Bloomsbury Festival Brochure 2022

Proud sponsor of the Bloomsbury Festival

BLOOMSBURY FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL PATRONS

Her Grace The Duchess of Bedford

The Rt Hon Keir Starmer QC MP

FESTIVAL TRUSTEES

Maurice Biriotti (Chair)

Stella Bruzzi

Kate Anderson

Tim Coker

Joe Hancock Nicole Logan

Nick Potter

Abigail Tan

FESTIVAL TEAM

Festival Director

Artistic Associates

Festival & Programme Administrator

Senior Programme Manager

Programme Managers

Digital Marketing Manager

Festival Press and PR

Designer

Rosalind Raine

Rosemary Richards

Bill Gee & Orit Azaz

Catríona Strojwas

John-Paul Muir

Junna Begum & Tamera Heron

Annie Le Santo

Mobius Industries

Gillian Allmark

Festival Production Manager Ed Borgnis

Production Manager Outdoor Events Jonathan Bartlett

Finance

Digital Production

New Wave Theatre Producer

Exhibitions Coordinator

Mark Sands

Ed Borgnis & Bobby Williams

Rosie Thackeray

Amber Perrier

Radio, Podcast and Digital Hosting John Offord

‘Platform’ Project PR and Partnerships

Volunteer and Box Office Manager

Vicky Wilford

Yanisa Phattharawat

Tickets/Info: bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

2022: Breathe

Welcome to Bloomsbury Festival 2022. This year we have been inspired by the theme of Breathe. The Festival includes over 100 events across 10 days, ranging from hard-hitting creative reflections on the environment to quiet moments of mindfulness.

We have an exciting mix of contemporary arts, music, performance, theatre, science displays, talks, walks and community events. Many are presented by emerging artists, writers and academics, others by established professionals, and some by the local community. We are delighted to receive support for our ‘Platform’ for emerging talent by Arts Council England, and this year we offer the start of what we hope will be an ongoing focus on Writers of Colour, which has developed from conversations with young residents of Bloomsbury.

Bloomsbury is a unique area, known internationally for its garden squares and stately buildings, its universities and its literary connections. But it is also an innercity area bordered by one of the city’s most polluted roads. There are many local

initiatives to improve the environment and our opening Store Street event celebrates Camden Council’s West End Project and the opening of Alfred Place Gardens.

Alongside the numerous regular venues offered by partners across Bloomsbury we are experimenting with our own new ‘fringe theatre’ venue at Dr Williams’s Library where we are presenting a programme of New Wave theatre.

I would like to thank all our Funders, Sponsors and Business Club members without whom we would not be able to offer this rich programme of events.

We do hope to welcome you to festival events across the 10 days and that you will join us in celebrating the creativity and innovations of Bloomsbury.

Rosemary Richards Festival Director

Welcome

bloomsburyfestival

bloomsburyfest

bloomsburyfestival

bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme, occasionally changes may occur that are beyond our control, including updates to government guidelines.

The programme is correct at time of printingcheck bloomsburyfestival.org.uk for updates.

Visit our Bloomsbury campus

LIVE EVENTS

Bloomsbury Festival 2022 is a 10 day festival of live events.

Please check bloomsburyfestival.org.uk for the most up-to-date information and for tickets.

PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

The festival continues to monitor public health arrangements for indoor and outdoor performance events. As the brochure goes to print we plan a full programme of live events.

DIGITAL EVENTS

We will be streaming some of our New Wave theatre and music events this year and hosting digital online coverage for schools for our Discovery Hub.

Look out for this symbol by events we plan to offer as digital options.

In 2022 we continue to broadcast news, interviews and information about our festival events in partnership with Bloomsbury Radio. Listen online at bil.ac.uk/bloomsburyradio

You can catch up with interviews and programmes about the 2022 festival and previous festivals on our podcast site: anchor.fm/bloomsburyfestival

This programme may be subject to change should the public health situation substantially change. Please see our website for details.

FREE AND TICKETED EVENTS

Many festival events are FREE to the audience.

FREE - Just turn up events do not require tickets. These events will be stewarded.

FREE - but pre-booking essential is applicable for many events that have limited capacities.

Some family and community events have a limited number of bursary places available.

Where this is noted by an event in the brochure, the festival covers the cost of your tickets. Please email admin@bloomsburyfestival.org.uk to apply. Bursary places are limited and are aimed at families or individuals who otherwise may not be able to attend events in the festival.

CONCESSIONS

Concessionary rates are shown in brackets where applicable. These apply to under 16s, full time students, unemployed, disabled people (unless otherwise stated).

ACCESS

Information is available from venue websites or from admin@bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

THE WEATHER

Our outdoor events will continue whatever the weather, unless safety is compromised.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

Look out for feedback forms at Festival events or fill in our online survey afterwards – we’d love to know what you think.

Map & Locations

1. Alfred Place Gardens WC1E

2. The Art Workers’ Guild

6 Queen Square, WC1N 3AT

3. Bedford Square Garden

Bedford Square, WC1B 3ES

4. Bertha Dochouse at Curzon Bloomsbury

The Brunswick, WC1N 1AW

5. Birkbeck Cinema

43 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PD

6. Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

235 Shaftesbury Ave, WC2H 8EP

7. Brunswick Square Gardens WC1N

8. The Building Centre Store Street, WC1E 7BT

9. Conway Hall

25 Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL

10. The Crypt Gallery

Euston Road (Entrance in Duke’s Rd), NW1 2BA

11. Dr Williams’s Library

14 Gordon Square, WC1H 0AR

12. The Foundling Museum

40 Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AZ

13. Goodenough College (London House)

Mecklenburgh Square, WC1N 2AB

14. Greater London Properties

65 Judd Street, WC1H 9RF

15. The Harrison Pub

28 Harrison Street, King’s Cross WC1H 8JF

16. Holborn Community Association

Holborn House, 35 Emerald Street, WC1N 8JU

17. Holy Cross Church

98 Cromer Street, WC1H 8JU

18. London School of Hygiene

& Tropical Medicine

Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT

19. Malet Street Gardens

8 Gower Street, WC1E 6DP

20. MechSpace, UCL 44 Wicklow Street, WC1X 9HL

21. Museum of Comedy

The Undercroft, St Georges Church, Bloomsbury Way, WC1A 2SR

22. The Music Room

49 Great Ormond Street, WC1N 3HZ

23. RADA Studios

16 Chenies Street, WC1E 7EX

24. Royal National Hotel (Blooms Café)

38-51 Bedford Way, WC1H 0DG

25. Russell Square WC1B 4JA

DISCOVERY

HUB (Thurs 20 - Sat 22 Oct):

26. Senate House, University of London

Malet Street, WC1E 7HU

27. SOAS, University of London

10 Thornhaugh St, WC1H 0XG

28. Spaghetti House Gallery

20 Sicilian Ave, London WC1A 2QD

29. St George’s Church Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury Way, WC1A 2SA

30. St George’s Gardens

Heathcote Street, WC1N 2NU

31. St Giles London Hotel Bedford Avenue, WC1B 3GH

32. St Pancras Church Euston Road, NW1 2BA

SPECIAL EVENT (Friday 14 Oct):

33. Store Street WC1E

34. Wellcome Collection

183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE

Pin positions are approximate - please check exact venue locations on a detailed map.

NEW WAVE: ART COMPETITION 2022

Winners Exhibition - Jan Pimblett, Glenda Frieder & Emma Todd

A exhibition of work from the three winners of the Bloomsbury Festival Art Competition 2022. Each has a focus on a different interpretation of this year’s festival theme ‘Breathe’

Spaghetti House Gallery

Sat 15 - Sun 23 Oct, 12noon - 6pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

Group Exhibition

A selection of work from the Bloomsbury Festival Art Competition 2022, showcasing the wide range of talent emerging from art courses across the city.

Bedford Square Gardens

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct; FREE - Just Turn Up

Bloomsbury Festival Art Competition and Group Exhibition 2022 is supported by The Bedford Estates. Artists’ prizes are offered by The Bedford Estates, Camden Together and H.I.G. Capital.

BREATHE:2022 - DRYDEN GOODWIN

A public artwork by Dryden Goodwin exploring air and activism. For Bloomsbury Festival, his drawings create zoetropic sequences of figures ‘fighting for breath’ on the railings of St Pancras Church alongside the Euston Road, one of the most polluted roads in the country.

