Offsite9 Publication

OFFSite9 OFFSite9 OFFSite9 OFFSite9

Great British Design

OFFSite9 OFFSite9 OFFSite9 OFFSite9 OFFSITE is a project produced by Creative Black Country Creative Team: Parminder Dosanjh, Hannah Taylor, DASH, Bobby Tiwana, Nelson Douglas, Flexus Dance Collective Project Manager: Kom Achall Production: Out of the Blue Fabrications Ltd PR + Marketing: Kerry O’Coy Project Support Bursaries: Molly Holmes (based with Flexus) Kristina Hall (based with Asylum) Arun Kapur (Production)

PUBLICATION Editor + Designer: Kerry O’Coy Words: Matt Price + Anneka French Illustrations and images: As credited throughout PUBLISHER Fused Media fusedmagazine.com | @fusedmagazine facebook.com/fusedpublications

Reproduction of all editorial/images in any form is strictly prohibited without prior permission. Fused cannot be held responsible for breach of copyright arising from any material supplied. Views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily the publishers.

This is a special edition of Fused produced in collaboration with Creative Black Country. © Fused Media 2022

Great British Design

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Great art in Wolverhampton Offsite9 is an ambitious project that will take place during British Art Show 9 and showcase commissioned works by artists from Wolverhampton and the West Midlands who will address and take inspiration from the show’s key themes.

Collaborations, new works, ambitious ideas and varied artforms from soundscapes to dance will bring spaces to life across the city, gathering people together safely through shared ideologies, positive messages and challenging dialogues.

There will be numerous opportunities to take part in great art and get involved in the conversations with over 40 events that include: guided artist walks, outdoor nature crafting, new and original performances, artistic interventions and pop–ups, sound pieces, spoken word and poetry, and a 19th Century inspired plant sale.

Offsite9 events will be found in and on abandoned and disused shops, in spaces of worship, in independent art and media venues, in green spaces and libraries. We hope that you discover great art in Wolverhampton during the winter and spring of 2022.

OffSite9 is a project by Creative Black Country part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places scheme, and supported by Paycare.

Thank you Offsite9 partners: Asylum Art Gallery, Flexus Dance Collective, DASH, Bobby Tiwana, Nelson Douglas, Fused, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton City Council and Wolverhampton Cultural Compact.

A special thank you to our friends at Paycare for their continued support of Creative Black Country and this Offsite9 publication. Find out more about Paycare and their work at paycare.org.

Offsite9 is a dynamic programme of arts projects, events, performances, screenings, talks, activities and workshops at locations around Wolverhampton from January to April 2022. Organised by Creative Black Country with funding from Arts Council England and supported by Paycare, Offsite9 complements the presentation at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Wolverhampton School of Art, of the British Art Show 9 (BAS9), a major national touring exhibition staged by the Hayward Gallery every five years.

Introducing OFFSite9

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Offsite9 offers a platform for artists and creatives living in Wolverhampton to present their work to residents of the region and those visiting the city. It also offers the public an opportunity to engage with the work of artists, photographers, filmmakers, dancers, musicians, sound artists, performers, poets and other creative practitioners by means of twenty-three commissions in established arts venues and popup locations around the city.

The programme, which might be considered a celebration of Wolverhampton, its people, history and culture, is intended for a broad spectrum of the public – people of all different ages, backgrounds and interests.

Indeed, the rich and diverse social fabric of the city is integral to many of the projects commissioned for Offsite9, with themes of togetherness, kindness and working towards a brighter future running throughout the programme.

Referencing, among other things, the support for the NHS demonstrated by the public during the pandemic lockdowns, and the flag of pride for the LGBTQIA+ communities, artist Kathleen Fabre has created a series of rainbow-inspired woollen sculptures that can be spotted at several locations around the city.

Titled Alignment, Fabre’s sculptures are intended as symbols of hope, positivity and inclusivity for everyone who encounters them.

One of many communities adversely affected by the pandemic has been the D/deaf community. Do You Understand is a new film by deaf-led charity Zebra

Access, directed by artist Jack Smallwood, involving a poem presented in British Sign Language (BSL) exploring experiences of D/deaf people growing up or living in Wolverhampton.

