Alchemy magazine 2016

20–30 MA Y

2016

Introducing the creative forces behind the festival PAKISTAN’S LEFTIST MUSICIANS SHAKESPEARE IN SOUTH ASIA TRANSFORMATIVE ART

Throughout the festival Thursday 26 – Monday 30 May The Black Pearl: The City to the River PERFORMANCE/INSTALLATION FREE p.32 Thursday 19 – Monday 30 May KERB Does Alchemy MARKET

p.37

Friday 20 – Monday 30 May A Musical Journey INSTALLATION FREE

p.5

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May Desi Pubs INSTALLATION FREE

p.7

Thursday 19 – Monday 30 May Englishes EXHIBITION FREE

p.33

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May Towards Marg EXHIBITION FREE p.33 Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May Burka Avenger FILM SCREENING FREE

p.15

Friday 20 – Monday 30 May Do Not Yet Fold Your Wings INSTALLATION FREE

p.25

Thursday 19 – Friday 27 May RPM (Rounds Per Minute): Salt Arts INSTALLATION FREE p.13 Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May The Love Works Duology FILM SCREENING FREE

p.8

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May Women Spread the Word FILM SCREENING FREE

p.8

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May A Different Shakespeare FILM SCREENING FREE p.29 Written by Arwa Haider (AH), Amrita Riat (AR) and Max Trevitt.

Cover: Nikhil Chopra in La Perle Noire: Le Marais, Level One at gb agency, Paris 2014. Photo by Justin Meekel, costume design by Loise Braganza.

Friday 20 May

Sunday 22 May

1pm

11am

Alchemy Big Dance Pledge PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

FREE

p.24

1.15pm Friday Lunch: Filter Coffee PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

FREE

p.21

5.45pm Friday Tonic: Shapla Salique PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

FREE

p.8

7.30pm Zakir Hussain & BBC Concert Orchestra PERFORMANCE (MUSIC) p.19 7.45pm How Gay is Pakistan?

FILM SCREENING FREE

p.3

Saturday 21 May

p.33

2pm

Leaps and Bounds FREE

p.39

3pm

Money Talks: Jugaad, Bollygarchs and Billionaire Business

5pm

Radical Tolerance

5pm

Sunday Sessions: Neon Horizon by Hassan Mohyeddin

Jaipur Literature Festival

11am

Burka Avenger WORKSHOP FREE p.15

p.29

2pm & 7pm

Strictly Balti

5pm

Indian Film Songs by Yesudas PERFORMANCE (MUSIC) p.20

8pm

Tez Talks

9pm

The Weirdo’s Ball

WORKSHOP

5pm

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.16

8pm

PERFORMANCE BOOK CLUB AWARDS CEREMONY RADIO SHOW RECORDING

Be Careful (Thoda Dhyaan Se) PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.17

Monday 23 May 7pm

How to Write for Children with Maha Khan Phillips WORKSHOP p.31

7.15pm

Tahmima Anam TALK

8pm

Paul Sinha and Guests

p.3 p.3

p.10

6.30pm Under an Azraq Sky

PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

p.30 p.4

Tuesday 24 May 6pm

CLUB NIGHT

FILM SCREENING

p.21

Dive Into the Heart of Suffering and Turn Poison into Medicine PERFORMANCE p. 35

AWARDS CEREMONY

Truth Betold

by Shama Rahman

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

TALK PANEL DISCUSSION

p.16

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.16

PERFORMANCE (CABARET)

PANEL DISCUSSION

FREE

p.33

Tabla Takeover with Zakir Hussain WORKSHOP FREE p.19

PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

p.10

5.30pm Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards

10am

1pm

WORKSHOP FREE

p.3

Mawaan Rizwan: Gender Neutral Concubine Pirate

12 noon Marigold WORKSHOP FREE

p.15

PANEL DISCUSSION

TALK

PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

12 noon Marigold

p.21

6.30pm Sex and Sexuality

9pm

Burka Avenger WORKSHOP FREE

FREE 7pm

p.35

The Year of the Runaways

by Sunjeev Sahota BOOK CLUB FREE p.31

7.30pm Pink Sari Revolution

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.35

A selection of the events in Alchemy are British Sign Language interpreted. Email accesslist@southbankcentre.co.uk for more information.

Wednesday 25 May

Saturday 28 May

Sunday 29 May

11am

Fashion Undressed with MasterCard

11.30am Writing for Children

Pram Jam: Alchemy Edition WORKSHOP p.37

6.30pm Sanjukta Sinha: Kathak Masterclass WORKSHOP p.22 7.15pm

11am

Style My Headscarf

11am

History of the Sari TALK FREE

WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP

p.38

p.9

12 noon Marigold WORKSHOP FREE

p.33

p .9

12 noon The Winter’s Tale

12 noon Block Printing WORKSHOP FREE

p .9

1.30pm Folktales for Children

Thursday 26 May

12 noon Embroidery in Design WORKSHOP FREE

p.9

2pm

2pm

12 noon How to Style a Sari WORKSHOP FREE

p.9

2pm

The Art of Activism PANEL DISCUSSION

Alchemy Social Dance WORKSHOP FREE

p.12

p.25

Alchemy Elders: Working with Older Dancers WORKSHOP p.25

4.45pm Alchemy Masters

PANEL DISCUSSION

FREE 6pm

p.25

Alchemy Masters

7pm

Akademi: Utkarsh

7pm

How to Write Crime

PERFORMANCE (DANCE) WORKSHOP

p.25 p.24 p.31

Friday 27 May 11am

Groove Baby

1pm

Friday Lunch: Both Universe

by Sarah Sarhandi

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

1pm

My Big Fat Asian Wedding: Why the Hype?

PANEL DISCUSSION FREE p.9

1pm

Religion and Fashion

p.35

5.30pm Friday Tonic: Sahara

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

FREE

p.21

6.30pm International Shakespeare Panel PANEL DISCUSSION p.29 Vikram Iyengar: Across, Not Over

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

WORKSHOP

Criminally Good Fiction: Omar Shahid Hamid, Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee TALK p.30

7.30pm Asian Dub Foundation + Laal PERFORMANCE (MUSIC) p.12 8pm

Hamlet in Nepali

9pm

Salt Nights feat. Rudoh CLUB NIGHT FREE p.13

p.9

WORKSHOP

Vikram Iyengar: Across, Not Over

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

3.30pm Illustration for Children WORKSHOP

p.38

p.22 p.38

4pm & Dear Home Office 7.30pm PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.16 4pm

Saman Shamsie, Maha Khan Phillips and Shazaf Fatima Haider: A Little Literary Adventure for Children

PERFORMANCE (SPOKEN WORD)

p.31 4pm

p.9

The Sonnet Exchange

PERFORMANCE (POETRY)

FREE

p.29

3.45pm The Journey of Your Jumper: From Thread to Wardrobe PANEL DISCUSSION p.9

4.30pm Mim Shaikh Debates

12 noon Storytelling with Peter Chand

6pm

Sunday Sessions: Panjabi Hit Squad PERFORMANCE (MUSIC) FREE p.21

9pm

Wild City CLUB NIGHT

WORKSHOP

12 noon Voicelab: Indian Song

p.20

12 noon Marigold WORKSHOP FREE

p.33

2pm

Hussain Manawer

2pm & 7pm

Vikram Iyengar: Across, Not Over

TALK

6pm

p.8

p.22

I Am Malala BOOK CLUB FREE

p.38

p.6

PERFORMANCE (SPOKEN WORD)

p.4 Shaanti Presents We Are 2nd Generation!

CLUB NIGHT FREE

7.15pm

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

8pm

Hamlet in Nepali

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.29

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

p.21

Monday 30 May 11am

YUVA: South Asian Youth Dance Competition FREE

2pm

p.6 p.20

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.29

p.22

YUVA: South Asian Youth Dance Platform PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

FREE

Tongue Tied & Twisted

7pm

p.5

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

3.30pm Sampad Arts Presents Midlands Mantra PERFORMANCE FREE

RADIO SHOW RECORDING

FREE

p.4

WORKSHOP

3pm p.22

WORKSHOP

2.30pm Men, Fashion and Turbans

p.37

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

FREE

7.15pm

12.30pm Where is the South Asian Model?

PANEL DISCUSSION p.15

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

FREE

7pm

12 noon Young, Asian and Breaking the Mould TALK FREE p.9

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE) p.29

7.30pm

p.22

Sanjukta Sinha and Sanjukta Wagh: Kin and Rage & Beyond PERFORMANCE (DANCE) p.22

WELCOME We are thrilled that this is Alchemy’s seventh year.

Our festival has become a platform for artists from around the world to share their stories and passions through art and debate and to help us understand how our personal experience sparks extraordinary connections and gives life to innovative ideas.

We explore the cultural relationship between the UK and the Indian subcontinent and the creative influences generated by a shared and evolving history.

Importantly, Alchemy allows us to capture the energy and complexities of contemporary Britain and to see how artists experience identity in a way that relates to all of us, through comedy, music, poetry, and performance.

For eleven days our festival site becomes a creative laboratory for the most exciting artists to present finished pieces and work that will be created live throughout the duration of the festival. You can experience serious topics and also let your hair down.

This magazine enables the artists and contributors to speak for themselves and is a guide to just some of their stories. Read on to find out about BritishAsian creativity across the UK, life-changing art from Pakistan, underground music and international playback stars. There are the choreographers inventing new interpretations of dance traditions, the artists presenting works in progress at all stages of development and the writers changing the landscape of fiction.

Alchemy is a place for collaboration and conversation, where you can experience the familiar and the new – you’re invited to join in.

Jude Kelly CBE Artistic Director, Southbank Centre Rachel Harris Festival Curator, Southbank Centre Gauri Sharma Tripathi Festival Curator, Artist in Residence

CONTENTS Welcome p.1 Society pp.2 – 17 Music pp.18 – 21 Dance pp.22 – 25 Theatre & Literature pp.26 – 31 Visual Arts pp.32 – 33 Works in Progress pp.34 – 35 Family pp.36 – 39 1

SOCIET Y

Mawaan Rizwan

Imagine knocking on your neighbour’s door and sharing a cup of tea. At this year’s Alchemy you can explore dynamic communities and inspiring visions of society – never forgetting the basics of everyday life! Changemaker artists such as Pakistan’s Laal and Haroon share their inspirational work and we discover Asian-influenced culture across the UK. Plus, the BBC’s Asian Network invites visitors to delve into the archives. Pop into a Desi Pub, join us as we explore innovative South Asian business strategies, and take the temperature of South Asian fashion.

