of you tomorrow night if I get down from York in time. If not, will make a stab at getting there for sat - it does sound like a bit of a landmark...

You have NEW MAIL!

2006-06-28T14:48:00.000Z

Hello everyone. Here's our new space where we can post thoughts, ideas, comments, messages, photos, dates for the diary and any other information we need to spread! It's late in the day so I won't post anything too thoughtful right now - but tomorrow I'll add some stuff to the page like events news and pictures and I hope you all sign up real soon so we can get going! Here's to the South Asian Arts Ambassadors then!...should I have mentioned the Clocktower somewhere??? Do check out the Young Arts Ambassadors Blog at this address: croydonnow.blogspot.com (it's only been going about 10 days)