This outdoor exhibition links with wider public displays of the artwork at the Wellcome Collection and on buildings, bridges and roadside hoardings across Lewisham and nationwide. Breathe:2022 will culminate in November, in Lewisham, as a large outdoor video projection, animating over 1,000 drawings.

Originally produced by Invisible Dust and commissioned by the Albany for We Are Lewisham. We Are Lewisham is presented by Lewisham Council and the Albany as part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022.

Breathe:2022 at the Bloomsbury Festival is supported by the SHM Foundation.

Find out more #Breathe2022.

Outside St Pancras Church, Euston Road

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct

FREE - Just Turn Up

26 ORPHANS - 26 WRITERS

An exhibition of work by writers from international writing group 26, inspired by Lemn Sissay’s installation of orphaned fictional characters in Bloomsbury’s historic Foundling Museum.

The Foundling Museum

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct, 10am - 5pm Tues - Sat, 11am - 5pm Sun, closed Mon

See page 37 for accompanying Creative Writing Workshop on Sat 22 Oct.

Tickets (admission includes all collections and exhibitions): £10.50 (£8.25, 21 & under FREE)

MANGLED - KOIS MIAH

Environmental portraits of an emotional response to the national lockdown that induced and exacerbated feelings of loss, grief, isolation, anger, sorrow, and eventually optimism, hope and renewal.

Brunswick Square Gardens - Railings

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct

FREE - Just Turn Up

REMEMBERING THE STREETS OF THE PAST - JESSICA STRANG

Jessica Strang’s images of Kings Cross taken during 1987 are a reminder of how Kings Cross looked before being given a new lease of life with its redevelopment around the turn of the 21st century. A reflection of the past to contrast with our present.

Greater London Properties - Windows

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct

FREE - Just Turn Up

LINEN AND MINDFULNESSCHRISTINA ROSE BROWN

Textile artworks, made using hand-dyed linen and quilted with hand embroidery, featuring drawings of the artist in bed with her two young children, in a liminal state between sleep and consciousness, that will be familiar to anyone who has shared a bed with restless babies.

Holborn Community Association

Sat 15 - Sun 23 Oct

10am - 5pm Mon - Fri, 10am - 2 pm Sat, 12 noon - 4pm Sun

See pages 19 & 37 for accompanying Embroidery Workshops on Sat 15 & Sat 22 Oct.

Meet the Artist, Sat 15 & Sat 22, 12 noon - 2pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

26 INSPIRATIONS - 26 WRITERS

To breathe is to inspire. An exhibition featuring writers group and regular Bloomsbury Festival collaborators 26, working in partnership with invited artists. The show features writing, art, sculpture, illustration, photography, pottery and even perfumery.

The Building Centre

Fri 14 - Sat 22 Oct, 9am - 6pm Mon - Fri, 10am - 4pm Sat

FREE - Just Turn Up

Exhibitions

TINY TRACES: BLACK AND ASIAN CHILDREN AT LONDON’S FOUNDLING HOSPITAL

Discover a fuller history of London life in the eighteenth century, through this exhibition featuring newly uncovered stories of children of colour in the care of Bloomsbury’s Foundling Hospital.

The Foundling Museum

Fri 14 - Sun 23 Oct, 10am - 5pm Tues - Sat,

11am - 5pm Sun, closed Mon

Tickets (admission includes all collections and exhibitions): £10.50 (£8.25, 21 & under FREE)

A LUMP IN THE THROATGIUSEPPE MARIO URSO

An intimate audio installation by local artist GM Urso, designed around Gluck’s Che farò senza Euridice? (What is life to me without thee?) sung in several languages. Visitors can wander, pause, listen and connect with Orfeo’s despair for Euridice’s last breath.

St George’s Bloomsbury

Sun 16 - Sun 23 Oct, 3pm - 7pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

REST IS PROTEST - UPLIGHT

THE GARDEN OF PRIVATISED DELIGHTS

Don’t miss the final chance to see the 2021 British Pavilion exhibition from the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at la Biennale di Venezia.

Commissioned by the British Council and curated by Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese of Unscene Architecture, the exhibition calls for new thinking around privately owned public space in cities across the UK.

The Building Centre

Fri 14, 9am - 9pm & Sat 15 Oct, 10am - 4pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

A creative installation where visitors are invited to take a breath. In a city that is addicted to business, productivity and amusement, rest is a dissent from the societal expectations that surround us.

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

Mon 17 - Fri 21 Oct, 10am - 5pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

DO SOULS BREATHE?EMMA LUCIA REYES

This site-specific immersive experience at the Crypt Gallery explores different states of breathing using video projections, sound and dance to take the viewer on a sensory journey.

Original soundtrack by Thomas Broda.

The Crypt Gallery

Thu 20 - Sun 23 Oct

11.30am - 1.30pm & 4pm - 6pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

(See also pages 29, 31 & 39 for accompanying evening performances)

Pre/Post Festival Events

For the 2022 festival we have a preview programme of music, theatre and a panel discussion, and we are pleased to support the post-festival event Paradoxical Gasp as part of our programme.

PREVIEW- NEW WAVE THEATRE: CHOKING GAME - YIFAN WU

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

Thu 13 Oct 6.30pm (plus 6.30pm Fri 14, Sat 15 & Sun 16 Oct); Tickets: £12 (£10)

PREVIEW - NEW WAVE THEATRE: THE HIPPIE SHAKES BY FRANKIE REGALIASWEATY PALMS PRODUCTIONS

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

Thu 13 Oct 9pm (plus 9pm Fri 14, Sat 15 & Sun 16 Oct); Tickets: £12 (£10)

PREVIEW - NEW WAVE: MUSIC AT ST GILES LONDON HOTEL

Three festival preview events, each featuring an outstanding young vocalist. See bloomsburyfestival.org.uk for details. Presented by Bloomsbury Festival in partnership with St Giles London Hotel as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent. St Giles London Hotel

Thu 22 Sept, Thu 29 Sept & Thu 6 Oct 8pm; FREE - Just Turn Up

THE AIR WE BREATHE

A panel discussion. From traffic pollution to tear gas, join this discussion to consider the implications of toxic chemicals in the air that we breathe.

This event is part of In the Air exhibition season at Wellcome Collection, which explores our relationship with the air around us, and links with Hidden Keileon’s post-Festival experimental production detailed below.

13 October 2022, 7pm

Wellcome Collection (in the Forum)

FREE - but pre-booking is essential

PARADOXICAL GASP - HIDDEN KEILEON

An experimental event, devised by a collective of six multidisciplinary Hong Kong artists and curators, addressing socio-political urgency, which initiates intercultural conversation and deals with the traumatic legacy of tear gas exposure in social movements all around the world.

The research for this project has been supported by Wellcome Collection.

The Crypt Gallery

Thu 17 - Sun 20 November

Thu 7pm; Fri 7pm; Sat 2pm & 7pm; Sun 2pm

Tickets: £15 (£12)

Paradoxical

Opening Event - Friday 14 October

Store Street Global Garden Party

Festival

6.30pm - 9pm

Join us on Alfred Place Gardens and Store Street as we celebrate the opening of Bloomsbury Festival 2022. Enjoy Global Street Food through the afternoon and evening along Store Street and celebrate as it gets dark from 6.30pm to 9pm with entertainment, Zen Garden, arts and environmental activities. For all ages.

Friday 14 Oct

FREE - Just Turn Up

This is an outdoor event so come prepared for the weather. Alfred Place Gardens and Store Street are wheelchair accessible.

IMPACT DANCE

We are delighted to welcome these outstanding dancers, specialising in HipHop Theatre, Street Dance and Youth Development, who are now our neighbours in Shaftesbury Avenue, to perform at our Global Garden Party.

ASIAN DANCE

Dancers of all ages celebrate the festival opening.

THE TRANS-SIBERIAN MARCH BAND play

high energy gypsy, klezmer Balkan and Eastern European tunes: impossible not to dance to!

A LANGUAGE OF SHAPES

Light projection on Keppel Street from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with Guildhall School of Music and Drama (see page 17 for full details).