Tez Ilyas

BRITISH A REPRESENSIANS T Amrita Riat offers an overview of the British Asian artists here at Alchemy Britain and South Asia’s complex relationship was born out of trade in the 1600s, mutated into the imperial rule of the colonies in the 19th century and led, eventually, to an influx of migrants from all walks of life to suburban UK in the 1950s. Like the ancient practice from which it takes its name, Alchemy explores philosophical and artistic transformations, curating a diverse range of the dual-heritage acts produced by today’s cultural melting pot. What are British Asian artists creating today?

‘I tell ancient myths; however, I live in the 21st century. I think all art looks backward to some extent, but it needs to be tuned into the hearts and minds of audiences in the present,’ says Wolverhamptonborn Peter Chand, who uses spoken word to pass on folklore from Punjabi elders. Spinning lyrical stories in English with occasional flurries of his mother tongue, his act Tongue Tied and Twisted hauls a once-forbidden art form into the modern, thumping world of bass.

DJ PKCthefirst underlines the narrative with hip-hop, dubstep and bhangra soundscapes.

The British Asian equation yields multiple answers, and writer*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

performer Saikat Ahamed shares how he worked it out in Strictly Balti, an autobiographical stage production about growing up as the actor son of two Bangladeshi doctors in 1980s Birmingham.

Though his childhood home was a shrine to the Land of Bengal, one of his earliest memories is of watching Donald O’Connor perform ‘Make em’ laugh’ in Singin’ in the Rain: ‘I knew life would never be the same again.

I used to creep into the kitchen to covertly hoof on the tiled floor.’

“

Creating my own work has been an opportunity to present my own voice

FILM SCREENING

HOW GAY IS PAKISTAN Friday 20 May, 7.45pm–8.45pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, FREE (ticket required) PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

MAWAAN RIZWAN: GENDER NEUTRAL CONCUBINE PIRATE Friday 20 May, 9pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £12* PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

TEZ TALKS

”

The first hurdle on his acting path was facing his family’s opposition to his career choice. Once he’d cleared that one, the next hurdle was grappling with his ethnic identity. ‘It felt that sometimes I was too Asian for parts I wanted and other times not Asian enough for parts I was being offered.

Creating my own work has been an opportunity to present my own voice, and take ownership of who I am on my own terms.’

YouTube comedian and actor Mawaan Rizwan knows no other way. The best way to make someone laugh, he says, is ‘The willingness

Saturday 21 May, 8pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £12* PERFORMANCE (CABARET)

THE WEIRDO’S BALL Saturday 21 May, 9pm, Weston Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £10* PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

UNDER AN AZRAQ SKY This work in progress from performer Saikat Ahamed follows a British boy’s journey to join a ‘holy war’.

Sunday 22 May, 6.30pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £5*, for ages 16+

SOCIETY

3

to be honest. Honest to the point it hurts… It’s vulnerability and humility that connects us.’ At Alchemy, he screens his film How Gay is Pakistan, hosts The Weirdo’s Ball and features as a Gender Neutral Concubine Pirate.

If the last of these titles doesn’t give it away, Rizwan uses physical absurdity and theatrical crossdressing in an attempt to destroy the taboos around what it means to be homosexual and come from a Muslim family.

‘The most dangerous thing we can do is act like something doesn’t exist,’ he says. The performer’s online channel, MalumTV, has 87,000 subscribers and growing, and it spawned his part in Murdered

by My Father – a hard-hitting drama about an honour killing that recently aired on BBC One. He’s living, clowning proof that people want to see the full breadth of their demographic represented in the British mainstream, and not just see their community represented as extras, or caricatures.

When the door is closed, artists are forced to use stereotypical gags or internet platforms as lock picks to break into the industry. Stand-up comic Tez Ilyas puts it perfectly: the best thing about being British Asian is having a USP (unique selling point) and the worst is ‘trying to stand out from the tired ethnic tropes’. His act draws on his Pakistani heritage, and it’s seriously funny and subversive, even when broaching hard topics, like Islamophobia. ‘Sometimes you have to go to dark places to say something meaningful, and that takes skill.’

4

COMEDY AT ALCHEMY PERFORMANCE (COMEDY)

Paul Sinha and Guests Former GP Paul Sinha now dispenses witty, topical, and sometimes bizarre comedy.

Let him tickle your funny bone at this London Wonderground comedy extravaganza, also featuring comedian and self-described ‘extreme doodler’ Sameena Zehra, plus Sindhu Vee and Guz Khan.

Presented in association with BBC Asian Network.

Monday 23 May, 8pm, London Wonderground, £20.50*, £15.50*, £14*, for ages 18+

WORKSHOP

STORYTELLING WITH PETER CHAND Saturday 28 May, 12 noon, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £8*, for ages 16+ PERFORMANCE (SPOKEN WORD)

TONGUE TIED AND TWISTED Saturday 28 May, 6pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £12*

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

DJ Mim Shaikh

INSTALLATION

A MUSICAL JOURNEY Presented by BBC Asian Network and Southbank Centre Archive.

ASIAN NETWORK, PAST AND PRESENT

Friday 20 – Monday 30 May, 2pm – 8pm (weekdays) and 11am – 8pm (weekends and bank holidays), Archive Studio, Level 2 at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

BBC radio station Asian Network has been a key Alchemy collaborator throughout the festival’s history. That bond is cemented through a genuinely multi-generational appeal, and it’s reflected in a variety of festival events this year.

RADIO SHOW RECORDING

MIM SHAIKH DEBATES Presented in partnership with BBC Asian Network.

As part of Asian Network’s expansive ongoing project to mark 50 years of Asian programming on the BBC, Alchemy audiences will get the chance to delve through archive footage and rare recordings of music icons across the decades, such as Lata Mangeshkar, the ‘nightingale of India’, and Qawwali megastar Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Evocative highlights of the archive also include a flashback to Britain’s seminal 1990s bhangra scene and a display charting the history of Asian arts at Southbank Centre.

Sunday 29 May, 4.30pm – 5.45pm, St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, FREE (Ticket required)

There’s also an important platform for outspoken young voices at Alchemy, led by the award-winning Asian Network DJ Mim Shaikh. The 23-year-old is clearly relishing his radio show, which mixes an eclectic playlist selection with discussions on themes including music, film, fashion, culture and social issues. ‘It’s the biggest amount of freedom I’ve ever experienced in relation to being on-air’, he says.

Shaikh also makes his debut as an Alchemy festival presenter for 2016, as he hosts a live version of his popular topical weekly panel discussion, the Shaikh Debate. This time last year, he was in the midst of Alchemy’s crowds: ‘I remember seeing people from all backgrounds dancing and getting down to some bhangra,’ he enthuses.

“ it’s great that

Alchemy is championing youth culture

‘I love having a good old chinwag with anyone, so to be able to do it in front of a live audience rather than behind the radio microphones will be a new experience,’ he says, of the prospect of focusing on face-to-face audience debate, in contrast with phone-ins and Twitter feeds. ‘Also, the theme is close to my heart. Young people working in creative industries is such a vast topic, and it’s one that I want to try and help inspire and make easier for other youngsters trying to land their dream jobs.’

”

He’s also positive that a variety of strong young attitudes will be at the heart of Alchemy. ‘I feel that youth culture is a key element, full stop,’ he says.

‘There are so many ideas, aspirations and hopes with young people. The majority of young people I know are more mature than certain adults! So it’s important, and it’s great that Alchemy is championing youth culture through this series of Shaikh Debates.’

AH

SOCIETY

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Sampad’s Midlands Mantra, Atreyee Dance Group

MIDLANDS MYTHOLOGY This year, Alchemy gives props to the Midlands with a range of events celebrating the region’s significant British Asian heritage and visionary creativity. By day, the Birminghambased organisation Sampad (South Asian Music and Performing Art Development) presents Midlands Mantra: an afternoon of music, dance and spoken word, featuring Chitraleka Dance Company, Manodharma acapella group, Triple AAA Dance and more, hosted by Brum beatboxer Shan Bansil.

‘The Midlands has deep-rooted and everevolving connections with cultures from all over the world, which add to the vibrant, diverse and forward-thinking buzz of the region,’ explains Piali Ray OBE, who founded Sampad in 1990. ‘This makes it a great stomping ground for Sampad’s work.’

By night, the ground-breaking and awardwinning club promoters Shaanti take over the Riverside Terrace with We Are 2nd Generation! This party spans 20 years of the best of British Asian club culture, including ‘90s ragga and hip-hop, R&B and Eastern breaks, evolving from the seminal bhangra scene to which the Midlands was instrumental.

‘We Are 2nd Generation is not just an event, it’s a part of history where British Asian promoters, artists and DJs reclaimed their identity through the power of music,’ says Shaanti CEO Sharnita K Athwal. Expect a hotbed of movers, shakers, and makers of joyous noise.

AH

6

PERFORMANCE

SAMPAD ARTS PRESENTS MIDLANDS MANTRA Saturday 28 May, 3.30pm–7pm, Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, FREE CLUB NIGHT

SHAANTI PRESENTS WE ARE 2ND GENERATION! Championing 20 years of the best of British-Asian club culture Saturday 28 May, 7pm–11pm, Riverside Terrace, FREE

INSTALLATION

DESI PUBS Discover more about Desi Pubs at our exhibition of pub signs.

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm daily, Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

PUB SIGNS OF THE TIMES Efforts to document the Desi Pub are taking place across the Black Country. Amrita Riat explains.

The beer and biryani story goes back to the turn of the 18th century, when early non-European immigrant Dean Mahomet made his way to London. Then a soldier for the East India Company, he also happened to be a Mughal alchemist, and he brought the winning formula for shampoo and the curry house with him to the western world. He opened Hindoostanee Coffee House, offering Victorians a heady mix of hookah and traditional Indian food and establishing the template of intoxicating socialisation on which the Desi Pub now thrives.

‘Pubs are a place to have a chat, have a drink, watch sport, eat, laugh, cry, fight, dance, celebrate, commiserate... all things common to all men,’ observes Parminder Dosanjh, artistic director of Creative Black Country. The arts campaign is behind a BBC radio series and illustrated pub guide documenting the Desi Pub, and creating a pub sign that will mark them out across the Black Country.

