Tag Archives: manchester

Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition Launch

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Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition: Preview and Magazine Launch

A vivid reflection of people and locality through photography and text
Saturday 29 July 2-4pm

+ IAN JOHNS: retrospective showcase from 40 years photographing Moss Side

a Segment Arts project in partnership with Powerhouse and Crossing Footprints

Incl. poetry by Nasima Bee (Young Identity) and special guest local peace activist Professor Erinma Bell MBE DL JP.

Additional speakers from the Moss Side community: writer Deanne Heron, artist Ian Johns and photographer Dorothy Ennis Hand. At Powerhouse, 140 Raby St, Moss Side, Manchester M14 4SL with refreshments, snacks, speakers and musical ambience.

The Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition continues to 31st October

Photo taken during a workshop for the Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition
Photo taken during a workshop for the Powerhouse Portraits Exhibition

Local people have come together at Powerhouse to portray some of the people and places around Moss Side and nearby that are familiar to them. Three sets of workshops with different ages from 8 to 80 years ran for a period of just six weeks, all groups developing skills in photography using disposable cameras and in creative writing. The participants also developed skills in layout and design, the magazine will reflect the approaches the groups took during the project. Beginning on 22nd May the workshops took place at Powerhouse Community Centre and Library, everyone’s work will be represented in the exhibition and publication.

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POWERHOUSE PORTRAITS PROJECT

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Workshops in photography, writing and magazine making to create a community portrait of Moss Side – that’s Powerhouse Portraits!

Powerhouse Portraits - flyer front

Crossing Footprints are proud to be partners in developing and producing Powerhouse Portraits. Anyone local can join the Powerhouse Portraits Project and be part of a group creating a community portrait of and around Moss Side, have your work featured in a vibrant magazine and exhibition, also create your own photo album to take home. A set of 6 free workshops for young people aged from 13 years up to 18 years or so, living around or near the Moss Side area. Beginning on 23rd May the workshops take place every Tuesday 5pm-7pm at Powerhouse Community Centre and Library, 140 Raby Street, Moss Side M14 4SL.

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Migration Stories interactive digital map – online launch

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A groundbreaking new website documenting migration
in and out of the North West of England is to be
officially launched online on 5 December.

Image representing four Manchester stories which will be on the Migration Stories interactive digital map

Join the #MigrationStories NW project teams for the online launch of the Migration Stories interactive digital map, documenting stories of individuals who have migrated in and out of our region from the Roman period to the 20th century. Hear from those involved in the project about what they discovered during their research and be among the first to get a glimpse of the map on the project website.

Monday 5th December 6.30-8pm.

Booking required at:
https://Migration-Stories-Digital-Map-Launch.eventbrite.co.uk

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Finalist for the Manchester Culture Awards

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Kooj Chuhan & Crossing Footprints: culture arts and climate justice work in Manchester 2022

A quick snapshot of work by Kooj Chuhan and Crossing Footprints showing brief excerpts of five creative projects dealing with climate justice. These were highlighted in Kooj’s nomination by Community Arts North West for the #ManchesterCultureAwards 2022 (sustainability category). Featuring collaborations with Manchester Art Gallery , Amani Creatives , Emmanuela Yogolelo, Manchester Histories and Ayna Arts.

Now Kooj is a finalist for the Manchester Culture Awards. Results are to be announced at the awards ceremony 24th Nov 2022.

Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival!

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Crossing Footprints has developed a set of events focusing on Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival 8-12 June 2022. This year’s theme for the Festival is the history of climate change, for which Manchester has played a pivotal role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

Climate Change is a Race and Migration Is for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival 2022
photo credit: Joe Brusky

We’ve organised four events in solidarity with low income and racially marginalised communities, including a panel discussion ‘Climate Change is a Race and Migration Issue‘ followed by a powerful Bangladeshi theatre piece ‘GHOORNI‘ by Ayna Arts, both at Manchester Central Library on Friday 10th June from 6pm. Then on Saturday 11th June at 6.15pm the singer-songwriter Emmanuela Yogolelo from DR Congo will perform a music set focused on Climate Justice at Angel Meadow. Finally, throughout the Festival the ‘Climate Connections‘ set of short video films made mostly by low income and diverse communities in Oldham responding to climate change will be exhibited on a screen at Oldham Art Gallery, with an informal talk by project director Kooj Chuhan at 1pm, Saturday 11th June.

Video still from video by Emmanuela Yogolelo for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival

More details about our events for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival below:

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Migration Stories refocuses North West history

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An Invitation to Get Involved!

Would you like to research the story of someone who migrated any time from ancient history to WWII in North West England? The Migration Stories project will provide training, good support and expenses, it’ll get started in early May 2022 and grow gently over a few months.

Image header for the Greater Manchester section of Migration Stories North West

The project’s called Migration Stories North West https://migrationstoriesnw.uk , it’s headed by Global Link https://globallink.org.uk/ based in Lancaster, and is a partnership with four other organisations across the North West out of which Crossing Footprints is the one covering the wider Manchester region.

This is a 3 year project unearthing histories of migration in the North West from ancient times to the present day, which will re-frame migration as something that has been fundamental to the UK for a very long time. In this first year Crossing Footprints will be recruiting 8-15 voluntary community researchers to each explore local archives to find individual stories, at least one per volunteer, possibly more if time allows and there’s enough material. Manchester-based author Mickela Sonola will initially be working alongside our director Kooj Chuhan to run this project, and we are honoured to have local historian Washington Alcott as a community research associate for Migration Stories North West.