Another artist within the D/deaf community, Ishtiaq Hussain, is the performer of Out of Darkness Cometh Light at Newhampton Arts Centre. Produced by Omar Haq and taking inspiration for its title from Wolverhampton’s civic motto, the performance employs the artform Visual Vernacular (VV), which includes elements of mime, facial and bodily expression, to explore themes of isolation, mental health and other challenges faced by the D/deaf community during lockdown and daily life.

A project by Fae Kilburn titled (Perspectives) presented at The Quarter Contemporary Art Space considers how Wolverhampton might become a more inclusive city. As well as working with members of the D/deaf community, Kilburn invited neurodiverse participants and people with disabilities to include their personal stories and thoughts within an installation of silkscreen prints on large scrolls of Japanese paper. Ideas about the kind of city that Wolverhampton might become are also central to the project Imagine Wolves by Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston.

Beyond concerns and fears, the artists hope to encourage conversations and collective thinking around hopes and dreams for the future, considering what members of the public want from the city’s tomorrow. The outcomes of the project will be presented in a curated shop window display.

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Similarly asking questions about what the people of Wolverhampton would do – specifically in relation to disused and derelict buildings – Asylum Artist Quarter has invited nine creative practitioners to create sonic/audio works in response to locations including former shops, churches, cafés and healthcare facilities. With many high streets – including Wolverhampton’s own – now seeing lots of empty units, Ifwe-had-this-space urges consideration of options to improve the situation by following a sound trail. Another project that takes viewers on a journey around the city to explore empty and near-lost buildings and locations is SO9198 by artist Daniella Turbin. By means of twice-weekly guided walks, Turbin leads participants around a square mile of Wolverhampton (the title of the project taken from the grid reference of this area), considering the different communities that have come to define and shape Wolverhampton over the generations.

The multicultural nature of Wolverhampton’s population is celebrated in numerous projects, including Wander, a projectionbased play at Arena Theatre by Graham Everitt and NeOne the Wonderer in which characters representing diverse ethnicities tell stories of their journeys to Wolverhampton at different moments in time. Dawinder Bansal’s mixed-media installation Jambo Cinema at the Mander Centre revolves around experiences of growing up in her parents’ electrical shop in the 1980s and watching Bollywood films with her family. Over at Bantock House Café, Hanifa Hudson presents Social Death – an installation and 6 #OFFSite9

presentation about her personal history and the legacies of British colonialism, while at Light House, a video installation by Sahjan Kooner, titled Frozen Archive for MOON/ish.exe, explores connections between migration, lineage and technology.

The people and communities of Wolverhampton are also the focus of a number of other projects created for, or presented by, Offsite9, such as Communion

by Thomas Jack Brown at St Peter’s Collegiate Church.

Here Brown has produced a site-specific video installation splicing together eclectic footage of Wolverhampton’s history and people. Elsewhere, in the project SINGLEPOINT, four female photographers –Tegen Kimbley, Sian Macfarlane, Jasmine Morrison and Deborah Stone – explore community identity and civic space in innovative and discursive ways, producing new work in the form of installations, photographic prints, postcards, stickers and social media content.

Children, young people and families are the primary subject of Katie Holtom’s Pop-up Lives Storybook, presented at Whitmore Reans Library. Conceived for one small group or family to view at a time, a theatrical space inspired by children’s pop-up books brings together projections, illustrations and poetry to tell stories about the city’s families.

Family life, personal stories and poetry are also key ingredients of a special event devised by The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group at Wolverhampton Central Library. Titled Hum Saath Saath Hein, which translates as ‘we are together’ or ‘togetherness’,

the project mixes poetry, food, music and displays with a view to bringing communities closer together and celebrating difference.

Togetherness is one of the main themes of a double-bill dance performance by Flexus Dance Collective at Arena Theatre.