‘Today the area boasts around 50 pubs that provide anything from a place where families lunch and sports spectators gather, to where newly arrived migrants seek community – with live late-night bhangra in the background.’ In the 1970s, Desi Pubs were frequented mostly by

Amrick Singh Saini at The Fourways

the Asian men who worked in the foundries. These men were sought as cheap and ‘docile’ labour for the metalworking processes that became industrialised after World War Two. At these watering holes for postcolonial migrants who worked heavy machinery and faced racism day-in day-out, gastronomy was essential to the punter’s experience and sense of escapism.

“ Desi Pubs are

a home-grown British Asian phenomenon

”

The communities served by these safe havens may have changed, but the food that comes out of the kitchens still closely resembles Punjabi dhaba cuisine – grub renowned for its explosive depths and flavours of home. Typically served at roadside restaurants in northern India and Pakistan to replenish pit-stopping truckers, ‘Menus tend not to come with a mild, medium or hot option. Your chips might be sprinkled with grated green chilli and your mixed grills marinated in a cocktail of spices cooked for the native Indian tongue.

No frills, just fire,’ says Dosanjh.

That’s no surprise, as, largely speaking, the landlords of Desi Pubs come from Sikh farming families, culturally accustomed to celebratory harvest drinks and signature dishes rich in warm ghee, tandoori masala, butter and cream: tastes inherited from agricultural

ancestors who had to sustain a hardworking rural lifestyle in Punjab.

Born in that very state, and brought up in Smethwick, Beera is landlord of The Red Cow. He spent his teenage days playing the Indian wrestling sport of kabaddi and doing bhangra around the UK with his dance troupe until the 1980s, when he became an engineer, got made redundant and fell into bar work. ‘But he didn’t anticipate falling in love with his job,’ Parminder explains, ‘amongst his punters were friends, fellow performers, teammates, musicians and local Irish, English, and Jamaican families. The reason he stayed behind the bar was meeting different people and learning from different cultures, creating a place where people felt at home just as much as he did – he said “my pub is like family”.’

Creative Black Country believes this is a social narrative worth sharing, especially now that – despite the craft-beer craze – there are fewer and fewer places where you can find a hand-pulled pint. 4500 public houses called last orders between 2009 and 2013 as double doors permanently swung shut on hundreds of years of local, architectural and cultural history.

‘It’s a story of the remarkable meeting point of the English pub and Indian migrant, and their continuous journey of love and survival after.

Desi Pubs are a home-grown British Asian phenomenon: they couldn’t happen anywhere else in the world.’

SOCIETY

7

Hussain Manawer

IN SPACE FIRST MU SLIM Meet Hussain Manawer

suffer in silence: ‘Welcome to the club! There are seven billion of us!’

‘Listen, I get scared sleeping in the attic by myself!’ YouTuber and East London spoken-word artist, Hussain Manawer, jokes when I ask him if he’s worried about his trip to space in 2018. But it is bravery that won the 24-year-old a global Rising Star competition organised by talent management company Kruger Cowne. As someone who has lived with mental health issues, Manawer dedicated his video entry and his acceptance speech to fellow sufferers, especially those who

Manawer gives inspirational talks everywhere from Qatar to Thailand, where he recited a poem that started as a suicide note and ended with the audience in applause. He shared his personal challenges and battled stigma with lines like: ‘See I write stories, I write them on my arm, only I can read them but the doctor calls it self-harm.’

‘Stories against the odds inspire me,’ he says. So of course, the first British Muslim to make it to the

©

Be

stars has, as he puts it, got bigger plans than space: ‘There’s a gaping hole in our society – I want to get mental-health education into the core curriculum and create the world’s largest summit.’

AR TALK

HUSSAIN MANAWER Saturday 28 May, 2pm, Level 4 Green Bar at Royal Festival Hall (for ages 12 – 35), £6*

in

l

da

La

w le y

FILM SCREENING

TALK

FILM SCREENING

WOMEN SPREAD THE WORD

SEX AND SEXUALITY

THE LOVE WORKS DUOLOGY

This documentary follows 20 Afghan women’s project to record and spread the stories of their countrywomen through memoirs and interviews.

Is sex today very different from how it was millennia ago, or do things stay much the same? In pursuit of answers, this Alchemy talk looks at everything from the kama sutra to homosexuality in Pakistan today.

The discussion is followed by a screening of How Gay is Pakistan at 7.45pm (see p.3).

This pair of short animated films presents contrasting perspectives on same-sex love in British South Asian communities. In Little Elephant a gay woman may reconnect with her estranged father, while a boy’s feelings for his best friend develop in Chariot Riders. Produced by Bobby Tiwana and directed by Kate Jessop.

Presented in collaboration with Alchemy programming partner, British Council.

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyer (Green Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

Friday 20 May, 6.30pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £10*

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyer (Blue Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

SARTORIAL SOUTH ASIA The South Asian clothing industry is constantly evolving in the quest to represent today’s shifting cultural attitudes and identities. Craftsmanship across the subcontinent arises out of both communal traditions and contemporary education in couture.

This year, Alchemy offers a window into your wardrobe with an all-day fashion takeover, featuring catwalk shows, workshops and free talks: Fashion Undressed with MasterCard. Beyond the textures, weaves and patterns that inform modern British-Asian labels and inspire a generation of bloggers, the day explores questions with answers that are threaded deep into the fabric both of our history, and how we live now.

AR

FASHION UNDRESSED WITH MASTERCARD Get a lesson in style as Alchemy showcases a full day of cutting-edge design from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and peers behind the scenes of the fashion industry.

Visit southbankcentre.co.uk to browse the full programme.

Saturday 28 May, 11am – 4pm, various locations at Royal Festival Hall

WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP

STYLE MY HEADSCARF

RELIGION AND FASHION

11am, £5*, for ages 12+

1pm, £5*, for ages 12+

TALK

WORKSHOP

YOUNG, ASIAN AND BREAKING THE MOULD

MEN, FASHION AND TURBANS

12 noon – 12.45pm, FREE

PANEL DISCUSSION

WHERE IS THE SOUTH ASIAN MODEL? 12.30pm – 1.15pm, £5*

2.30pm, £5*, for ages 12+ PANEL DISCUSSION

THE JOURNEY OF YOUR JUMPER: FROM THREAD TO WARDROBE 3.45pm – 4.30pm, £5*, for ages 14+

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

SOCIETY

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© Joe Zachs, 2007

CHAMPIONING BRITISH-ASIAN ARTS ‘In our news section, there are good arts stories most weeks – more young people are going into the creative industries and their parents aren’t automatically admonishing them with “When will you get a proper job?”’

Amit Roy of the Eastern Eye describes the evolution of the Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards: an idea by the British Asian newspaper that becomes reality in partnership with Southbank Centre as part of Alchemy.

‘The time is right to celebrate,’ says BBC Asian Network presenter, DJ Nihal. As a judge of the awards, he’ll be deciding the winners and runners-up in a wide range of groups. ‘British Asians are making moves across the board in literature, film, TV, radio, theatre, fashion and visual art.’

Bollywood Film Of The Year is an anomalous category for the largely home-grown event, but holds its own, as Indian films have become integral to the British cinematic landscape.

‘When Gurinder Chadha made Bend It Like Beckham, the film was not seen as a successful Asian film, but as a very successful British Asian film – or even British film,’ Roy asserts. ‘The shared ability to laugh has that effect of dissolving barriers in society, and now we need more of the same.’

AR

AWARDS CEREMONY

EASTERN EYE ARTS, CULTURE AND THEATRE AWARDS Sunday 22 May, 5.30pm – 8pm, Royal Festival Hall, £30*, £20*, £10*

THE CREATIVITY OF SOUTH ASIAN BUSINESS South Asia’s innovations have world-wide impact, across the creative arts, and also in industry. The contribution of South Asian businesses to UK wealth is hugely significant, and longstanding, dating back for more than a century; in modern terms, the UK India Business Council estimated that over 2013-14, the value of Indian investment in the UK totalled £1.89bn.

The region’s enterprises also compare impressively with other global superpowers; in 2015, according to a report by Business Today, India was home to over 48 million small businesses – more than double that in America.

Homegrown innovations have drawn plaudits and recognition from international corporations; take the scale and incredible precision of Mumbai’s dabbawala commuter lunch delivery network, powered by couriers on bikes, carts and trains, which inspired FedEx to visit for tips. There is a focus on ethical business, thanks to social enterprise organisations such as BRAC (founded in 1972, in the newly sovereign Bangladesh), as well as tech strengths and an ingenious edge.

The concept of ‘Jugaad Innovation’, stemming from life-hacks for the business-minded, inspired a best-selling book with the slogan ‘Think frugal; be flexible; generate breakthrough growth’.

Alchemy explores a wealth of business approaches and issues at this talk with audience Q&A. AH

PANEL DISCUSSION

MONEY TALKS: JUGAAD, BOLLYGARCHS AND BILLIONAIRE BUSINESS Sunday 22 May, 3pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £10*

10

Laal

C PAKISTAN ALLING… Pakistan’s Laal and the UK’s Asian Dub Foundation perform together for the first time. Arwa Haider reports.

Alchemy has always been a space for extraordinary unions and insights. This year, the festival combines two potent musical forces in one concert: British rabblerousers Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) with Pakistani leftist altrockers Laal. It also offers a heady snapshot of Pakistan’s modern sounds and visions, courtesy of Karachi-based producers Salt Arts.

ADF have made their distinctive musical mark since their early‘90s London community collective roots. They’ve earned a rep for thrilling gigs (with a heavy nod to sound system culture), and uncompromising anthems (from campaigning tracks such as 1998’s Free Satpal Ram to their acclaimed live re-score for French urban drama La Haine). They’re also ardent champions of international music; DJ Pandit G describes their initial aim of working with Laal as

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

‘a pipedream’, realised with the help of media platform The Samosa: ‘Laal represent the best of the courageous, progressive and secular political movement in Pakistan,’ he says. ‘This movement is needed more now than ever.

It will be an honour to perform with them, and bring their hope and optimism to the audience at Southbank Centre.’

“ Progressive values

inform what both ADF and Laal do with our music

”

‘Our sounds are quite different,’ admits ADF lead guitarist Steve ‘Chandrasonic’ Savale, who first heard Laal while researching for his Music Of Resistance TV show. ‘Laal

SOCIETY 11

Asian Dub Foundation

are a melodic vocal-led group; ADF come from a punk and jungle MC tradition. We don’t follow trends, but we’re able to absorb interesting developments from any source.’