PERFORMANCE POETRY & SPOKEN WORD

In shops and buildings along Store Street.

CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES – NIGHTTIME AIR OF THE SQUARES

Free guided walks of Bloomsbury starting from South Crescent on Store Street (Duration approx. 50 mins).

AND MUCH MORE (see website for more details).

THE ZEN ZONE - THE ZEN PROJECT Including Mind, Movement and Creative activities with a sensory garden zone offering guided meditation, breathwork & sound healing, yoga, movement, dance, craft and interactive sensory experiences including aromatherapy.

GLOBAL STREET FOOD MARKET

12 noon - 9pm

Curated by Street Food Markets Ltd - a professional team with a passion for street food, bringing the taste of the world to the Global Garden Party!

Street Food will also be available on the day via mobile app inuaeats, allowing you to find and pick up street food at your fingertips.

Gold Tier

of

Friday

A LANGUAGE OF SHAPES: DISCUSSION

A panel discussion with Serge Mostowy (Professor of Cellular Microbiology) and researchers from the Mostowy Lab at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, discussing their recent collaboration with artist Samantha Moore. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 6.30pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

A LANGUAGE OF SHAPES: OUTDOOR PROJECTION - SAMANTHA MOORE

A fairytale animation projected onto the façade of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, highlighting the important research being undertaken on the cell biology of infection within the University.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

7pm; FREE - Just Turn Up

October

NIGHTTIME AIR OF THE SQUARESCAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION.

Sylvia McNamara leads this circular walk from The Building Centre via Bloomsbury Squares: Gordon, Bedford, Russell, Bloomsbury and Tavistock. Learn about the fascinating people who lived here throughout history.

Starts outside The Building Centre

6.30pm; FREE - Just Turn Up

NEW WAVE THEATRE: CHOKING GAMEYIFAN WU

A new play set in an East Asian imaginary world.

BEEP. BEEP. CRACK. CRACK. SPLASH. SPLASH. Welcome on board. Save a sea turtle while you save yourself.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Dr Williams’s Library and online

6.30pm (plus 6.30pm Thu 13, Sat 15 & Sun 16 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

4:48 DIGESTION - TOMMASO GIACOMIN

A highly physical piece of theatre that presents a multi-layered journey into the biological and emotional life of five female identifying performers. They serve as mirrors for each other, used to face the pure essence of themselves in relation to the world they inhabit.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

8pm (plus 9pm Wed 19 & Thurs 20 at Dr Williams’s Library); Tickets: £12 (£10)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: THE HIPPIE SHAKES BY FRANKIE REGALIA - SWEATY PALMS PRODUCTIONS

Join Chickie on her journey from frustrated housewife to hippie chick. This new play combines storytelling and live music to create a new piece of gig theatre based on a true story, set in the 60s and 70s.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Dr Williams’s Library and online

9pm (plus 9pm Thu 13, Sat 15 & Sun 16 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

LINEN AND MINDFULNESSEMBROIDERY WORKSHOP

A practical introduction to embroidery stitches and techniques, and an opportunity to meet Christina Rose Brown and discuss her work (see exhibition details on page 9). Materials provided. Ages 16+.

Holborn Community Association

10.30am (plus 10.30am Sat 22 Oct)

Tickets: £3 (bursary places available - see website for details)

BLOSSOMING IN BLOOMSBURYCAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Rebecca Walker leads this walk around Bloomsbury’s historic streets and green spaces, exploring themes of self-expression, wellbeing and the environment.

Starts at Dr Williams’s Library 11am (plus 11am Sat 22 Oct)

Tickets: £5

STORIES OF ORPHANS, PONIES & PUSSYCATS - SEEKOUT LONDON & CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Wander through the smaller streets and alleys of Bloomsbury and encounter the echoes of several favourite characters of classic children’s literature. A walk for families (ages 7+) with Sam Nicholls.

Starts at Holy Cross Church 11am (plus 2pm, Sun 16 Oct)

Tickets: £5 (bursary places available - see website for details)

COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTIONLONDON CITIZENS & BLOOMSBURY BAPTIST CHURCH

Celebrating community climate action, this talk will explore the ways technology and community organising can provide practical steps to build a better future.

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

11am; FREE - Just Turn Up SILENT CALLIGRAPHY

Calligraphers from the South London Lettering Association will be working quietly in the church, and visitors are invited to watch them at work, try some calligraphy at the have-a-go table, and enjoy refreshments on the portico.

St George’s Bloomsbury

11.30am - 3pm; FREE - Just Turn Up

A TRAJECTORY TO UNSUFFOCATIONGWENDOLYN KASSENAAR & PETRA HALLER

Watch the dance and see the art unfold in front of your eyes as artist Gwendolyn Kassenaar creates a huge painting in an energetic improvised live performance together with contemporary dancer Petra Haller. A bold and innovative portrayal of finding oneself.

Dr Williams’s Library and online

12 noon; Tickets: £12 (£10) (bursary places available - see website for details)

THE DESIGN OF ALFRED PLACE

GARDENS - TIM SOUTH, LDA DESIGN

The story of delivering the first new inner city London public park in over a quarter of a century.

Tim South, Landscape Design Lead for LDA Design, talks about the development of concept, the technical challenges, construction and the joy of seeing it active.

Alfred Place Gardens (walk); 11am

The Building Centre (talk); 2pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT’S

BLOOMSBURY - ROBERTA WEDGE

“Breathe the sharp invigorating air of freedom” with the pioneering human rights advocate, educationalist & travel writer. A 90 minute guided tour of the life & times of Britain’s first feminist (1759-1797).

Starts outside The Building Centre

1pm (plus 1pm Thu 20 Oct); Tickets: £5

NEW WAVE LUNCHTIME CONCERT:

BIRDS IN THE FOREST OF LONGINGERAN SULKIN (PIANO)

Piano recital presenting Romantic music next to short pieces inspired by birdsong.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

The Music Room and online 1pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

SOAS CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS: REMEMBERING PARTITION

A one-day festival celebrating South Asian culture through film, music, food and dance, 75 years after the Partition of the Subcontinent.

MUSIC

Taking Flight - Jason Singh

Magpie Robin’s Songbook Album launch and performance by Sohini Alam, Sahana Bajpaie and Samantak Sinha

FILM SCREENINGS

Rising Silence by Leesa Gazi

Sacred Encounters, by Georgie Pope and Somnath Batabyal

PLUS DANCE, ART, WORKSHOPS & FOOD Dance performance by Anusha Subramanyam, Beeja Dance Company

Project Dastaan at the Wolfson Gallery

A bespoke 360-degree digital experience and peace-building initiative

Tabla workshop with Sanju Sahai South Asian food stalls

For further information and timings, visit bloomsburyfestival.org.uk.

SOAS, University of London 12 noon - 10pm FREE - but pre-booking is essential

THE OLD BLACK DOORSINISTER MASTERPLAN

Join storyteller Laura Sampson, accompanying sound artist Sam Enthoven and special guests for a selection of grown-up folk and fairytales on the theme of mortality. Ages 16+.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

2pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

BLOOMSBURY BREATHWALK - PEARL, UCL

A curated walk around Bloomsbury led by researchers from UCL’s People-EnvironmentActivity Research Laboratory (PEARL), exploring how different types of urban spaces might affect the way in which we breathe, and their impact on our overall health and wellbeing.

Starts at Holy Cross Church 2pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS OF BLOOMSBURY’S OPEN SPACESSEEKOUT LONDON & CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

This walk with Mike Marriot winds through many of Bloomsbury’s squares, exploring the work of Humphrey Repton and the life and garden designs of Fanny Wilkinson.

Starts at Holy Cross Church 2.30pm; Tickets: £5

Saturday

NEW WAVE THEATRE: CHOKING GAMEYIFAN WU

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

6.30pm (plus 6.30pm, Thu 13, Fri 14 & Sun 16 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

PROMISED LAND - ELISABETH GUNAWAN & SAKSI BISOU

In this immersive theatrical experience we will venture into the Promised Land inside ourselves.

Through a piece of artificial intelligence named Rose, we reflect on the crisis of lovelessness in our contemporary capitalist world.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

7pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

ROSALIND VENTRIS SOLO ALBUM PRE-LAUNCH CONCERT

A recital of solo viola music by 20th and 21st century female composers, inspired by nature, folk music and dance, with a diverse range of moods and techniques, showcasing the expressive range of the viola. The London pre-launch concert for Rosalind’s debut solo album for Delphian Records.