This audio-visual extravaganza comprises two works: Euphoria and Visions, the latter created with four schools and colleges in Wolverhampton as part of the British Art Show 9 Inspired Learning Programme. That kindness is a sentiment crucial to a healthy community is explored in two interrelated projects: Kindness is the Heartbeat of Our City, which comprises paintings of acts of kindness by Kanj Nicholas, and The Science of Kindness by Susan Brisco, which takes the form of film, drawing and sound to look at what happens in the brain when we experience kindness.

The benefits of nature to the wellbeing and mental health of the community are central to the Boundary Way Project, organised by Moya Lloyd in collaboration with artists and plot-holders from Boundary Way Allotments. The project brings together various artforms in an exhibition staged in the Boundary Way Allotments’ community garden. The environment and the natural world are also explored in Plant Fete, a project by Charlotte Dunn inspired by the tradition of floral fetes, which helped to raise funds for the creation of the conservatory in Wolverhampton’s West Park in 1896. As well as a plant swap, members of the public are invited to submit images online of plants spotted

Matt Price is a writer and editor from Birmingham, currently living in London.

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or suitable for growing in the park, highlighting the importance of green public spaces for everyone, both in Wolverhampton and far beyond.

For full details of all Offsite9 projects please check the entries in this publication and online at creativeblackcountry. co.uk/offsite9 where you will also find the latest Covid-19 updates and advice.

Image courtesy of Danielle Turbin

Daniella Turbin is working with The Asylum Art Gallery to lead a series of public walks around Wolverhampton. Through drawing and walking she explores different communities of the city’s past, present and future, particularly empty and near-lost spaces which have been used for gatherings or meetings. Turbin’s work SO9198 attempts to recall the memory of these spaces while considering their future.

SO9198

Daniella Turbin

WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS COMMISSION? The commission is an opportunity to branch out and share my practice with audiences. Last year I went on a 436-mile walk from Wolverhampton Art Gallery, and walked the entire Ordnance Survey map for the city.

While I know a lot of people probably don’t fancy going for such a long walk, this is a chance to bring the experience back in the city and work on a hyper-local level.

HOW DO YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH PROCESS? My practice usually begins by looking at a map, reading and taking a walk (not always in that order). This is the same for Offsite9. While I have a planned structure, I try to allow it to create its own rhythm. I will be inviting the public to be part of the research and creation of the map as well as participants in the event.

WHAT DOES THE CITY MEAN TO YOU? Wolverhampton is my home city and I live and work here. There is something quite comforting and friendly about the distinctive accent, and Wolverhampton feels like one of the friendliest cities. It often gets a bad reputation but it has a rich history and character worth celebrating.

HOW DOES SO9198 FIT WITHIN YOUR WIDER PRACTICE AND INTERESTS? This commission has given me the opportunity to explore Wolverhampton intimately as it takes place in an area of 1km2. SO9198 is the grid reference for Wolverhampton City centre and it includes Asylum, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and the main high street to name a few.

I used the same titling system in a residency I recently did at The New Art Gallery Walsall – I have a feeling it is something that I’ll be continuing to use. I’m interested in exploring how the hyper-local relates to the local, regional and national through walking, drawing and photography.

Alongside the commission for Offsite9 I have been going for walks elsewhere in the West Midlands and out to London and Glasgow.

IS IT THE ACT OF WALKING OR THE RECORDING OF THE WALK THAT YOU VIEW AS YOUR PRACTICE? That’s an interesting question. I think it’s both; I’m not sure that one presides over the other. The act of being out engaging with the landscape feels as important to my work as the documentation of the walk.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES WILL GAIN FROM THE WALKS? I hope audiences feel encouraged to look at the city with a curious eye, and to take the time to slowly consider the multi-layered narratives that unfold as we walk around and record the city. Coming from an art background, rather than a historical or geographical one, I often feel like an explorer when I’m out walking, collecting fragments which can be examined back in the studio. It will be great for audiences to have an active part in the development of the three-month project.

WALKS: 29 January / 2, 12, 16, 26 February / 2, 12, 16, 26, 30 March / 9 April Meet at The Quarter Contemporary Arts Space Free book via https:// www.eventbrite. co.uk/e/213445139157 All ages - under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Good walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing should be worn.

