The Music Village lunchtime Festival Club at October Gallery provides a wealth of opportunities for reflection and dialogue on this year’s festival theme. The gallery’s focus on exhibiting the Transvangarde – the trans-cultural avant-garde – and promoting contemporary artists from around the world, provides the perfect setting for the ethos of World City’s cultural exchange, within the heart of London.
The Club programme features a stimulating mix of talks on the theme of World City by expert commentators, such as Madeleine Bunting and William Dalrymple in the sumptuous Club room, performances by some of London’s best spoken word artists and musicians in the intimate setting of the Gallery’s beautiful open-air courtyard, and an art exhibition by Sufi artist Rachid Koraïchi, as well as food from its vibrant café. Please see the events listed below.
LUNCHTIME EVENTS
Talks 12.30-1.15pm
Performances 1.30pm-2pm
Wednesday 30 June
1.30pm Opening Performance: Ensamble Criollo. A unique instrumental line-up with Latin harp, cuatro and caphachos
Thursday 1 July
12.30pm Talk: Citizen Ethics: fanning the flames of a vital debate
Madeleine Bunting, Associate Editor, The Guardian
1.30pm Performance: Zahra Rezaei Afsah with Arash Moradi
Stories from ancient Persian illustrated manuscripts with musical accompaniment
Friday 2 July
12.30pm Talk: Intercultural engagement as a foundation for a free and fair cosmopolitan society
Ranjit Sondhi, Chairman, Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust. Visiting Professor of Diversity, Cohesion and Intercultural Relations at Coventry University
1.30pm Performance: Kathy Hall – London Jing Kun Opera Association
Chinese stories from the well-known Beijing Opera performer
Tuesday 6 July
12.30pm Talk: Understanding how community-led initiatives build Community Cohesion
Vaughan Jones and Alex Sutton, Praxis
1.30pm Performance: Vayu Nadu
Theatrical storytelling from South-eastern India
Wednesday 7 July
12.30pm Talk: The Last Mughal: the fall of Delhi 1857
William Dalrymple, author
1.30pm Performance: El Andaluz
Leading London exponents of classical Arabic and Andalusian music
Thursday 8 July
12.30pm Talk: The Role of London’s heritage in the making of a World City
Wesley Kerr, Chair, Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for London
1.30pm Performance: Mr Gee
Live poetry from this acclaimed spoken word artist and radio presenter
Friday 9 July
12.30pm Talk: World City in a world setting
Doreen Massey, author of ‘World City, Professor of Geography, Open University
1.30pm Performance: Tuup
Traditional stories from Swaziland and Lesotho