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

7.30pm; Tickets: £12 (£10) / Ticket & CD £18

THE STORY OF HOLBORN AND ITS MUSIC HALLS IN 10 SONGS - THE GOOD COMPANIONS

Between 1860 and 1940 Holborn was at the heart of London’s music scene. The Holborn Empire was amongst the most popular theatres in the city and its stars were household names. A musical romp through Holborn’s colourful and dramatic history, with rousing, singalong performances of the era’s classic songs.

Venue: see bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

8pm (plus 3pm, Sun 16 Oct); Tickets: £12 (£10)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: THE HIPPIE SHAKES BY FRANKIE REGALIA - SWEATY PALMS PRODUCTIONS

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

9pm (plus 9pm, Thu 13, Fri 14 & Sun 16 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

MUSIC

PERFORMANCE & FILM

INNOVATION AND PIONEERS - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Joanna Wilkinson leads a two hour guided walk through Bloomsbury, finding out more about the remarkable people and buildings of the area.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel 11am; Tickets: £5

NEW WAVE LUNCHTIME CONCERT: JOSÉ SONGEL (PIANO)

José performs two iconic piano works: Bach English Suite 2 and Liszt Sonata in B minor.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

The Music Room and online 1pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

BLOOMSBURY’S BEST OPEN SPACES (ROUTE 1) - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

A light hearted walk to explore some of Bloomsbury’s best open spaces and characters with Chris Foster, plus a few stories from a Bobby on The Beat in the area fifty years ago.

Starts at Holy Cross Church

11am; Tickets: £5

STORIES OF ORPHANS, PONIES & PUSSYCATS - SEEKOUT LONDON & CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

(See page 19)

Starts at Holy Cross Church 2pm (plus 11am, Sat 15 Oct); Tickets: £5

BLOOMSBURY INSPIRATIONS: MAKING PROGRESS OVER 200 YEARS - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

A walk with Paul Guest, featuring ten highly distinguished figures who have breathed some new life into our society by creating conditions for progress, with a lasting impact.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel 2pm; Tickets: £5

RUS IN URBE - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

The planners of Bloomsbury developed a new concept for urban living, the idea of ‘Rus in Urbe’, enabling city dwellers to enjoy greenery and rural peace. Enjoy the autumnal glory of five Bloomsbury squares with guide Richard Cohen.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel 2pm (plus 2pm, Sun 23); Tickets: £5

BREATH AND SINGING WORKSHOPJANE STREETON

A gentle hour-long workshop in which Jane Streeton, Lead Singing Tutor at RADA, explains the way actors are taught to sing and how breath is the key building block in their process! Join in and learn some of the exercises our students and graduates use to keep their voices in good shape.

Studio 1, RADA Studios

2.30pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

THE STORY OF HOLBORN AND ITS MUSIC HALLS IN 10 SONGS - THE GOOD COMPANIONS

(See page 21)

Venue: see bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

3pm (plus 8pm, Sat 15 Oct); Tickets: £12 (£10)

SQUARES OF BLOOMSBURY - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Stephen Collins leads a circular walk through six squares in Bloomsbury, uncovering the local history, the role of the Russell family, and the significance of the Bloomsbury Group.

Starts outside Dr Williams’s Library

3pm; Tickets: £5

THE BREATH OF FREEDOM: THE BLOOMSBURY GROUP’S CHALLENGE TO CONVENTION

Nicholas Murray, author of Real Bloomsbury and Bloomsbury and the Poets brings together a group of writers and actors in a programme of readings and live music based on the words and stories of the writers and artists of the Bloomsbury Group, specifically built around the theme of ‘breathing’ or escaping restricting conventions.

The Music Room

6pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

PAST LIFE BY ALICE CORRIGAN - EXTANT

A genre-bending, multi-sensory and creatively accessible exploration into the normalisation of sexual assault in relationships. Past Life follows Kiera through the stages of a breakup. Using creative captioning, audio descriptive language and soundscapes to evoke a new and dynamic way of making theatre.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

7pm

Tickets: £12 (£10, free companion tickets available)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: CHOKING GAMEYIFAN WU

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

6.30pm (plus 6.30pm, Thu 13, Fri 14 & Sat 15 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: THE HIPPIE SHAKES BY FRANKIE REGALIA - SWEATY PALMS PRODUCTIONS

(See page 17)

Dr Williams’s Library

9pm (plus 9pm, Thu 13, Fri 14 & Sat 15 Oct)

Tickets: £12 (£10)

Tuesday 18 October

NEW WAVE LUNCHTIME CONCERT: STORIES THROUGH SONGS WITH IMMY CHURCHILL

Immy Churchill and Matt Carter present an acoustic set of Immy’s originals, inspired by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Nick Drake.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

The Music Room and online

1pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

STORIES OF SONG

What does it mean to sing? Song is our thoughts, emotions and identity made real through our breath. Conway Hall brings singers together from differing traditions and cultures to discuss life, song, the craft of singing and the magic we can make with just our own breath.

Conway Hall

7pm; Tickets: £10 (£8)

THE HORTICULTURE AND GARDENS OF BLOOMSBURY - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Explore some of the green spaces of Bloomsbury with Christine Wilkins-Molloy. Learn about the history and horticulture of formal garden squares, community gardens and churchyards.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel

12 noon (plus 12 noon, Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

DANCING CHOPIN - ZHU SUN

Pianist Zhu Sun presents a performance of Chopin’s third sonata in collaboration with contemporary dancers from The Place, with new choreography by Noé Engelbeen. The project forms part of Zhu’s doctoral research into the relationship between metaphor, dance, and music.

Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House

1pm; Tickets: £8 (£6)

GARDEN UNLOCKED - ENSEMBLE MATTERS & COMPANY CONCENTRIC

World premiere of a 20-minute outdoor dance and music performance inspired by the air we breathe and the spaces we live in. A curious combination of site dance, aleatoric music, and cross-disciplinary experiments.

Venue: see bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

1pm (plus 1pm, Thu 20 & Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

AIR OF THE SQUARES - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Sylvia McNamara leads this circular walk from The Building Centre via Bloomsbury Squares: Gordon, Bedford, Russell, Bloomsbury and Tavistock. Participants will learn about the fascinating people who lived here throughout history.

Starts outside The Building Centre 1pm (plus 1pm, Thu 20 & Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

BORN IN BLOOMSBURY - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Many rich and famous people moved into Bloomsbury as adults but what about those who were born or raised here? Learn about well known individuals who started their lives in Bloomsbury on this walk with Maggie Coates.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel 2pm; Tickets: FREE - but pre-booking is essential

A SPACE OF ONE’S OWN - KAIRA

Wednesday 19 October

BLOOMSBURY BENCHES: POWERFUL PLACES FOR PEOPLE

With her tour and talk, Dr Birgitta Huse arouses your curiosity about the benches around Bloomsbury and invites you to have a closer look. A chance to learn about the pivotal role benches play in Bloomsbury culture.

Starts at the fountain in Russell Square 2pm (plus 2pm, Thu 20 Oct - see page 29) Tickets: £8

SORRY

IS CANCELLED

Inter-disciplinary duo Kaira create a space through the meeting of Medtner’s music, movement and meditative practices. In this performance the duo open an inclusive space for every individual to simply be.

Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House

6pm; Tickets: £8 (£6)

SOAS CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS: NIWEL TSUMBU WITH ÉAMONN CAGNEY

- THE ART OF THE DUO

An evening of incredible musical chemistry and exciting performances. Éamonn Cagney and Niwel Tsumbu blend Classical, Jazz, Congolese, West African, Irish and Flamenco influences to create a unique and exhilarating sound.

SOAS, University of London 6pm; Tickets: £10 (£5)

BLACK WOMEN IN PRISON - ANGELA CHARLES, CRIMINOLOGY LECTURER, THE UNIVERSITY OF LAW

An online talk discussing the experiences of black women in English prisons based on Angela Charles’ own research, exploring some of the systemic racism and disadvantage black women prisoners face during their imprisonment, and the effect this has on them.

