LONDON BOROUGH OF CULTURE

Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture

Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture was an unprecedented one due to the challenges presented by COVID-19. Here are some highlights, many of which you can enjoy at brent2020.co.uk

General Levy (below) and community dancers at RISE. Photo by Getty and Ava Romero

RISE

Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture 2020 kicked off on 18 January with RISE: a spectacular outdoor show at Wembley Park telling the story of Brent, featuring a huge community cast and closing with an explosive set by Brent-born ragga deejay General Levy.

Over 300 community cast members

The Blueprint Collective

A collective of young people aged 18-25 from the borough, have been at the heart of Brent 2020, working on creative projects while developing skills they’ll need to thrive in creative and cultural work. The Blueprint members will support young people’s creativity in the borough for years to come.

158 Members aged 18-25

VENT amplified the voices of Brent’s young people across four vital podcast series, covering everything from politics to dating, Black Lives Matter to mental health, identity to COVID-19 – and beyond. Produced in collaboration with VICE, VENT featured in Spotify’s Top Podcasts of 2020, and you can still listen to over 80 episodes via Spotify, Apple Music and Google.

7.38m reach worldwide “This project has changed my entire life – not only have I grown as a presenter, I’ve grown in mindset… through discussing virtually anything with experts, celebs and well-known people in the industry”

AMELIA, VENT PRESENTER AND BLUEPRINT COLLECTIVE MEMBER

Kohinoor performing at Bring Your Own Bars, supported by Brent 2020 Culture Fund. Photo by Akor Opaluah

2020 CULTURE FUND

Brent’s 2020 Culture Fund awarded £500,000 to Brent-based individuals, groups and organisations to create and present 53 cultural projects – from a spoken-word showcase to a photography exhibition documenting Harlesden in the late 1980s and early 90s, with many projects continuing into 2021.

£500,000 Grants distributed

“I want us to leave behind a legacy of inspiration that will directly influence the lives of other young people”

JESSICA, BLUEPRINT COLLECTIVE MEMBER

“It’s so important for people to see that a group of nearly 200 young people can come together and make something beautiful”

From the exhibition and book ‘Revival’ by Roy Mehta, supported by Brent 2020 Culture Fund and Arts Council England

No Bass Like Home

No Bass Like Home shone a spotlight on the reggae revolution that emerged from Brent to sweep the UK. The year-long journey began with the Reggae Archive & Map, archiving the stories of the people who made the revolution happen and the fans who hung on every beat, and reached a spectacular conclusion with a seven-hour online festival of reggae culture curated by Seani B. Explore the Reggae Map and watch the festival for free at brent2020.co.uk.

Over 127,000 views of No Bass Like Home Festival

Brent 2020 Unlocked Rachel Yankey OBE Big Zeeks and Marla Brown (below) performing at No Bass Like Home online festival

Brent Locked In

Members of the Blueprint Collective interviewed musicians, artists, athletes and activists who have shaped and been shaped by Brent, including actor–playwright Paterson Joseph and Rachel Yankey OBE, the first female professional football player registered in England and nurse and campaigner Elizabeth Anionwu. You can watch them all at brent2020.co.uk and on YouTube.

17 Interviews with Brent legends that have been viewed over 600,000 times

Pio Abad, Remember This House, Kilburn High Road, Brent BIennial. Photo by Andy Keate

Rasheed Araeen, Zero to Infinity at The Library at Willesden Green, Brent BIennial. Photo by Thierry Bal

Seen and Heard

Young people from across Brent came together to create the Seen and Heard Charter, the heart of their campaign for young people to have a greater say in the use and design of public space. Commissioned by Brent 2020 in collaboration with the London School of Economics and the regeneration teams at Quintain, the charter was accompanied by a petition in support of it – sign it at brent2020.co.uk.

19 Young people created the charter

Brent Young Musicians, performing via Zoom

Brent Biennial

Brent’s first biennial presented brand new artworks from leading Brent-based and international artists, each one inspired by the cultures, places and people of the borough. All the works could be seen for free in public spaces and online – and Dawn Mellor and Pio Abad’s largescale murals will remain on show in Kingsbury and Kilburn.

23 new artworks across Brent

The Brent Anthem

Young musicians from Brent schools worked with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra musicians to create a new Anthem for Brent. You can hear the threeminute version at brent2020.co.uk – and the full 10-minute Anthem will be performed by thousands of young musicians and singers at Brent Makes Music in The SSE Arena, Wembley in 2022.

8,000 Brent school children to perform the Anthem

Lauren (above) and Tyrique. Photo by Kes and Kamiah