‘Of course, there has always been fantastic music coming out of Pakistan, but Laal have a fascinating voice that we don’t hear much over here. They put music to Urdu leftist poetry, and cover traditional socialist themes that are still relevant in Pakistan.’

Laal also feature an unconventional founder/frontman, in awardwinning academic and rock performer Taimur Rahman: ‘It may sound strange, but I’ve never really seen these roles as two different things at all,’ says Rahman, whose ‘day job’ is assistant professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. ‘It has always been my effort to educate and agitate the people against oppression. It was the reason I became a teacher in the first place and it is also the reason I picked up the guitar to write songs.’

Rahman argues that both acts share a vital ethos: ‘A deep commitment to progressive values and socialist politics informs what ADF and Laal do with our music.’ The bands will play individual numbers and brand new collaborative work at this show, which is presented as a distinctly passionate concert for peace.

ADF’s line-up includes celebrated original bassist Dr Das, and beatboxer/musician Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee. Laal will perform benchmark tracks Umeed e Sahar (Dawn Of Hope) and Dehshatgardi Murdabad (Death To Terrorism), and previously unheard material including their homage to murdered Karachi human rights activist

12

Sabeen Mahmud. (‘We can never forget the sacrifices of our friends who gave their everything for a new tomorrow,’ says Rahman).

Rahman reflects on the concert’s theme, in the wake of terrorist atrocities from Brussels to Baghdad, Ankara and Lahore. ‘This cannot be the result of a “clash of civilisations”,’ he says. ‘How could the same horrific incident occur on both sides of the world, by the same kind of forces? This is a clash between the forces that wish to do away with the walls that divide man from man, and the forces that wish to raise walls, that wish to increase hatred, that wish to harden our hearts towards each other. They will not win.’

Chandrasonic agrees that the tone of the show will be one of raucously spirited, bassline-fuelled unity.

‘Thinking in terms of “them and us” is part of the problem,’ he says. ‘I hope this will be a meeting of minds and experiences.’

PANEL DISCUSSION

THE ART OF ACTIVISM This panel discussion features Laal’s founder Dr Taimur Rahman, co-lead vocalist Mahvash Waqar, Asian Dub Foundation’s John Pandit and Burka Avenger creator and rock star Haroon.

Wednesday 25 May, 7.15pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £10* PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION AND LAAL Presented in partnership with The Samosa with support from Rangoonwala Foundation.

Friday 27 May, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall, £22*, £17*, £10*

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

INSTALLATION

RPM (ROUNDS PER MINUTE): SALT ARTS Explore the urban landscape of Karachi at RPM. This installation proposes that digital content is the contemporary urban version of poetic and literary expression. Inspired by city walks and the oddities in our surroundings, it investigates repetition, movement, unfolding, momentum and narrative...

Curated and produced by Raania Azam Khan Durrani and Hasan Waliany. Presented in partnership with Rangoonwala Foundation.

Thursday 19 – Friday 27 May, 10am – 11pm daily, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE CLUB NIGHT

SALT NIGHTS FEAT. RUDOH Marking the opening of RPM, Karachibased guest producer and electronic musician Rudoh (aka Forever South’s Bilal Khan) takes to the decks with his LA techno and house-influenced beats.

Presented in partnership with Rangoonwala Foundation.

Friday 27 May, 9pm – 11pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

SOCIETY 13

FIGHTING B IN BL ACK ACK Who is Burka Avenger?

Arwa Haider speaks to Pakistani musician and activist Haroon about his animated creation.

Don’t mess with the Lady In Black… because Burka Avenger is Pakistan’s own feminist cartoon superhero, and education is her superpower. This award-winning TV series features schoolteacher Jiya’s transformation into a sleekly veiled vigilante who fights for equality, and whose martial arts weapons include books and pens. Burka Avenger was dreamed up by Pakistani music star and social commentator Haroon, and he tells Alchemy more about his kick-ass creation: Batman vs Superman vs Burka Avenger – the Lady In Black wins, right? Why did it feel important to you to create a female superhero for this show?

Yes, Burka Avenger would absolutely win! Back in 2010, I was reading a lot of articles about girls’ schools being shut down by extremists, and I was outraged, as many people were all over the world. I imagined a school teacher standing up to these bad guys; that’s how I started to develop this superhero concept of a teacher donning a burka-like disguise, and fighting back with books and pens as weapons. I felt it was important for children to be introduced to strong female role models at a young age.

14 SOCIETY

Are you a fan of comic books, anime and Hong Kong action cinema, as Burka Avenger’s imagery also evokes all these forms?

Growing up, I was a huge fan of comics and Hong Kong action cinema. My favourite superheroes were Batman, Daredevil, Spider-Man and The Hulk. I was introduced to martial arts movies aged eight, when I watched Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon; I became a huge fan, and took up taekwondo.

Burka Avenger has battled issues from sex discrimination to polio vaccination – but what has been the most challenging theme to tackle on the show?

The most challenging theme was sectarian violence, since it’s a very sensitive issue in Pakistan.

However, we paid a lot of attention to detail, and that resulted in it being one of the best episodes. We focused on the human emotion aspect, and how lives can be torn apart due to discrimination.

For us it was important that each episode impart a strong social message but not come across as preachy – we wrapped the serious themes in action, comedy and adventure.

empowerment, education, promoting peace and solidarity have resonated with the youth. Burka Avenger is one of the most popular TV series not just in Pakistan, but Afghanistan as well. We were surprised to hear according to a recent survey, 86% of children living in urban areas of Afghanistan watch Burka Avenger.

What is the most memorable feedback you’ve drawn from young viewers?

Burka Avenger is also notable for being completely produced in Pakistan, at your Islamabad-based Unicorn Black studio. Now that there are more than 50 episodes of the show, how has the team behind it changed?

The show’s main messages of gender equality, female

Burka Avenger is Pakistan’s first ever animated TV series, and we

“I started to develop

this concept of a teacher fighting with pens as weapons

”

FILM SCREENING

BURKA AVENGER Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyer (Green Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE WORKSHOP

BURKA AVENGER Learn from Burka Avenger’s creators how they go about making their stereotypeexploding show. Plus, design your own versions of the characters with the show’s creator and animation director.

Supported by Rangoonwala Foundation.

Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 May, 11am – 4pm, Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PANEL DISCUSSION

had to create our own production pipeline through trial and error.

When we set up in 2012, we had about 20 to 25 employees.

Since then, the creative/ tech team has grown significantly. With each episode, we’ve continued to improve the quality of the episodes: animation, production and scripts.

Burka Avenger’s theme tune is supernaturally catchy – how did you create it?

Haha, thanks! I actually wrote and recorded the theme about a year before we started work on the series. I woke up one morning and a melody was buzzing around in my head. I recorded the riff in my studio that afternoon, and sang the Burka Avenger phrase on top, and voila – that was it.

WHERE IS THE SOUTH ASIAN MODEL? The voice of Burka Avenger, actress and model Ainy Jaffr, joins this panel asking why Muslim women are absent from fashion campaigns.

Saturday 28 May, 12.30pm, Green Bar, Level 4 at Royal Festival Hall, £5*, for ages 14+

ALSO AT THE FESTIVAL BURKA AVENGER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Secondary school pupils from Ealing work with Burka Avenger creators to form their own characters and story zine inspired by the power of Burka Avenger.

Supported by Rangoonwala Foundation.

© Belinda Lawley

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

STRICTLY BALTI Performer Saikat Ahamed pirouettes through his dualidentity childhood.

Saturday 21 May, 2pm & 7pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 10+, £12*, £10*

TALKING T OLERANC E ‘I’m trying to think progressively about an extremely alarming phenomenon,’ says Saikat Ahamed.

‘Be it Islamic fundamentalism or far-right racism, it’s dangerous.’

He’s behind Under an Azraq Sky, a work in progress about a British Asian youth who journeys to Syria to fight insurgency in the face of holy war. ‘I’m keen to show that he‘s not a separate entity to the British public, but part of us.’

Radical Tolerance – a panel discussion looking at compassion and examples of de-radicalisiation – precedes Ahamed’s piece at Alchemy. ‘Killing soldiers or terrorists will never win the war on

16 SOCIETY

radicalisation – an idea cannot be killed; it has to be transformed.’

‘I want the audience to laugh when they see our play, but also I want them to learn about refugees,’ says a member of the cast of Dear Home Office – a percussion, dance and comedy performance relating the true stories of three unaccompanied minors who fled Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea to find refuge in the UK. Before a backdrop of their own footage, they re-enact their attempts to navigate a new reality. The 17-year-old actor explains that now, ‘everything about the future inspires me.’

AR

PANEL DISCUSSION

RADICAL TOLERANCE Sunday 22 May, 5pm, Weston Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £10* PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

DEAR HOME OFFICE Sunday 29 May, 4pm & 7.30pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) in Royal Festival Hall, £5* PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

UNDER AN AZRAQ SKY Sunday 22 May, 6.30pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £5*, for ages 16+

PERFORM ANCE

AS PROTE S

T

‘You’re never fair enough or blemish-free enough or dark circle-free enough for someone or the other dictating these parameters.’ Mumbai-based performer Mallika Taneja explains how women everywhere are taught to be afraid of their own bodies. ‘We are always told to watch our step, watch our weight, watch ourselves.’

Presented this year at Alchemy, her performance Be Careful (Thoda Dhyaan Se) is a theatrical protest against the patriarchal undertone of the Hindi phrase so often aimed at women.

The production is inspired by her own experiences, ‘from the very first time someone groped me in a bus to the most recent time someone told me “thoda dhyaan se”.’ It’s also influenced by the voices of the women around her. ‘Maya Krishna Rao is my mentor whether she likes it or not! I’ve been deeply inspired by the works of Anuradha Kapoor, and artists like Sheetal Sathe are some of the bravest people I know. This is not an exhaustive list!’

‘Caution cages us; we become a convenient, manufactured self, and we’re brought up on it. [We’re told to] watch who we talk to, watch where we go, watch who we go with, watch what we watch. All in the name of being safe and acceptable.’ In Thoda Dhyaan Se, Taneja asks, ‘How much can we, and should we watch?’

AR PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

BE CAREFUL (THODA DHYAAN SE) Sunday 22 May, 8pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall.