Online

7pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

NEW WAVE THEATRE: BRANDED BY INDIA HARRISON PEPPE - BOMB FACTORY THEATRE COMPANY

A one-woman show about intervention; of cancelculture and what it means to market yourself as a feminist.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Dr Williams’s Library

7pm (plus 7pm, Thu 20, Fri 21 & Sat 22)

Tickets: £8 (£6)

TESS BUCKLEY

Eloquently combining elements of alternative and jazz with subtle undercurrents of blues, Canadian singer songwriter Tess Buckley has carved a sound that is entirely her own. She will share a set of jazz standards, originals and selected indie rock.

The Harrison Pub

8.30pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

4:48 DIGESTION - TOMMASO GIACOMIN

A highly physical piece of theatre that presents a multi-layered journey into the biological and emotional life of five female identifying performers. They serve as mirrors for each other, used to face the pure essence of themselves in relation to the world they inhabit.

Dr Williams’s Library

9pm (plus 8pm Fri 14 at RADA Studios & 9pm Thurs 20); Tickets: £12 (£10)

GARDEN UNLOCKED - ENSEMBLE MATTERS & COMPANY CONCENTRIC

(See page 26)

Venue: see bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

1pm (plus 1pm, Wed 19 & Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT’S

BLOOMSBURY - ROBERTA WEDGE

(A slightly shorter (60 mins) version of the walk detailed on page 19).

Starts outside The Building Centre

1pm (plus 1pm, Sat 15 Oct); Tickets: £5

AIR OF THE SQUARES - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

(See page 27)

Starts outside The Building Centre

1pm (plus 1pm, Wed 19 & Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

BLOOMSBURY BENCHES: POWERFUL PLACES FOR PEOPLE

(See page 27)

Starts at the fountain in Russell Square

2pm (plus 2pm, Wed 19 Oct)

Tickets: £8

PIERROT XXI - CLARA BARBIER SERRANO AND ENSEMBLE MATTERS

Music, tarot cards and costumes create a dreamlike, mysterious and colourful atmosphere. Pierrot XXI uses Pierrot Lunaire (a masterpiece of chamber music from 1912) by Schönberg, Tarot cards and visual elements to shed light on human behaviour towards the environment.

Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House

6pm; Tickets: £8

DO SOULS BREATHE? - IMMERSIVE DANCE PERFORMANCE

Immersive dance performance alongside Emma Lucia Reyes’ installation (see page 11). Dancers’ twisting turning bodies light up the space, bringing the installation to life. Guiding the viewer through seven different types of breath, the dancers will interact with the space, video projections and with the audience. Original soundtrack by Thomas Broda.

The Crypt Gallery 6.30pm (plus 6.30pm, Fri 21 & Sat 22 Oct)

Tickets: £15 (£10)

THE MAGICIAN’S APPRENTICE

Bewitching spoken word from Sally Pomme Clayton exploring the secrets of magic. In this intimate, enchanting performance she mixes fact with fiction, and casts a shimmer of stories shifting from humour to horror romance to rumour on a fairytale quest to find real magic.

Museum of Comedy

7pm; Tickets: £10 (£8)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: BRANDED BY INDIA HARRISON PEPPE - BOMB FACTORY THEATRE COMPANY

(See page 27)

Dr Williams’s Library

7pm (plus 7pm, Wed 19, Fri 21 & Sat 22)

Tickets: £8 (£6)

NEW ACCENTS - NW LIVE ARTS

This creative collaboration between musicians from NW Live Arts and Freedom from Torture’s ‘Write to Life’ group, explores what it really means to find your voice. Together, they bring musical and wider cultural influences from West and South Africa, India, Iran, Western and Central Europe to present an imaginative concert programme of song, instrumental music and new writing.

The Art Workers’ Guild 7.30pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

4:48 DIGESTION - TOMMASO GIACOMIN

(See page 27)

Dr Williams’s Library

9pm (plus 8pm Fri 14 at RADA Studios & 9pm Wed 19); Tickets: £12 (£10)

THE HORTICULTURE AND GARDENS OF BLOOMSBURY - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

(See page 26).

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel

12 noon (plus 12 noon, Wed 19 Oct); Tickets: £5

GARDEN UNLOCKED - ENSEMBLE MATTERS & COMPANY CONCENTRIC

(See page 27)

Venue: see bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

1pm (plus 1pm, Wed 19 & Thu 20 Oct); Tickets: £5

IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND EYE HEALTH?

Researchers at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital discuss their study of the links between ambient air pollution and the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma, and the implications for public health.

Beveridge Hall, Senate House (Discovery Hub)

1pm; Tickets: FREE - Just Turn Up

SUMMERTIME - PIANO PHASE PROJECT

Travel back in time with Gerschwin and Kapustin. This musical installation will take you back to the 1920s in Kaunas, when the city became a temporary capital of Lithuania. Get ready for glam, sparks and lots of jazz!

Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House

1pm; Tickets: £8 (£6)

Friday 21 October

AIR OF THE SQUARES - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

(See page 27)

Starts outside The Building Centre

1pm (plus 1pm, Wed 19 & Thu 20 Oct); Tickets: £5

NEW WAVE THEATRE: UMBRELLA - KATHERINE EDWARDS

A live preview of this new audio play selected for development as part of the Bloomsbury Festival 2021 New Wave Theatre Writing programme. Umbrella sees the world through the eyes of Gran who is experiencing dementia.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Dr Williams’s Library

2.30pm plus Bloomsbury Radio broadcast 7pm

Tickets: FREE - but pre-booking is advised (suggested charity donation £5)

FLIGHT PATTERNS - COMPANY GABRIELLE MOLETA & FACING NORTH THEATRE

A goose engrossed in Eliot, a raven in a quiver over Forster, a crane and heron discussing Woolf and Mansfield. Belonging everywhere and nowhere, momentarily alighting in a garden in Bloomsbury. Watch this migratory menagerie take flight in this open air promenade performance and join them patterning their way to Senate House for a choral celebration of those that follow the wind.

Malet Street Gardens

4pm (plus 1pm & 4pm, Sat 22 Oct);

PARADISE PLANET EARTH: A HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY - DR FRANCISCO DIEGO

An interactive workshop about the origin, development and future of Paradise Planet Earth under the influence of humankind.

Beveridge Hall, Senate House (Discovery Hub)

5.45pm; FREE - Just Turn Up

FRAGILE FILTERS

Writers Fiona Larkin and Kate Noakes explore the poet’s breath, its free flow, its disruptions and distresses, reading new and recently published poems focused on tuberculosis, asthma and other breathings.

Conway Hall Library

6pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

DO SOULS BREATHE? - IMMERSIVE DANCE PERFORMANCE

(See page 29)

The Crypt Gallery

6.30pm (plus 6.30pm, Thu 20 & Sat 22 Oct)

Tickets: £15 (£10)

HOOKERS IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORDTHE REUNION

Holy Cross Church has invited the English Collective of Prostitutes back to the Church, 40 years after their 12 day occupation, to reflect on the events with others who were there at the timelocal residents, the church and the police.

Tickets: £10

Holy Cross Church

7pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

DAYTIMERS: AN EVENING OF SOUTH ASIAN POETRY

A South Asian takeover at Conway Hall. Daytimers, the collective at the heart of the re-emerging Asian Underground, present an evening spotlighting and celebrating South Asian poetry and spoken word.

Former Australian poetry slam champion Zohab Zee Khan hosts a lineup filled with some of the most exciting South Asian poets operating in the scene right now, alongside live musical performance, a DJ set, plus an open mic.

Conway Hall

7pm; Tickets: £10

DREAMS & TALES - GOODENSEMBLE ORCHESTRA

One of London’s most exciting emerging orchestras present orchestral works by Mendelssohn, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff’s much-loved Piano Concerto No.2.

With soloist Ivan Moshchuk and conductors Alvaro Ibarra & Owen Ho.

Goodenough College (Great Hall, London House)

7pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: BRANDED BY INDIA HARRISON PEPPE - BOMB FACTORY THEATRE COMPANY

(See page 27)

Dr Williams’s Library

7pm (plus 7pm, Wed 19, Thu 20 & Sat 22)

Tickets: £8 (£6)

WORDS AND DEEDS - NATALIE HARPER & ALEX PEARSON

A selection of short plays which were contemporary to the time of Women’s Suffrage in Britain. These pieces tell us, in their own words, the comedy, the opinions and the fervent hopes alongside the campaign and combat for equality.

