What I love about Manchester is its' rich diversity and mix of so many different cultures and people. In one city lies so many hidden stories and pathways to completely different worlds, though the people that live here.
I learnt from a lady who came along to my talk at Chorlton Arts Festival that there is a race relations centre within the University of Manchester. Its part of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust that was set up in 2001. It was set up in reaction against racism and named in honour of Ahmed Iqbal Ullah who was murdered in 1986 in the playground of a Manchester high school.
The centre's aim is to create an anti racism culture within education by providing information on immigrant communities who have settled in Manchester. There are narratives of people, from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia who have told their story, and how they came to live in Manchester. There is also books on these cultures within different subjects such as education, health, art and more.
I found a book by an British Indian photographer Raghubir Singh who had displayed his photographs of Britain and then India side by side to show the stark contrast between the two cultures. It made me think what a culture shock it would be for anyone having been born and brought up in India to move to Britain permanently and vice versa, both being completely alien environments to the other. This must mean massive adjustments and a confused sense of one's identity.
I stumbled upon an exhibition catalogue of Contemporary Pakistani Print Makers as part of the Festival of Muslim cultures, something which particularly excited me as it the collaboration between British and South Asian artists and designers is something I'd love to help facilitate in within textiles. It was led by Sarah Hopkins who explained 'Working on the Festival of Muslim Cultures Print Project was an unforgettable experience. I am inspired by the fact that the arts can influence societal change, enabling people from diverse backgrounds to enter into the experiences of others, encouraging communities to embrace other cultures and heritages'.
Many of the artisans drew upon personal experiences or identity to inform their work. Samina Iqbal depicted her constant struggle to balance her art practice with her daily chores and routines, something I can relate to as I'm sure many can when one is one's own manager/employer, as well as working women and mothers. Samina had formed this struggle in a circle metaphor to symbolise the never ending tasks of the daily routine
I have also visited Shisha recently, an arts agency that works to promote South Asian arts and crafts. I had contacted Fareda Khan, the deputy director after having been recommended to by a few people. They facilitate residencies in the UK and internationally and commission art work and exhibitions to help artists develop their practice. Along with this they offer 'artists surgeries' to offer advice and help facilitate ideas for established and up and coming artists.
They also work with education establishments, galleries and curators to showcase the work of contemporary South Asian artists and craftspeople. The Asia Triennial, one of the projects they work on in Manchester will be happening in 2011. The 2008 triennial was very successful and included a diverse range of site specific installations, interactive projects and gallery exhibitions. I wrote about the project 'Between Kismet and Karma' in a previous blog posting, one of Shisha's recent exhibitions at Leeds art gallery.
There are a few things happening in the run up to the Asia Triennial. Currently at the Chinese Arts Centre, which I intend to visit, and there is an exhibition and workshops alongside with the women asian communities in Cheetham Hill.
I was grateful and delighted to receive really helpful and informative advice from Fareeda, who was interested in my research and my future hopes. This was especially nice to receive from someone whose work I strongly admire. We discussed future opportunities and she pointed me in some related directions and to people I should contact and meet with. We agreed to keep in touch, and I left feeling a new sense of encouragement and motivation.
I also went along to some of the Manchester Jazz festival performances, which included a huge range of styles and fusions of music from all over the world. I loved the Serge Tebu project because of the surprising mix of sounds, particularly in the two women's voices which resonated beautifully with the violin, flute (which I'm always drawn to, having previously played jazz flute), and the fundamental jazz instruments of bass, keys and drums.
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