The performance is followed by a discussion and a cup of tea. £12*, £10* Mallika Taneja © David Wohlschlag *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

17

Zakir Hussain © Jim McGuire

MU S I C Open your ears to the sounds of South Asia.

In his new concerto, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain officiates a musical marriage, uniting Indian ragas and Western classical traditions.

It’s impossible to imagine India without playback music, as legendary stars ShankarEhsaan-Loy and Dr KJ Yesudas turn out the cinematic hits. But the music doesn’t stop there – whether it’s jazz, folk or electronica, you can hear all about it at Alchemy. And remember to flick back through the pages to find out about Pakistani musical activists Laal, who perform in Royal Festival Hall this year with Brit anthemmakers Asian Dub Foundation.

See also: Pakistan Calling: Laal and Asian Dub Foundation (pp. 5-6)

18

BOMBAY BOY WORLD MUSICIAN

Zakir Hussain traces the origins of his new concerto for Alchemy, in conversation with Arwa Haider Tabla legend Zakir Hussain is both an Indian classical music icon and a distinctly global star. He transcends rigid genres with a free-flowing flair.

He has won world-class accolades, as a solo innovator and a creative collaborator with the likes of British guitarist John McLaughlin and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

At the same time, Hussain exudes a genuinely approachable charm, and he’s warmly enthusiastic about his return to Alchemy, following a sellout show at the festival in 2015.

‘For me, Alchemy represents a kind of universal thinking, where a city allows for people of various cultures to thrive and be part of things in a creative manner,’ says Hussain, in his gentle tones. ‘It’s important for me to be present and acknowledge that.’

This year, he will be presenting his new concerto work Peshkar, performed with the 95-piece BBC Concert Orchestra (a Southbank Centre partner), conducted by Zane Dalal and featuring Niladri Kumar on sitar. Peshkar inspired rave reviews when it premiered in Mumbai last year (Rolling Stone India described it as ‘an unforgettable aural and visual experience… Pure genius!’), and Hussain feels that its material reflects the nature of Alchemy: ‘Peshkar is a combo of Indian rhythmic structures and ragas interacting with Western classical traditions,’ he explains. ‘Rhythms are much more universal; it’s possible to take a pattern that exists in traditional repertoire, and orchestrate it for different instruments, creating a harmonic environment. We’re accompanying each other, with the orchestra also playing rhythms.’

The concert will contrast Peshkar’s lavish line-up with an intimate duo *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

set, where the tabla virtuoso plays alongside celebrated Indian sitar maestro Niladri Kumar. ‘It helps to point out where my music comes from,’ says Hussain.

In fact, Hussain appears constantly connected to where his music comes from, without losing sight of where he might take it next. ‘I started out as a teenage tabla player, without any real idea of what the world had to offer,’ he recalls.

‘I arrived in America, and it opened my eyes to different traditions, and how it was possible to bring the past into the present, and create a whole different dynamic.’

“ Peshkar is a combo

of Indian rhythmic structures and ragas and Western classical traditions

‘I was never going to be taken by the glitz and glamour of the film world!’ he laughs. ‘But in some ways, acting on screen made me a better stage performer. There’s a certain revelation about how to express emotions, and create abstract visual pictures of what I’m playing.’

Though based in the States, Hussain remains on the move with his work; this man of the world has also described himself as a ‘quintessential Mumbai boy’: ‘I grew up every day going to madrasa to study Quran, going to church to sing hymns, and going to the Hindu temple,’ he explains. ‘It was all made available to me, and it all seemed to say the same thing. But apart from being a Bombay boy, I do feel like a world person. I feel very humbled that I’m able to exist in various ways of lives, and I’m accepted with open arms and hearts.’

”

He now credits his work with hundreds of different artists for allowing his music to develop a ‘multi-lingual voice’. Hussain’s rhythms have pulsed through film soundtracks (including the unforgettably eerie Apocalypse Now score), traditional benchmarks (recording with the likes of sarod master Vasant Rai), and progressive fusions such as his Tabla Beat Science project with bassist Bill Laswell. He’s emphatic about what draws him to such a diverse range of collaborators:‘The music actually comes later – we become friends in the complete sense first, to the point that our families get to know each other,’ he says. ‘When you get on stage, you continue the conversation, in the language of music. It’s anchored in mutual respect. It makes the interaction deeper, more worthwhile, and long-term.’

Hussain is a captivating figure to watch in concert. He puts this live presence down to his acting experiences in films such as the Merchant Ivory drama Heat And Dust – though he’s also self-deprecating about his time in front of the camera.

For Hussain, that all-embracing ethos really does stem from his roots – and in particular his father and guru, the legendary tabla don Ustad Alla Rakha. ‘One thing my father regularly told me, usually after a successful concert, was: “Son, don’t try to be a master; just try to be a good student, and you’ll get by fine.” That’s something I still carry close to my heart. If I haven’t learned something new each day, I feel I haven’t done his bidding.’

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Friday 20 May, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall, £35*, £25*, £20*, £15* Peshkar is commissioned by Symphony Orchestra of India, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai. With special thanks to Serious.

WORKSHOP

TABLA TAKEOVER WITH ZAKIR HUSSAIN Experienced tablaists and new players join a mass tabla jam led by Zakir Hussain, with Kuljit Bhamra.

Saturday 21 May, 1pm – 3pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

19

nja

na

G

ha ta

k

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Ra

WORKSHOP

Voicelab: Indian Song Londoner Ranjana Ghatak blends British sounds with singing traditions from her South Asian roots. She introduces Indian vocals in this Alchemy workshop, while tablaist Manjeet Singh Rasiya keeps time.

Taught by ear, suitable for everyone.

Saturday 28 May, 12 noon – 4pm, Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall, £10*

Dr KJ u Ye s das

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Indian Film Songs

by Yesudas Dr KJ Yesudas has won a frankly extraordinary total of 107 awards over his five-decade career. At this Alchemy concert he sings his favourite picks from his multilingual discography of over 20,000 songs.

How that’s even possible, don’t ask.

Presented by HCPAA-UK and Darbar festival.

Saturday 21 May, 5pm, Royal Festival Hall, £100*, £75*, £60*, £50*, £40*, £30*, £10*

PLAY IT AGAIN SHANKAREHSAAN-LOY The multi-faceted musical team of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa have sealed A-list status through their collective work as musicians, composers and producers.

Fans of film music will be especially familiar with ShankarEhsaan-Loy’s blockbuster Bollywood soundtracks including Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires, 2001) and Kal Ho Naa Ho (There May Or May Not Be A Tomorrow, 2003). The trio’s works have spanned Indian classical traditions, jazz, rock, hi-NRG disco and beyond; they’re also characteristically melodic, evocative and beautifully arranged.

S-E-L have proved to be versatile live performers, too, and Alchemy presents a one-off concert which highlights their extensive catalogue.

‘There are so many songs, that it would take a few shows to cover them,’ admits Ehsaan. ‘There are some favourites that the audience loves which we always perform. We’ve been composing for 20 years now, so the material will definitely span from DCH to Dil Dhadakne Do. Loy will be playing keyboards and bass, which will be fun.’

The concert will also include a Next Generation segment, in which these established stars offer a platform to young talent. Acts include Shankar’s son Siddharth, and sister vocalists Prakriti and Sukriti Kakkar, who are steadily progressing from playback hits to the live spotlight.

AH PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Presented by Rock On Music.

Saturday 28 May, 7.15pm, Royal Festival Hall, £150*, £125*, £100*, £75*, £65*, £55*, £10*

20 MUSIC

UNDERGR OUND SOUNDS India is famously steeped in musical histories – but its modern cities also fuel febrile underground scenes. Wild City offers a gateway to India’s cutting-edge music, through its digital magazine and events. It’s the brainchild of Sarah Fatemi and Munbir Chawla, a couple who met in London before finding Wild City inspiration in Delhi.

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Friday Lunch: Filter Coffee This Mumbai-based duo have devised their very own genre: ethnotronic. Drink up their brew of Indian classical and folk with electronic music mixed in at this Alchemy Friday Lunch.

‘There’s something about Delhi!’ enthuses Fatemi. ‘It has a thriving independent creative scene. There are some incredibly talented people here, not just from music, but working in fashion, film and arts.’

Presented by EarthSync.

Wild City taps into emerging talent nationally, and Fatemi professes a particular love for Bangalore: ‘There’s something in the water there,’ she jokes. ‘There has been a lot of really good music coming out of that city for a while now.’

Friday Tonic: Shapla Salique

Friday 20 May, 1.15pm–2.15pm, Central Bar at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

First performing as a three-year-old, leading the UK’s first Bangladeshi band by eight, singing at Royal Albert Hall within another decade: Shapla Salique’s voice is unstoppable. Hear her mix of Bengali folk with jazz and soul at this Alchemy Friday Tonic.

Bangalore is the base of electronic producer _RHL, who brings his mesmerising and glitchy material to Wild City Presents… This concert also showcases the flamboyant fusion of Peter Cat Recording Co. and an audio-visual set from BLOT!, and it marks Wild City’s return to Alchemy following their acclaimed Alternative India event in 2015.

Friday 20 May, 5.45pm–7.15pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Sunday Sessions: Neon Horizon

by Hassan Mohyeddin

‘This year, it’s not a seated show, and we thought we’d showcase a different side of what’s happening at grassroots level,’ says Fatemi.

‘The creative landscape here is super fresh.

There’s something incredibly exciting about being a part of that.’

Sunday 22 May, 5.30pm – 7pm, Riverside Terrace Cafe at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Sunday Sessions: Panjabi Hit Squad

With the shock of the new, and the thrill of diverse possibilities, things should get very lively indeed at Wild City.

Presented by BBC Asian Network.

AH

Sunday 29 May, 6pm – 8pm, Riverside Terrace, FREE

CLUB NIGHT

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

Friday Tonic: Sahara

WILD CITY Sunday 29 May, 9pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, £10* *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

Shapla Salique

Enjoy live music from this group who are at the heart of the UK bhangra scene.

Friday 27 May, 5.30pm–7pm, Central Bar at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

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Vikram Iyengar

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

VIKRAM IYENGAR: ACROSS, NOT OVER Friday 27 – Sunday 29 May, 7pm (Friday & Saturday) & 2pm (Saturday & Sunday) Weston Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £15*, £10*

DANCE

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

SANJUKTA SINHA AND SANJUKTA WAGH - KIN AND RAGE & BEYOND Monday 30 May, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall, £15*, £10* WORKSHOP

SANJUKTA SINHA: KATHAK MASTER CLASS Wednesday 25 May, 6.30pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £20* PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

YUVA: SOUTH ASIAN YOUTH DANCE COMPETITION Presented by Southbank Centre and Akademi.