Conway Hall Library

8pm (plus 8pm, Sat 22 Oct); Tickets: £5

BRIGHTER, BOLDER, BETTERFINLAY STROUD & HUGH TAPPIN

SORRY - THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED

Outside, the world is facing environmental disaster. Yet inside, at a meeting of the Brighter, Bolder, Better Committee, the corporate world is taking on the Climate Crisis - one tag-line at a time.

Dr Williams’s Library

9pm (plus 9pm, Sat 22); Tickets: £8 (£6)

Discovery Hub

Breathe

Photo

Festival Hub - Thursday 20, Friday 21 & Saturday 22 October

School and Family Activities include:

Terrariums – Gardens in Glass - Micro Gardening with the Clean Air Community from UCL and Great Ormond St Hospital.

Press Pause - John Avery’s immersive soundscape, inspired by the life experience of holistic therapist Nina Chesworth. In collaboration with the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre.

Air Pollution Boggles the Brain – outreach activities from CHILL & Centre of the Cell.

Smoke Gets in your Eyes – Size up the particles we breathe in and discover how they could harm our eyes, with the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre.

See Popcorn Pop with the power of hydrogen fuel cells – UCL Department of Chemical Engineering.

Driving into the future – Experience new interfaces for autonomous cars and eco-driving with IM@UCL.

SoftSensation for robotic surgery – how to feel touch with UCL Robotics.

From Top to Toe – the Breathing Body – from UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing.

Asthma Apps - In collaboration with the BREATHE Health Data Research Hub, helping people manage their condition better with real-time health and pollution data.

See Inside the Brain - Unlock the secrets in your head with DOT-HUB.

Sing, Say, Spray! How many tiny invisible droplets do you produce when you sing, shout, talk or whisper? With UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering.

Tailor Made Jewellery – an exhibition showing the process of cancer patients making jewellery. Plus Saturday workshop.

Children, Cities and Climate – exhibition showcasing art, music and design from the Art of Health Breathe In competition and Bloomsbury air pollution activity with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Become a scientist and analyse unknown substances using your smartphone. With UCL Department of Chemical Engineering.

Plus...

Wellbeing, movement and craft activities.

26 ORPHANS: CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

A creative writing workshop inspired by Lemn Sissay’s curation of fictional characters who were orphaned or fostered. John Simmons and Neil Baker from 26 will lead this two-hour workshop, followed by an afternoon performance by other 26 writers and a tour of the museum with readings.

The Foundling Museum

10.30am; £15 (£13.50 Friends) - includes admission to all collections and exhibitions

FROM THOUGHTS TO PAPERWRITERS WORKSHOP

Join an intimate writing workshop with experienced professionals from various writing backgrounds. An open space to ask questions, participate in group and solo activities, alongside connecting with other writers.

Conway Hall, Brockway Room

10.30am; Tickets: £5 (bursary places availablesee website for details)

LINEN AND MINDFULNESSEMBROIDERY WORKSHOP

A practical introduction to embroidery stitches and techniques, and an opportunity to meet Christina Rose Brown and discuss her work (see exhibition details on page 9). Materials provided. Ages 16+.

Holborn Community Association

10.30am (plus 10.30am, Sat 15 Oct)

Tickets: £3 (bursary places available - see website for details)

BEYOND THE REBEL NAZRUL ISLAMTAMARIND THEATRE CO

A show for families and young people featuring music, storytelling and song exploring the life of Nazrul Islam (Kazi Nazrul Islam) prolific writer, National poet (Bangladesh) and musician.

Conway Hall Library

11am; Tickets: £5

BLOSSOMING IN BLOOMSBURYCAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

(See page 19)

Starts at Dr Williams’s Library

11am (plus 11am, Sat 15 Oct)

Tickets: £5

SOUND MEDITATIONPIANO PHASE PROJECT

Stop and relax in a soothing, alleviating atmosphere. Sound Meditation is a therapeutic experience with music by Debussy, Čiurlionis and others. Stand, sit or lay down and prepare for mindfulness.

Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House

11am & 3pm; Tickets: £8 (£6)

FANNY WILKINSON’S GREEN LONDONCAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

A walk through Bloomsbury’s green spaces with Sue McCarthy, celebrating the life and work of Fanny Wilkinson, the first professional female landscape gardener who began her work here in the 1880s.

Starts at Dr Williams’s Library

11.30am; Tickets: £5

REPAIR CAFÉ - UCL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The Institute of Making and supporters across UCL invite you to MechSpace, Kings Cross for a repair revolution. Learn how to darn holes in your trainers, sew holes in jackets, perk up your houseplants, re-use and repurpose broken ceramics and much more. Bring along a broken item for our experts to show you how to fix it or just turn up to have a go! MechSpace, Kings Cross

11.30am - 5pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential for some activities

THE HARRISON ALL DAY FOLK FESTIVAL

The (in)famous Harrison All Day Folk Festival returns! A vibrant afternoon and night of live music, beer and delicious roasts. Ten great bands back to back in the basement, plus folk music sessions in the bar.

SORRY - THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED

The Harrison Pub

Food from 12 noon; music 2pm - midnight

FREE - Just Turn Up

LETTING THE MIND BREATHENINA CHESWORTH

A 40 minute breath workshop, run by Holistic Therapist Nina Chesworth, who lost her sight in 2018, and has since developed stillness and breathing techniques to help manage the strange visual hallucinations that she now experiences, known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Beveridge Hall, Senate House (Discovery Hub)

12 noon; FREE - but pre-booking is advised

ACTIVATE YOUR CREATIVITYWORDS OF COLOUR

Explore your relationship to creativity and self expression through breathwork, visualisation, meditation, free writing, reading and guided discussion. This wellbeing workshop is led by creative wellbeing practitioner and writing coach Patsy Isles and creative entrepreneur and Words of Colour’s executive director Joy Francis.

Conway Hall Library

1pm; Tickets: £10

FLIGHT PATTERNS - COMPANY GABRIELLE MOLETA & FACING NORTH THEATRE

(See page 31).

Malet Street Gardens

1pm & 4pm (plus 4pm, Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £10

NEW WAVE LUNCHTIME CONCERT: LUCILLA ROSE MARIOTTI (VIOLIN)

Lucilla Rose explores the shifting moods and exuberant sunny cheerfulness of two sonatas by Debussy and Beethoven, along with the nocturnal wanderings of the Faust by Wieniawski.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

The Music Room and online

1pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

INTRODUCING UNBOUND FIRSTS: IN CONVERSATION

Unbound Firsts is a new imprint from crowdfunding publisher Unbound, launching two debut books from talented writers of colour every year. Paul David Gould and Solange Burrell will give exclusive readings from their books and talk about their publishing journey during a panel discussion. Conway Hall, Brockway Room

2pm; FREE - but pre-booking is advised

BLOOMSBURY’S BEST OPEN SPACES (ROUTE 2) - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

A light hearted walk to explore some of Bloomsbury’s best open spaces and characters with Chris Foster, plus a few stories from a Bobby on The Beat in the area fifty years ago.

Starts at Holy Cross Church 2.30pm; Tickets: £5

THE ‘BLOOMSBURY BEAST’ PIPE ORGAN

This filmic double-bill is an opportunity to hear the pipe organ of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church accompanying two classic silent films.

2pm: Buster Keaton’s The General (1926), accompanied by Donald MacKenzie (Organist, Odeon, Leicester Square).

7pm: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), accompanied by Aaron Hawthorne (international, multi-award-winning organist).

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

2pm & 7pm; Tickets: £7/£10 for both screenings

MAGICAL BLOOMSBURY - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Maggie Coates leads a family walk around Bloomsbury featuring some strange stories and characters that will appeal to adults and older children. Each family will have a quiz sheet to complete.

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel

3pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

BLOOMSBURY’S LINKS TO SLAVERYFRIENDS OF ST GEORGE’S GARDENS

Unearthing Bloomsbury’s slave-owning past – a look at the lives of some slave owners buried in St George’s Gardens and at how the area’s wealth has roots in slavery. This is the fourth in a series of Friends presentations about the inhabitants of this old graveyard.

