I share what I’ve been to, what I’m going to and what I’d like to see.
Seen 👀
Caleb Femi: STONE SEED with Danielle Wilde, Dillon Kalyabe, Latekid and Obinnaspeaks — Bold Tendencies (Peckham, London)
29 July
It’s true! I go to Bold Tendencies a lot. You’d go too if you had an amazing programme on your doorstep. I was really excited to see Caleb Femi — an award-winning writer, director and photographer who grew up in Peckham — but I wasn’t expecting the deeply moving and immersive experience that we experienced. A heady mix of performance, music, sound, and poetry, Caleb brought together some of the most interesting and powerful voices living in the UK and took us on a journey of heartbreak, fear, anger and love. Presented and produced by SLOGhouse and Bold Tendencies, if this is ever on again — see it!
Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes — South London Gallery (Peckham, London)
5 July – 29 Oct
I went back for the family day of Lagos, Peckham, Repeat and it was so great! Sound feels so important to this exhibition with Culture Tree doing a performance in Yoruba on the family day (usually Emeka Ogboh’s soundscapes of the city usually fill the space). Which made me think, why isn’t the soundscape considered more as part of traditional exhibition spaces? I think sound — like smell — is such a great way of transcending time and space, and rooting us or allowing us a new way to experience a moment or an artwork on a much deeper level. I loved the beer as well from the design to the taste — which like the soundscape was also made by Emeka Ogboh — and named after a Lagos saying (harsh but fair) ‘No Food for Lazy Man’. Before this exhibition, I didn’t know Peckham was known as ‘Little Lagos’ and afterwards, walking through Peckham where I spend so much time, I could finally see it!
Going to 👋
YesM8’s Rituals & Rhythms: Creativity and Movement Afternoon Retreat — Wonderful Things, Canning Town (London)
5 August
I really need this! It’s been a hectic time and I need to decompress. I connected with Poonam Dhuffer through her creative workshops at NOW Gallery a couple of years ago. Poonam has also collaborated with Selfridges and the V&A, and does some really interesting work around healing and connection through exploring our bodies and feelings, using breathing and creativity techniques. Over the years I’ve become really interested in the power of movement and breathing, so I’m really looking forward to this immersive experience and meeting other people on the retreat.
Wishing I was going to 😭
It’s the start of the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe so that’s where I’d like to be! But I would also like to be on holiday by an amazing beach. Maybe the Sunshine Coast where the sun might be despite it being the Australian winter. The sun is not shining in the UK at the moment!