Monday 30 May, 11am – 2pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

YUVA – SOUTH ASIAN YOUTH DANCE PLATFORM Presented in partnership with South Asian Dance Alliance.

Monday 30 May, 2pm – 6pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

The word ‘kathak’ comes from the Sanskrit for ‘story’, and the ancient tradition of kathak dance continues to tell new tales. Alchemy presents Vikram Iyengar, Sanjukta Wagh and Sanjukta Sinha, writing their own extraordinary physical narratives.

Unlike many forms of dance, Indian classical techniques make space for master practitioners, such as Bisakha Sarker, and this year’s festival also becomes a platform for their wisdom.

See also Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale, pp.26–29

STEPPING INTO THE FUTURE

“ it’s vital for any

artist to evolve any form they work with

”

Over the last 37 years, Akademi has weaved its way into Britain’s cultural DNA, its spectacular performances becoming highly influential on the dance scene.

It synthesizes provocative staging and sound with beautiful choreography and performance – plus the artistic heritage of multiple cultures and styles.

YU VA

CONTEMPORARY KATHAK Arwa Haider introduces three star kathak performances at Alchemy Kathak is one of the most celebrated forms of Indian classical dance, with an intricately expressive style defined through both the Bhakti movement from the 15th century, and the Mughal court. The dance has ancient storytelling origins, but its enduring global recognition owes much to innovative new chapters of artists. Dancer Vikram Iyengar, who presents Across, Not Over (his latest collaboration with choreographer Preethi Athreya) at Alchemy, has been praised for ‘demystifying’ kathak.

‘Classical dance in India is often perceived as unknowable and inaccessible – something to be worshipped from afar, but rarely *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

engaged with,’ says Iyengar.

‘For me, classical dance has always been fun. It felt imperative to communicate this magic and enjoyment to as many audiences as I could, without compromising on the art.’

Iyengar’s work is noted for his openness to engage and connect, rather than treat tradition as a constraint. ‘I believe it’s vital for any artist to evolve any form they work with,’ he explains. He pays homage to his teaching guru Smt Rani Karnaa, but also cites international contemporary dance, theatre, film and painting as inspirations.

Alchemy also features a double bill of new work by two leading kathak dancers, Sanjukta Sinha and Sanjukta Wagh, who take over Royal Festival Hall to offer a 21stcentury perspective on this richly historic form.

Whether traditional or contemporary, ‘dance is a universal language, it can connect people from all races,’ says Mira Kaushik, Akademi’s director.

She was made an OBE for her services to dance, which include the educational programmes and showcase platforms she has set up, in addition to her work with Akademi. ‘Parents like classical Indian dance because training includes the study of language, literature, philosophy, history and music – it provides young people with physical and engaging access to their roots.’

Akademi is one of ten organisations that make up the South Asian Dance Alliance, which presents YUVA in partnership with Southbank Centre. Named after the Sanskrit word for youth, the competition and platform hopes to encourage British Asians aged 25 and under to put creativity before traditional technique. ‘Many children go through some experience of dance training when they’re little,’ Kaushik explains, ‘but it becomes secondary as they get older. We want to discover and recognise the future of South Asian dance at an earlier stage, so that it can be nurtured.’

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A TEMPLE Amrita Riat explains how this year’s Alchemy spotlights the creativity of older dancers.

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

Akademi: Utkarsh Dance producer Akademi nurtures new choreography emerging from classical Indian dance. On Thursday, Shane Shambhu, Chamu Kuppuswarmy, and Nina Rajarina present works in progress commissioned for Alchemy. Shambhu’s The Guru features seasoned performer Pushkala Gopal, while Kuppuswarmy’s piece features live music from vocalist Annapoorna Kuppuswarmy.

According to Indian myth, dance was the brainspark of Brahma, who combined athya (words), abhinaya (gestures), geet (music) and rasa (emotions) to form a complete body of knowledge. Not many temples to the Hindu god survive today, but his ethos thrives.

Thursday 26 May, 7pm – 9pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £8*

The art of dance has made its mark on every aspect of South Asian life: a form of deity worship in temples that became a type of royal entertainment (the fire-dance of Bharatanatyam), a celebration of seasonal harvest (Jawara) and finally, of course, the show-stopping ‘item numbers’ of Bollywood.

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

Alchemy Big Dance Pledge Choreography by kathak innovator Akram Khan, music by Nitin Sawhney and performance by Southbank Centre’s Associate Schools: the 2016 Big Dance Pledge is shaping up nicely for this Friday Lunch at Alchemy.

Friday 20 May, 1pm – 1.15pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE, Suitable for all ages Ak

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This year Alchemy includes a focus on older dancers, celebrating the codified idiosyncrasies of classical Indian forms and freer styles of folk, as mastered by senior practitioners. ‘In many dance forms, young dancers have a short career and are celebrated in that time; in South Asian dance, the older an artist, the more respected they become,’ explains Molly Sanders, Participation Producer for Dance & Performance at Southbank Centre.

The programme includes a workshop for professional dancers working with older people, a social for older dancers and a panel talk discussing lifelong creativity and the perceptions of older artists in different communities. As traditional sequences fuse with progressive choreography, the language and spirituality of South Asian dance is becoming more fluid – driven by the innovation of youth but also by the experience that comes with age.

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Bisakha Sarker

INSTALLATION

DO NOT YET FOLD YOUR WINGS Friday 20 – Monday 30 May, 11am – 11pm, Cloakroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

‘I’m looking forward to a new duet choreographed by Balbir Singh that brings together two legends from different dance forms: Pratap Pawar and Namron,’ says Sanders.

The innovative piece sees the story-led tempo of kathak combine forces with the jazz rhythms of contemporary dance.

‘The lifelong work of leading creative Indian dance practitioner, Bisakha Sarker, and her commitment to empowering all the communities she works with, is also very exciting.’

Sanders explains. Trained in Uday Shankar’s modern, creative school of dance, Sarker combines European theatrical techniques and classical Indian concepts.

An educator, choreographer and performer, Sarker is now learning to cultivate a late style as her body ages, an approach that is explored beautifully in installation Do Not Yet Fold Your Wings. The installation, created by Ansuman Biswas, merges sound, film and dance. Its title is taken from Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, ‘Dussamay’, its soundtrack is layered with his lyrics, the haunting melodies of an angelic voice, and the rhythm of beating marimba sticks.

Originally a tabla player, Biswas had to reinvent himself when he broke *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

his wrist in a car accident. Because of this, he understood Sarker’s predicament as she tried to figure out how to retain her movements, gestures and expressions despite feeling as if she was losing her mobility. ‘She [Sarker] is very much a community dancer, so her question to me was how do I combine my practice of a physical, live performance with the stillness of an installation?” he remembers.

WORKSHOP

ALCHEMY SOCIAL DANCE Thursday 26 May, 2pm– 3pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE WORKSHOP

ALCHEMY ELDERS: WORKING WITH OLDER DANCERS

‘Marc Brew, who dances in a wheelchair, helped her think about her attitude to her body, so she began to use a wall as support to lift herself. It wasn’t too intrusive as an object, and I realised we could use video to make it look like her body was climbing from the floor, continuing up and up till the walls felt like a prison. As she reached skywards, they transformed into a means for escape.’

A professional development workshop on working with older dancers.

In an entrancing visual that defies gravity and unfolds in slow motion, Biswas contemplates that notion of verticality; ‘For me it’s a very important metaphor about mortality; how when we die, we sink back into the earth and our spirit soars up to heaven.’

Thursday 26 May, 4.45pm– 5.45pm, Central Bar at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

Thursday 26 May, 2pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £12* PANEL DISCUSSION

ALCHEMY MASTERS A panel discussion on the contribution of older artists.

PERFORMANCE (DANCE)

ALCHEMY MASTERS This showcase features a premiere of a duet by Balbir Singh, performed by Pratap Pawar and Namron.

Thursday 26 May, 6pm – 7pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

In William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, set in an English woodland, fairies speak longingly of the ‘spiced Indian air’. Some of the bard’s best-known characters enjoy a change of climate in two productions visiting Alchemy this year, set in Nepal and Pakistan. To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Alchemy’s poets are also reimagining his sonnets to bring to light more international connections. Plus, enjoy visits from literary greats, stories for children and a Jaipur Literature Festival residency.

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NAPA Repertory Theatre

WHAT COUNTRY, FRIENDS, IS THIS? Hamlet in Nepali, The Winter’s Tale in Urdu, and new interpretations of the Sonnets – Arwa Haider encounters the South Asian bard ‘In India, Shakespeare is a household name!’ says Thane-based poet and novelist Sampurna Chattarji, noting the Bard’s ubiquity on the syllabus at Englishlanguage schools, as well as in film and theatre adaptations. While the formality of Shakespeare’s texts might form a formidable first impression for some, Chattarji is certain of his ongoing resonance in South Asia: ‘What cuts across cultural barriers is the power of his themes, the universality of the conflicts.’

Chattarji draws on her own personal experience of Shakespeare (including the influence of her English teacher father during her Darjeeling childhood) to participate in The Sonnet Exchange: a live Alchemy project which invites artists from India and the UK to reinterpret his classic poems, covering universal themes such as beauty, love and mortality. Of Alchemy, she says: ‘I really liked the vibe, the responsiveness of the audience, and the space that had been created for all kinds of voices to create a kind of polyphonic magic,’ she says. ‘I’m really

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looking forward to hearing, among others, the poems written by Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra for The Sonnet Exchange, which I’m delighted and honoured to be a part of. It will be fun to see how, as a poet, I can create a text that is as true to my own emotional/linguistic/ cultural context and creative impulses, as it is a genuine response to Shakespeare’s astonishing skill.’

Shakespeare’s presence at Alchemy 2016 ties in with the 400th anniversary of his death, and it’s also represented by two multi-lingual theatre adaptations of his works travelling from Nepal and Pakistan; like The Sonnet Exchange, these are co-produced with The British Council. Hamlet in Nepali is codirected by Bimal Subedi and London-based Gregory Thompson, in collaboration with Kathmandu Theatre Village; it draws parallels between Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, and the 2001 massacre of Nepal’s royal family by its Crown Prince.