St George’s Gardens

3pm; FREE - but pre-booking is advised

YOUNG VOICES @ BLOOMSBURY

A curated screening of essay films exploring the theme of ‘breathe’ made by young filmmakers working in Bloomsbury, in collaboration with students from the MA Film Programming and Curating at Birkbeck, University of London.

Birkbeck Cinema

3pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

INVISIBLE DEMONS - FILM SCREENING

A visually striking, unforgettable experience, this film explores the consequences of Delhi’s growing economy, capturing not only a city in crisis but magnifying our collective climate realities.

Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury

4pm; Tickets: £9 (£7)

RESISTING THROUGH REST: BLACK INDIES & THE PANDEMIC

Onyx Magazine discuss incorporating rest into organisational structures and the concept of a Fallow Year, looking at how indie publications have reacted to the pandemic with care and compassion.

Conway Hall, Brockway Room

5pm; FREE - but pre-booking is advised

DEATH OF AN ORANGE - MUKUL AND GHETTO TIGERS & SHAHADUZ ZAMAN

A new bi-lingual play based on Ekjon Komolalebu (To Be An Orange), written by the award-winning Bengali author Shahaduz Zaman, and directed by Mukul Ahmed, telling the story of the life and work of revered modern Bengali poet, Jibanananda Das.

Conway Hall

6pm; Tickets: £8 (£6)

DO SOULS BREATHE? - IMMERSIVE DANCE PERFORMANCE

(See page 29)

The Crypt Gallery

6.30pm (plus 6.30pm, Thu 20 & Fri 21 Oct)

Tickets: £15 (£10)

NEW WAVE THEATRE: BRANDED BY INDIA HARRISON PEPPE - BOMB FACTORY THEATRE COMPANY

(See page 27)

Dr Williams’s Library

7pm (plus Wed 19, Thu 20 & Fri 21); Tickets: £8 (£6)

DREAM.RISK.SING: ELEVATING WOMEN’S VOICES - SAMANTHA CRAWFORD (SOPRANO) & LANA BODE (PIANO)

A recital which gives voice to women’s experiences rarely heard in song. The programme highlights 5 aspects of a woman’s life: growing up, love and lust, motherhood, career, legacy. The programme includes Crossing Faultlines, a new song cycle commissioned from composer Charlotte Bray and poet Nicki Jackowska.

Conway Hall

7.30pm; Tickets: £12 (£10)

WORDS AND DEEDS - NATALIE HARPER & ALEX PEARSON

(See page 33)

Conway Hall Library

8pm (plus 8pm, Fri 21 Oct); Tickets: £5

BRIGHTER, BOLDER, BETTER - FINLAY STROUD & HUGH TAPPIN

(See page 33)

Dr Williams’s Library

SORRY - THIS EVENT IS

9pm (plus 9pm, Fri 21); Tickets: £8 (£6)

NEW WAVE: RADA MA THEATRE LAB GRADUATES

See some of London’s brightest talent creating new theatre as part of the RADA New Wave theatre programme. Look out for further details in September at bloomsburyfestival.org.uk.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

A LITERARY WALK THROUGH BLOOMSBURY - SEEKOUT LONDON AND CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

This walk with Mike Marriot will take you from the site of one former library to a current one. On the way the stories of a number of writers, poets, publishers and critics will be uncovered.

Starts at Dr Williams’s Library

11.30am; Tickets: £5

THE CLEVER, CREATIVE AND CHARISMATIC - SEEKOUT LONDON AND CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION

A walk with Penny Burns, exploring the fascinating women, memorable men and inspiring institutions in Bloomsbury.

Starts at Dr Williams’s Library

SORRY - THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED

1pm; Tickets: £5

REMEMBER, REMEMBER! BY NICOLA BALDWIN AND DR ELAINE CLOUTMANGREEN - THE NOSOCOMIAL PROJECT

A family theatre show telling an incredible timetravelling story of Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. A mystery Healthcare Science detective drama for young audiences, from GOSH and partners. Fancy dress welcome!

Dr Williams’s Library 1.30pm

FREE - but pre-booking is essential

RUS IN URBE - CAMDEN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION (See page 22).

Starts at Bloom’s Cafe, The Royal National Hotel

2pm (plus 2pm Sun 16); Tickets: £5

October

DANCING, TRAILBLAZING, TABOO!PASCAL THEATRE COMPANY WITH LONDON CONTEMPORARY DANCE SCHOOL

A dance theatre celebration of Eleanor Marxactivist, writer, translator, champion of the working classes. This 30 minute piece, specially created for Bloomsbury Festival, reveals key moments in her life using text, satire, movement and music.

The Windsor Suite, The Royal National Hotel

2pm, 3pm & 4pm

FREE - Just Turn Up

WILLIAM MORRIS IN BLOOMSBURY

William Morris lived and worked for many years in Bloomsbury. This illustrated lecture by Alec Forshaw - local resident and author of An Address in Bloomsbury - explores William Morris’ life, his circle of friends and colleagues, and his legacy on the area.

The Artworkers’ Guild

3pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

FREE TO SPEAK

Part of Conway Hall’s Ethical Matters series, this talk explores what it means to speak freely, and the consequences of speaking out in a post-truth world.

Conway Hall

3pm; Tickets: £8 (£5, Conway Hall members free)

ALL OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE MY OWN - THE NOSOCOMIAL PROJECT

A stage version of Girlymicro blog by Dr Elaine Cloutman-Green, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Fascinating, heartfelt, surprising thoughts from the lab, performed by actors and NHS Scientists alongside afternoon tea.

Dr Williams’s Library 3.30pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

SING AND SUBVERT - PASCAL THEATRE COMPANY

Learn to sing a vaudeville song from the popular music hall tradition to show how subversive working class songs reflected popular movements for change. Suitable for all ages.

The Windsor Suite, The Royal National Hotel 5pm; FREE - Just Turn Up SUNDAY CONCERT: GREENWICH TRIO

The Greenwich Trio showcase the works of Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn, alongside their male colleagues. Musicologist Katy Hamilton opens the event with a pre-show talk.

Conway Hall 5.30pm

Tickets: £12 (Conway Hall members £10, under 26’s free)

NEW WAVE: RADA MA THEATRE LAB GRADUATES

See some of London’s brightest talent creating new theatre as part of the RADA New Wave theatre programme. Look out for further details in September at bloomsburyfestival.org.uk.

The Studio Theatre, RADA Studios

MRS X & ME: WHAT IS AMR AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?THE NOSOCOMIAL PROJECT

What can we learn from microbes about innovation and cooperation? Or learn from each other by sharing expertise or experience? How do we support tomorrow’s Alexander Flemings? Drama/science cabaret.

Created by GOSH in collaboration with UCL Precision AMR.

Dr Williams’s Library

6pm; FREE - but pre-booking is essential

JAWDANCE X BLOOMSBURY FESTIVALAPPLES AND SNAKES

An institution of the London spoken word scene, Jawdance comes to Bloomsbury Festival bringing you acclaimed feature acts alongside up-andcoming artists in poetry and music. This is your chance to own the stage alongside some of the biggest names in spoken word. Hosted by Yomi Sode with DJ Den on the decks.

St Giles London Hotel

6pm; FREE - but pre-booking is advised

GOLD TIER SPONSORS

GRANT FUNDERS

TIER SPONSORS

Capital Carpets and Flooring

LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORTERS

Sponsors & Funders

P.A.C.E. BUILDING SERVICES BUSINESS CLUB MEMBERS

Essex Refurbishments

Grangewood Johanna Molineus Architects

ECS Systems

Premium Support Services

MAJOR PARTNERS

KEY TO EVENT TYPES

Exhibitions Music

Walks, Talks & Tours Family Events

Performance & Film Workshops

THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL (pages 8 - 11)

For exhibition opening times, see event listings.

