factor-m | Meike Brunkhorst Create the change you want to see in this world Ghandi may not be the most suitable person to (mis)quote, but I think these words perfectly sum up the current mood. We have probably all dreamt up our personal utopia of what we would like the new normal to look and feel like. And no one is better equipped than artists to help us imagine alternative futures. All art is political (quoting Toni Morrison this time, much more appropriately), especially when responding to politically charged times as these. The most powerful example for me so far has been the recent run of “My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid)” at The Royal Court Theatre. Overlooking Sloane Square at the heart of one of London’s wealthiest boroughs, the physical Royal Court is not the most obvious venue for a cutting edge play addressing white privilege (if you can even call it a play, the performances consisted of actors reading very personal letters by real people), making the setting, albeit virtual, even more poignant than last year’s fringe premiere would have been. These 100 Zoom minutes have been amongst the most uncomfortable and challenging I have ever experienced – theatre at its best! As a White visitor I had (and was more than happy) to pay for my ticket while complimentary spaces were reserved for Black audience members. Only the latter were invited to attend the Q&A in a safe breakout session after the performance – we were asked to keep our videos on throughout the performance making for easy profiling. I probably won’t feel comfortable joining the crowds at a physical theatre, cinema or concert hall for a while yet and wonder whether we’ll see some open air pop-up performances to tide us over - wishful thinking at play here – hopefully some rescue funds will be left over once the future use of bricks, mortar and concrete has been secured for culture. And just as I can’t imagine August Bank Holiday without Notting Hill Carnival, the first week of October will feel strange without Frieze at the opposite end of the cultural landscape. 2020 just keeps getting weirder and perhaps scaling down both festivals in size and environmental footprint may be the way forward. In the meantime I doubt the virtual substitutes get close to capturing the magic of either.
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