“The remarkable thing

was how much of Shakespeare was in the culture of Karachi

”

An Urdu-language version of The Winter’s Tale (or Fasana E Ajaib), also directed by Thompson with Karachi’s NAPA Repertory Theatre, similarly reflects on a shocking contemporary event: the horrific murder of pregnant Farzana Parveen outside a Lahore courthouse. The play premiered to acclaim in Karachi in 2014.

lost on the performers or audience members.

When Leontes loses his temper in the trial and raises a rock as if to stone Hermione, the parallel with so-called honour killings is acknowledged. Shakespeare is exposing the destructive nature of sexual jealousy, and how masculine power assumes the right to destroy the feminine. These issues of patriarchy and misogyny that were driving Shakespeare’s creativity are as relevant now as ever. The Winter’s Tale is a play that turns jealousy, tyranny and rage into forgiveness, reconciliation and love.’

Both of these Shakespeare adaptations have worked through the challenges and complexities of languages that have transformed over time (not least, the original English) with international casts, and they’ve taken a creative approach to the staging.

In The Winter’s Tale, the two halves of the play shift through time (from 17th-century Mughal-period Karachi to modern-day Pakistan), and also move actor-audience positions around the set to create an increasingly immersive experience. All the while, Gregory points to the perennial power of Shakespeare: ‘The remarkable thing about this Winter’s Tale was how much of the culture of Shakespeare was in the living breathing culture of Karachi,’ he says. ‘The tension between passion and reason; the possibility of centralised power and violent regime change; misogyny and patriarchy; shame and honour; revenge and forgiveness; separation and reconciliation; and, thank goodness, falling in and out of love are all as present here, as in Renaissance England.’

‘The theatre is a safe privileged communal space to experience life events,’ says Thompson. ‘That this 400-year-old play has resonance with contemporary crimes was not

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Jaipur Literature Festival

PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

HAMLET IN NEPALI In partnership with British Council.

Friday 27 & Saturday 28 May, 8pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £12* PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

THE WINTER’S TALE In partnership with British Council.

Sunday 29 May, 12 noon, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, £12* PERFORMANCE (POETRY)

THE SONNET EXCHANGE In partnership with British Council.

Sunday 29 May, 4pm , The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PANEL DISCUSSION

INTERNATIONAL SHAKESPEARE PANEL Our panel ask what insights are gained from international interpretations of Shakespeare’s work.

Friday 27 May, 6.30pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £5* FILM SCREENING

A DIFFERENT SHAKESPEARE This documentary relates the creation of a new production of Romeo and Juliet, presented by young adults with disabilities. From UK theatre company Graeae and Bangladesh’s Dhaka Theatre in collaboration with Alchemy programming partner, British Council.

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyer (Blue Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

A DECADE OF READING IN RAJASTHAN In the ten years since its foundation, the Jaipur Literature Festival has built a legendary reputation; the annual event is now often referred to as ‘the greatest literary show on earth’.

‘From the very start, the vision had been to create a free, democratic platform bringing together a multitude of ideas into a free-flowing dialogue,’ explains JLF producer (and Teamwork Arts Managing Director) Sanjoy Roy. ‘The sheer mélange of discussions and the quality of programming set in a culturally stimulating environment filled with a stunningly diverse audience is what makes it magic.’

The JLF launched its international extension in 2014, when it made its Alchemy debut at Southbank Centre. This year, it’s back for a third instalment, with a vibrant blend of spoken-word performances, storytelling, topical discussions and special guests including political journalist/broadcaster Barkha Dutt, historian Sunil Khilnani, short story writer Rakhshanda Jalil, poet Ruth Padel and JLF co-directors William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale.

Roy describes the JLF’s Alchemy 2016 programme as ‘a minefield of ideas’, exploring themes such as South Asia’s multilingual literature in translation, Partition and post-colonial British Asian identities. As the JLF continues in its role as a cultural catalyst in India and internationally, audiences can expect much debate, and many tales to tell.

AH Saturday 21 May, 10am – 6.30pm, Royal Festival Hall, £20*

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TALK

Criminally Good Fiction: Omar Shahid Hamid, Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee Omar Shahid Hamid is a police officer turned crime novelist. Vaseem Khan works in UCL’s Department of Crime Science and writes detective novels that feature an elephant. Abir Mukherjee is the debut author of historical crime novel A Rising Man, published in 2016. Hear them stir together crime and fiction. Chaired by Arifa Akbar.

TAHMIMA ANAM ‘I told my father I wanted to be an actress. He said, “that’s ridiculous. Do something practical. Be a writer.” I now realise that’s a rare and unusual perspective,’ says Tahmima Anam, daughter of a journalist and granddaughter of a political satirist renowned in Bengal. Despite her literary lineage, it was interviewing Bangladeshi war veterans for her PhD that gave her the confidence to put pen to paper.

Anam’s award-winning debut novel, A Golden Age, tells the personal and political stories of her birthland’s conflict with Pakistan in 1971, drawing out first-hand truths from her parent’s generation for the benefit of today’s. ‘Though it was historical, I couldn’t help but be present – through what they ate and what music they listened to,’ she says, explaining how she gets under the skin of the past. Off the

Friday 27 May, 7.15pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 16+, £10*

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page, Anam wrote her latest title The Bones of Grace to Keith Jarrett’s Goldberg Variations on repeat, zoning out in a coworking space in Spitalfields.

London is home now, but that hasn’t stopped her from releasing a semiautobiographical title set partially in present-day Bangladesh. ‘Not quite belonging – this is what makes a writer look at the world in their own way. My job is to ask questions, emphasise the nuances, and locate, through characters, the variety and individuality of human experience.’

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TALK

TAHMIMA ANAM, MIRZA WAHEED AND DEBORAH SMITH Monday 23 May, 7.15pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £10*

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*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

WORKSHOP

How to Write Crime Pick up tips on writing detective fiction and noir at an evening workshop. Led by Omar Shahid Hamid, it’s especially suitable for people whose careers are related to crime and who want to venture into writing.

Thursday 26 May, 7pm – 9pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £15* BOOK CLUB

The Year of the Runaways

by Sunjeev Sahota Shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, Sunjeev Sahota’s second novel The Year of The Runaways tells of migrant workers’ lives in Britain. Read the book, then come to Alchemy Book Club to discuss it.

Hosted by Farhana Shaikh.

Tuesday 24 May, 7pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, FREE (ticket required)

WORKSHOP

How to Write for Children with Maha Khan Phillips

ONCE UPO N A TIME IN PAKIST AN ‘We have a folklore of our own and it’s rich and bizarre and much spookier and more interesting than witches and wizards,’ says Shazaf Fatima Haider, one of three Pakistani authors reading at Alchemy. She’s reworking an old myth about a Jinn and a little girl in English, tapping into a cultural heritage of storytelling.

Meanwhile, fellow wordsmith Maha Khan Phillips is furthering the South Asian fable. Her next novel tells tales, literally and metaphorically, about a little-known Indus Valley civilisation, the Mohenjo-daro. ‘The clothes, food, rituals, religion – I got to make it all up, and I loved it.’

Modestly, Haider confesses that she is ‘very afraid’ of her audience – unlike Saman Shamsie, who also dabbles in the dark art of writing adventures for young people. A teacher in Pakistan, Shamsie has a way with rhythm and rhyme in class and paperback alike; writing

in English, she explores universal themes like friendship ‘even for my loneliest of characters,’ each of whom is christened with a local name so the students who inspire her work can relate to it.

To these writers, children’s literature transcends language and age. ‘It deals with the very urgent issues of growing up – mean people, old age, death.’ As Haider puts it, ‘it’s both unadulterated imagination and real.’

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SAMAN SHAMSIE, MAHA KHAN PHILLIPS & SHAZAF FATIMA HAIDER: A LITTLE LITERARY ADVENTURE FOR CHILDREN Chaired by Sarah Shaffi.

Sunday 29 May, 4pm, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 7 – 12. Some readings are in Urdu as well as English. £10*, £5*

© Belinda Lawley

Writing for kids draws on a special sort of imagination, and requires wordsmiths to balance rich creativity with age-appropriate language. This Alchemy workshop teaches you how to bring out your inner Roald Dahl.

Monday 23 May, 7pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, £15*

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See also: Desi Pubs (p.7), Towards Marg (p.33), Women Spread The Word (p.8), The Love Works Duology (p.8), Do Not Yet Fold Your Wings (p.25) and Burka Avenger (pp.14–15)

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PERFORMANCE / INSTALLATION

THE BLACK PEARL: THE CITY TO THE RIVER Nikhil Chopra arrives by boat at approx. 6.30pm on Thursday 26 May, setting the performance in motion.

He creates The Black Pearl from Thursday 26 – Monday 30 May at Royal Festival Hall.

The piece can be viewed every day 10am–11pm until 1 September 2016 from the Level 5 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, for FREE

Now you see him, now you don’t… Performance artist Nikhil Chopra talks to Lucy Peters about the visual artworks he creates in character.

MORE VISUAL ART You create performance art as different characters in order to express ideas about times, places and identities. Could you tell me about the character who will come to Southbank Centre, and the ideas they will be exploring in your piece for Alchemy, ‘The Black Pearl’?

My ‘personae’ is how I would like to think about them as they are such an extension of me and the projection of my desires and struggles. A lot of times the persona I am playing is connected to a place, its history and the narratives it generates. So I become a big mash-up of personal and collective memories.

In London, I am thinking a lot about the South Asian community and how Britishness has redefined itself over the past 50 years. I am also thinking about my Punjabi roots, and how Punjabi culture blurs the boundary between India and Pakistan. The persona I play at Southbank Centre will probably evoke the Punjabi in me. The specifics will become clearer once I have had the chance to visit.

Your work takes a long time to create – you spent 65 hours in front of a live audience to make your piece ‘Coal on Cotton’ at the Manchester International Festival.

How long are you in residence at Southbank Centre?

I need that kind of time to make drawings, transform spaces and myself. I am planning a 120-hourlong performance. I will spend 24 hours on a boat meandering through the canals and end up at Southbank Centre, where I will spend the next 96 hours making drawings on Royal Festival Hall’s large glass façade.

What preparations will you make before you come to create ‘The Black Pearl’ installation at Alchemy?

A large part of the piece will be produced in India. I am working with an extraordinary costume designer

and we have been brainstorming towards creating my persona, the world s/he comes from and the world s/he will occupy.