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MINI-CONFERENCE World War I’s Hidden Voices and Poppy Retake exhibition

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World War I’s Hidden Voices MINI-CONFERENCE
Saturday 10th February 2018, 1pm – 4.30pm
at Manchester Central Library (First Floor), St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD, UK    Tel. +44 (0)161 234 1983

Registration is strongly advised and completely FREE at https://conferencehiddenvoicesww1.eventbrite.co.uk

India, Africa, the West Indies, colonialism and recruitment, the impacts of war and our ongoing culture of war explored in a free afternoon conference.

Saturday 10th February 2018, 1pm – 4.30pm
at Manchester Central Library (First Floor), St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD, UK Tel. +44 (0)161 234 1983

This mini conference is a part of the ‘WWI’s Hidden Voices’ exhibition offering an afternoon of presentations and discussions offering the most critical perspectives on World War I in any current public forum. The speakers will expose the full extent of involvement from the British colonies in World War I, the impact the war had on those regions, its legacy for those countries and cultural representation of the war. Sessions include:

The West Indies join the War by Washington Alcott
Women’s Perspectives from East Africa by Susan Chieni Cookson
Cultural Representation of World War One and other wars by Kooj Chuhan
Teaching Hidden Histories in Schools by Dipali Das
Community Research from a ‘Southern’ Perspective by Southern Voices Continue reading →

Video Preview for Manchester World War I’s Hidden Voices incl. The Poppy Retake

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‘The Poppy Retake’ video art installation by Kuljit ‘Kooj’ Chuhan is the focus for a new short film about the upcoming Manchester World War I exhibition titled World War I’s Hidden Voices which launches on Weds 6th December 2017 at the amazing Central Library building in the heart of Manchester.

‘The Poppy Retake’ is partnering with the extensive ‘From The Shadows Of War And Empire’ set of educational graphic panels by Southern Voices to create the exhibition, which runs from 7th December 2017 – 24th February 2018.  Key details below: Continue reading →

The Gift Of India poem by Sarojini Naidu

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Rani will dramatise a reading of the poem by Sarojini Naidu

Rani Moorthy

At the exhibition launch of World War I’s Hidden Voices (6th December – CLICK HERE TO REGISTER) the Manchester actress Rani Moorthy will perform a dramatised reading of a powerful poem reflecting on the effects of the First World War from an Indian and colonised country perspective.  She will be accompanied by musician Jaydev Mistry and also VJ projections by Kuljit ‘Kooj’ Chuhan.  The poem is by Sarojini Naidu and is titled The Gift Of India, written in 1915 while the war was ravaging.

The exhibition features The Poppy Retake art installation by Kooj Chuhan, the launch event will be on Weds 6th December from 5.30pm and the performance and speakers begin at 6.30pm.  More information at www.metaceptive.net/poppy-retake .  The event is free but registration is strongly advised at www.hiddenvoicesww1.eventbrite.co.uk .  #poppyretake

About Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet, renowned freedom fighter and one of the great orators of her time.  She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India) and was a prolific poet with over three books of published poems, highly praised by Rabindranath Tagore.  Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India. Continue reading →

World War One’s Hidden Voices: documentary and art in two parallel exhibitions

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India, Africa, the West Indies, colonialism and recruitment, impacts of war and our ongoing culture of war explored in two parallel exhibitions under the title World War One’s Hidden Voices

World War One's Hidden Voices
The Poppy Retake (v3) by Kooj Chuhan // From the Shadows of War and Empire by Southern Voices // #poppyretake

On show 7th December 2017 – 24th February 2018
at Manchester Central Library (First Floor), St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD, UK // Opening times 9am-8pm Mon-Thurs and 9am-5pm Fri-Sat (Sunday closed) Tel. +44 (0)161 234 1983

OPENING NIGHT – 6th December 2017 5.30pm-7.30pm
including speakers Ahmed El-Hassan (Southern Voices) and Colette Williams (Mbari), plus live performance from Jaydev Mistry (music), Rani Moorthy (dramatised readings) and Kuljit ‘Kooj’ Chuhan (VJ projection) // First Floor exhibition from 5.30pm, then speakers and performance from 6.30pm on Ground Floor
Booking for this free event is strongly advised: www.hiddenvoicesww1.eventbrite.co.uk

MINI-CONFERENCE – 10th February 2018
thought-provoking talks, workshops, films and discussion for World War One’s Hidden Voices – full details to be announced www.metaceptive.net/poppy-retake

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The Poppy RetakeTHE POPPY RETAKE (v3)

…colonial narratives, spirits from the dead and video war games…

video art installation by Kooj (Kuljit Singh Chuhan) – new version

Modern war propaganda began with World War I which obscured its pointlessness and deep colonial connections, while pretending to be the ‘war to end all wars’. This artwork explores coercion into war, involving an African woman working for a war-themed park. She finds herself caught between colonial narratives, spirits from the dead and video war games.

Since the end of WWI we have seen numerous wars with the majority in regions once colonised. Modern video gaming is now the epitome of obscuring both the horror and the colonial roots of much conflict. The Poppy Retake suggests our multiple connections with wars as forms of cultural recruitment but which impact mostly on people from ex-colonies. It extends the perspectives developed in the documentary exhibition ‘From The Shadows Of War and Empire’. Continue reading →