New Wave: Art Competition Winners 15 - 23 Oct

New Wave: Art Competition Group 14 - 23 Oct

BREATHE: 2022 14 - 23 Oct

26 Orphans 14 - 23 Oct

Mangled 14 - 23 Oct

Remembering the Streets of the Past 14 - 23 Oct

Linen and Mindfulness 15 - 23 Oct

26 Inspirations 14 - 22 Oct

Tiny Traces: Black & Asian Children.... 14 - 23 Oct

The Garden of Privatised Delights 14 - 15 Oct

A Lump in the Throat 16 - 23 Oct

Rest is Protest 17 - 21 Oct

Do Souls Breathe? 20 - 23 Oct

FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER (pages 14 - 17)

OPENING EVENT:

Store Street Global Garden Party 6.30pm - 9pm

A Language of Shapes: Discussion 6.30pm - 8pm

A Language of Shapes: Projection 7pm - 9pm

Nighttime Air of the Squares 6.30pm - 7.30pm

Choking Game 6.30pm - 8pm

4:48 Digestion 8pm - 9pm

The Hippie Shakes 9pm - 10pm

SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER (pages 18 - 21)

Linen and Mindfulness 10.30am - 12 noon

Blossoming in Bloomsbury 11am - 12 noon

Stories of Orphans, Ponies & Pussycats 11am - 12 noon

Community Climate Action 11am - 12.30pm

Silent Calligraphy 11.30am - 3pm

SOAS Concert Series: Remembering Partition 12 noon - 10pm

A Trajectory to Unsuffocation 12 noon - 1.30pm

The Design of Alfred Place Gardens Walk 11am - 12 noon / Talk 2pm - 3pm

Mary Wollstonecraft’s Bloomsbury 1pm - 2.30pm

Lunchtime Concert: Eran Sulkin 1pm - 1.50pm

The Old Black Door 2pm - 3pm Bloomsbury Breathwalk 2pm - 3pm

The Landscape Designers of Bloomsbury’s Open Spaces 2.30pm - 4pm

Choking Game 6.30pm - 8pm Promised Land 7pm - 8pm

Rosalind Ventris Album Launch 7.30pm - 9.30pm

The Story of Holborn and its Music Halls in 10 Songs 8pm - 9.30pm

The Hippie Shakes 9pm - 10pm

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER (pages 22 - 23)

Innovation and Pioneers 11am - 1pm

Lunchtime Concert: José Songel 1pm - 1.50pm Bloomsbury’s Best Open Spaces (1) 11am - 12.30pm

Stories of Orphans, Ponies & Pussycats 2pm - 3pm

Bloomsbury Inspirations 2pm - 3pm

Rus in Urbe 2pm - 3pm

Breath and Singing Workshop 2.30pm - 3.30pm

The Story of Holborn and its Music Halls in 10 Songs 3pm - 4.30pm

Squares of Bloomsbury 3pm - 4.15pm

The Breath of Freedom 6pm - 7pm

Past Life 7pm - 8.15pm

Choking Game 6.30pm - 8pm

The Hippie Shakes 9pm - 10pm

TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER (page 25)

Lunchtime Concert: Immy Churchill 1pm - 1.50pm

Stories of Song 7pm - 8.30pm

WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER (pages 26 - 27)

The Horticulture & Gardens of Bloomsbury 12 noon - 1pm

Dancing Chopin 1pm - 1.35pm

Garden Unlocked 1pm - 1.20pm

Air of the Squares 1pm - 2.15pm

Born in Bloomsbury 2pm - 3.45pm

Bloomsbury Benches 2pm - 3pm

A Space of One’s Own 6pm - 6.50pm

SOAS Concert Series: The Art of the Duo 6pm - 9pm

Black Women in Prison 7pm - 7.45pm

Branded 7pm - 8pm

Tess Buckley 8.30pm - 10pm

4:48 Digestion 9pm - 10pm

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER (pages 28 - 29)

FESTIVAL HUB (see pages 34 -35):

Breathe Discovery Hub 9am - 5pm

Garden Unlocked 1pm - 1.20pm

Mary Wollstonecraft’s Bloomsbury 1pm - 2pm

Air of the Squares 1pm - 2.15pm

Bloomsbury Benches 2pm - 3pm

Pierrot XXI 6pm - 7pm

Do Souls Breathe? 6.30pm - 7.15pm

The Magician’s Apprentice 7pm - 9.20pm

Branded 7pm - 8pm

New Accents - NW Live Arts 7.30pm - 8.45pm

4:48 Digestion 9pm - 10pm

FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER (pages 31 - 33)

FESTIVAL HUB (see pages 34 -35):

Breathe Discovery Hub 9am - 5pm

The Horticulture & Gardens of Bloomsbury 12 noon - 1pm

Garden Unlocked 1pm - 1.20pm

Is There a Link Between Eye Pollution and Health? 1pm - 2pm

Summertime 1pm - 1.45pm

Air of the Squares 1pm - 2.15pm

Umbrella 2.30pm - 3.30pm

Flight Patterns 4pm - 5pm

Paradise Planet Earth 5.45pm - 7.45pm

Fragile Filters 6pm - 7pm

Do Souls Breathe? 6.30pm - 7.15pm

Hookers in the House of the Lord 7pm - 8.30pm

Daytimers: South Asian Poetry 7pm - 11pm

Dreams & Tales 7pm - 9pm

Branded 7pm - 8pm

Words and Deeds 8pm - 9pm

Brighter, Bolder, Better 9pm - 10pm

SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER (pages 34 - 41)

FESTIVAL HUB:

Breathe Discovery Hub 10am - 4pm

26 Orphans Creative Writing 10.30am - 12.30pm

From Thoughts to Paper 10.30am - 1pm

Linen and Mindfulness 10.30am - 12 noon

Beyond the Rebel Nazrul Islam 11am - 11.50am

Blossoming in Bloomsbury 11am - 12 noon

Sound Meditation 11am - 11.45am & 3pm - 3.45pm

Fanny Wilkinson’s Green London 11.30am - 12.30pm

Repair Café 11.30am - 5pm

The Harrison All Day Folk Festival 12 noon - 12pm

Letting the Mind Breathe 12 noon - 1pm

Activate Your Creativity 1pm - 3pm

Flight Patterns 1pm - 2pm & 4pm - 5pm

Lunchtime Concert: Lucilla Rose Mariotti 1pm - 1.50pm

Introducing Unbound Firsts 2pm - 3pm

Bloomsbury’s Best Open Spaces (2) 2.30pm - 4pm

The Bloomsbury Beast: The General 2pm - 3.30pm

Magical Bloomsbury 3pm - 4.15pm

Bloomsbury’s Links to Slavery 3pm - 4.15pm

Young Voices @ Bloomsbury 3pm - 5.30pm

Invisible Demons 4pm - 5.15pm

Resisting Through Rest 5pm - 6pm

Death of an Orange 6pm - 7.20pm

Do Souls Breathe? 6.30pm - 7.15pm

The Bloomsbury Beast: Nosferatu 7pm - 8.30pm

Branded 7pm - 8pm

Dream.Risk.Sing 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Words and Deeds 8pm - 9pm

Brighter, Bolder, Better 9pm - 10pm

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER (pages 42 - 43)

A Literary Walk Through Bloomsbury 11.30am - 1pm

The Clever, Creative & Charismatic 1pm - 2.30pm

Remember, Remember! 1.30pm - 2.30pm

Rus in Urbe 2pm - 3pm

Dancing, Trailblazing, Taboo!

2pm - 2.30pm, 3pm - 3.30pm & 4pm - 4.30pm

William Morris in Bloomsbury 3pm - 4pm

Free to Speak 3pm - 4.30pm

All Opinions in this Blog... 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Sing and Subvert 5pm - 5.45pm

Sunday Concert: Greenwich Trio 5.30pm - 8.15pm

Mrs X and Me: What is AMR... 6pm - 7pm

Jawdance X Bloomsbury Festival 6pm - 8pm

DAILY PROGRAMMES FROM BLOOMSBURY FESTIVAL 2022

Radio coverage of the festival is brought to you by the Bloomsbury Institute, broadcasting from the heart of Bloomsbury each day of the festival from 3pm to 9pm.

Catch up on all the latest news from the festival with coverage of arts, music, talks, exhibitions and festival outdoor events, and interviews with local business partners and festival supporters.

Bloomsbury Radio will work with local people and radio trainees from the area to bring you this unique festival coverage. Visit bloomsburyfestival.org.uk for full details from early October.

year-round