What has changed about Indian art in recent times? Which contemporary artists inspire you, and why?

In the past 15 years I have seen it go from a small, local, leftleaning scene where the artist was recognized by his nerdy look, frayed shirt and leather sandals – to a thriving art world with new money, chauffeur-driven cars and fancy cocktail parties – to Indian contemporary art being curated in large public institutions like the Centre Pompidou and Serpentine – to international art biennales and art fairs that are now drawing a lot of attention from international artists, curators and collectors. It’s very exciting to be here and part of this milieu.

The art you make examines the colonial relationship between Britain and India. Why is art a good tool to use when thinking about history and society?

Images are powerful and making images is like witchcraft. Making images as the colonized gentleman I often played, I felt like I was casting a spell over people’s memory. I felt like I was reclaiming the way in which we thought about history. I grew up in quite an Anglophile home. Learning to speak English properly was more important than learning Punjabi. The performances have given me the tool or the means to exorcise my demons and confront ghosts from my past. So at some point it becomes important for the gentleman to be covered in charcoal, laboring on his hands and knees, looking like a coal miner.

Do you have any tips for audiences who have never experienced performance art before?

Come back. Once will not be enough.

EXHIBITION

Englishes This work by graphic designer and typographer Geetika Alok explores the role of English as a universal language of the modern world.

Thursday 19 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, FREE EXHIBITION

Towards Marg ‘Marg’ is Sanskrit for pathway. Four artists have set out to trace South Asian LGBT journeys through the UK in this searching collection of video art and photography.

Wednesday 18 – Monday 30 May, 10am – 11pm, Level 2 Foyer (Green Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE WORKSHOP

Marigold Geetika Alok works where art meets typography, exploring the aesthetics of public signs and spaces. At Alchemy, you can join her in creating an artwork for the most overlooked part of any interior: the floor.

Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 May, 12 noon – 4pm, Level 2 Foyer (Green Side) at Royal Festival Hall, FREE (subject to availability)

ALSO AT THE FESTIVAL WORKSHOP

Marigold Artist Geetika Alok works with school students to create a series of vivid pop-up installations. Watch your step!

Monday 23 – Wednesday 25 May, 10am – 5pm, Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall, FREE to view

GETTING CLOSE TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS Amrita Riat offers an overview of works in progress at Alchemy Salman Rushdie once said ‘Writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things… that go on slipping, like sand, through our fingers.’ Some artists consider the unfolding of ideas sacred to themselves, while others are happy to let the outside world gaze in and help them develop.

This year, Alchemy offers numerous opportunities to sneak a peek at creativity under construction, as artists present experiments in music, spoken word, technology, dance and theatre. The festival’s Manifesto of our Future invites digital artists and writers on an expedition into the digital landscape and its impact on narrative. This artistic experiment, led by Annette Mees and Amitesh Grover, asks how we tell stories at a time when technology is quite literally always at our fingertips.

Speaking of fingertips, Truth Be Told by Shama Rahman sees the sitarist and scientist use not only music and multimedia but also Mi.Mu gloves to tell stories on themes drawn from her personal life. Live gestural technology allows her to improvise on stage: she explains that the gloves ‘enable sensitive, dramatic responses’ during her transformational journey.

“ When people hear of

the Gulabi Gang, they go “Oh my god, that’s a show”

”

Shane Solanki is the mastermind behind Last Mango In Paris, presenting work-inprogress Dive Into The Heart Of Suffering And Turn Poison To Medicine. Featuring Bellatrix on double bass, Folasade on vocals and Tim Courie on visuals, the piece uses music and film to explore a story of female empowerment. It looks at anger and how we handle it in an increasingly disenfranchised world. ‘My own experience showed me the only way is to become ever kinder, ever more vulnerable, ever more authentic.’

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Female fury takes centre stage in a new work being created by Curve Theatre as part of Arts Council England’s Re-Imagine India programme. The production house is currently in the research and development phase of staging Pink Sari Revolution, an extract of which will be seen at Alchemy.

Associate director Suba Das explains that the play is based on the real-life story of 20,000 female vigilantes who dress in neon-pink saris and wield sticks to fight for their rights. ‘Their leader, Sampat Pal Devi, goes into village squares and sings to educate people and to create a protest culture, where they all march and form circles of crowds. When people hear of the Gulabi Gang, as they’re known in India, they kind of go “Oh my god, that’s a show”.’

Das remarks: ‘I’m aware that South Asian narratives are often victim narratives, so although I had no interest in undermining or sanitising the frankly horrific experience faced by many women in India right now, what I found really interesting was that this was a story of agency and empowerment.’

Both Das and Solanki believe great art is where the personal and political collide.

Similarly, polarities meet to make something new in the work of instrumentalist and composer Sarah Sarhandi, who named her performance Both Universe after a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. ‘His words conjure up the feeling of an indivisible universe that emerges out of two different people or places, and that relates to my feeling of being viscerally connected to Karachi and London, Pakistan and England, East and West.’

Just as her identity appears at times to be a dichotomy, and then merges seamlessly together, she feels her viola shift, between the upper registers of the violin and the lower registers of the cello. ‘Music’s a kaleidoscope of form, colour, texture, sound and feeling. It is universe – not limited to national borders, that transcends cultures. It makes most sense to me.’

The collaboration features Pakistani bass legend Aamir Zaki and a contemporary dance duet from London and Pakistan.

Shane Solanki: Last Mango in Paris

PERFORMANCE

DIVE INTO THE HEART OF SUFFERING AND TURN POISON TO MEDICINE BY LAST MANGO IN PARIS In partnership with Rich Mix. Sunday 22 May, 5pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £5* PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

TRUTH BETOLD BY SHAMA RAHMAN Tuesday 24 May, 6pm–7pm, The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, FREE PERFORMANCE (THEATRE)

PINK SARI REVOLUTION Presented by Curve Theatre.

Tuesday 24 May, 7.30pm, Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall, £5* PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

FRIDAY LUNCH: BOTH UNIVERSE

BY SARAH SARHANDI Friday 27 May, 1pm–2pm, Central Bar at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

ALSO AT THE FESTIVAL MANIFESTO OF OUR FUTURE

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Artists and technologists rewrite our idea of the future, directed by 15- and 65-year-olds from the subcontinent and the UK. Presented in partnership with British Council.

What does Alchemy mean to you? Maybe it’s the moment when crying transforms into golden silence as your toddler spots an intriguing musical instrument. Or perhaps it’s an eight-year-old’s inspiration transmuted, as if by magic, into their first poem. If that’s your vision for this year’s festival, step this way…

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© Belinda Lawley

FLAVOUR OF THE FESTIVAL MARKET

KERB Does Alchemy Those who attended Alchemy in 2015 will have to KERB their enthusiasm as the street food pioneers bring back their big South Asian flavours. Presented in association with KERB. Thursday 19 – Monday 30 May, Monday – Wednesday 12 noon – 8pm (except 7pm Monday 30 May), Thursday & Friday 12 noon – 9pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am – 9pm, Southbank Centre Square

FAMILY WORKSHOP

PERFORMANCE (MUSIC)

PRAM JAM: ALCHEMY EDITION GROOVE BABY Buggies boogie and strollers strut as Pram Jam returns with a distinctly South Asian feel. Parents and their under-fives can sing and dance together, Alchemy style.

Wednesday 25 May, 11am, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £5* (admits one adult and up to two children aged 5 and under)

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

Kuljit Bhamra was awarded an MBE for his services to bhangra and British Asian music. At Alchemy he performs a percussion concert for babies and toddlers. Dancing, playing along and crying are all welcome.

Friday 27 May, 11am, Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall, £11* (admits one adult and up to two children)

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I AM MALALA BOOK CLUB

At 15 years old, Malala Yousafzai had cowritten a memoir. But don’t feel bad: she’d already had a lifetime’s worth of experiences.

Teenagers and young adults are invited to read I Am Malala then come and discuss it.

Hosted by Mariana Khan.

Saturday 28 May, 3pm – 4pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 13 – 25, FREE (ticket required). Please bring your copy of the book.

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Illustration for Children

Folktales for Children

Writing for Children

Bradley the bus travels the Indian subcontinent, visiting the National Monument in Pakistan and Taj Mahal in India, in this workshop with author and illustrator Inderjit Puaar.

Kids aged 6 to 9 are invited along for the ride.

South Asia is to folk tales as forests are to trees. Children can explore the jungle and start planting their own in this Alchemy workshop.

Kids can learn how to get even better at making stuff up, telling pants-on-fire lies and daydreaming at this Alchemy workshop.

Sunday 29 May, 1.30pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 7 – 12, £6* (admits one adult and one child)

Sunday 29 May, 11.30am, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 7 – 12, £6* (admits one audlt and one child)

Sunday 29 May, 3.30pm, Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, for ages 6 – 9, £6* (admits one adult and one child)

38 FAMILY

*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online; £2.75 over the phone.

WORKSHOP

LEAPS AND BOUNDS Families can dive into South Asian dance and music in the Alchemy edition of Leaps and Bounds. This series of inclusive relaxed events is designed for disabled children aged 12 and under and their families and friends – however, everyone is welcome.

Sunday 22 May, 2pm – 4pm, Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall, FREE

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ALCHEMY 2016 PARTNERS

Alchemy has been developed since 2010 with collaborations from a range of partners including: Akademi-South Asian Dance UK; Asia House; Asian Music Circuit; Association Sargam; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; Black Country Touring; British Council; The British Pakistani Foundation; Cast, Doncaster; Darbar Arts Cultural Heritage Trust; Encee Arts; Fanaah Media; The Indian Council for Cultural Relations; Artist/producer Kuljit Bhamra; The Nehru Centre; Oldham Coliseum Theatre; Broadcaster Ashanti Omkar; Pakistan High Commission; Pan Asian Womens’ Association; Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network DJ Nihal; SAMA Arts Network; Sampad South Asian Arts; Artist Sangeeta Datta; Satrangi Arts; Swaraj Music; Artist Vayu Naidu, Jagriti Yatra train project

ALCHEMY 2016 SUPPORTERS

JLF@ Southbank Centre is presented by Vedanta, produced by Teamwork Arts and supported by Aga Khan Foundation, St. James’ Court, A Taj Hotel, Apeejay Surrendra Group, Bhargava Family and Zeloof Family.

MEDIA PARTNERS

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