Charlotte Dunn

Image courtesy of Charlotte Dunn

Plant Fete

Charlotte Dunn is recreating a ‘floral fete’ within Wolverhampton’s West Park, inspired by traditional fete stands and plant selling events of the 19th Century.

Her work Plant Fete will host a plant swap, recreating the community fetes that once helped the development of the park.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ‘FLORAL FETE’ WITHIN WEST PARK? The land now occupied by West Park was previously known as the Broad Meadows. Three years after Birmingham’s first park had opened it was suggested that a municipal park be laid out on the site. There was desperate need for public open spaces to provide those living in rapidly growing towns with opportunities for health and recreation. The summer of 1881 saw the opening of what became West Park.

Many gifts were made to the park in the early years, including ducks and swans for the lake, several glacial boulders and a four-faced clock. The park became a community project with members of the public coming together to improve the look and feel of the park. Its crowning glory, the conservatory, was built in 1896 with the proceeds of the town’s Floral Fete, held every year in the park. It was then held between 1889 and 1939 and provided a place for people to exchange plants they had grown and to raise money for the park through a community event for those in the area. It allowed people from industrial communities to begin to appreciate nature by coming into the park and gave them a sense of belonging and togetherness, all of which echoes BAS9’s theme ‘tactics of togetherness’.

HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INVOLVED IN PLANT FETE? You can contribute a drawing or image of a plant that you have seen or know would grow within West Park and enter the image on my website. These images will make up the canopy of the stand that will be in place in West Park and Wolverhampton School of Art for the live plant swap in April. Everyone can also get involved by donating any sort of plant to the swap.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE PROJECT? I hope that everyone can get involved in growing and swapping, that people will get outside and visit West Park for inspiration. The stand is being created at the School of Art and will be left in situ for students to host their own swap every year, getting everyone involved in a tradition that was used for years to generate income for the city in which the University is situated.

HOW DOES PLANT FETE FIT WITHIN YOUR WIDER ARTISTIC PRACTICE? Plant Fete is very different to my usual practice and is only my second community project. My practice always involves the natural world and science. I hope that Plant Fete will help me to look at how the community can respond to nature and science to produce art.

West Park 2 April, 10am-1pm School of Art 31 March, 1 April, 4 April, 5 April, 10-3pm Free / Drop in / All ages

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Image courtesy of Charlotte Dunn

Masala Chai tasting Oct 2021 (c) Moya Lloyd garden

Boundary Way Project

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Boundary Way Project will be presenting an outdoor exhibition that shines a spotlight on the allotment and its community.

Featuring work by artists and community groups the show will highlight the importance of nature for wellbeing. It will explore the value of nature connection and green spaces during a climate and environmental emergency.

We spoke to Creative Producer Moya Lloyd to find out more.

Earthstar Fungi in the woodland (c) Moya Lloyd garden

19 March Afternoon and early evening (times TBC) Boundary Way Allotments Free / All ages boundarywayproject@gmail.com for info

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CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR CONNECTION TO BOUNDARY WAY PROJECT? I created Boundary Way Project in collaboration with plotholders, artists and communities about five years ago.

I work as a freelance creative producer and I’ve been developing and managing a series of projects there over the past six years. I’ve secured funding and partnerships to support research, education and creative work with an aim to sustain the site and its biodiversity as well as supporting arts and education in Wolverhampton and the wider region.

WHAT IMPORTANCE DO YOU ATTACH TO ALLOTMENTS? I think allotments are very important for wellbeing.

At Boundary Way, plots are looked after by individuals, groups of friends, families and community organisations. They provide an opportunity to spend time in nature, tend to something and to connect with other people. Allotment historian Twigs Way who we worked with a few years ago described having a plot as, ‘a little bit of this world is yours to look after’. There’s a body of scientific evidence showing that spending time in nature improves health. Making community connections and being able to express your own creativity on your plot means the allotments provide a lifeline for many. I don’t have my own plot at the moment but I really value being part of the Boundary Way community as part of my work.

Boundary Way allotments is unique in having a community garden and this provides an oasis at the edge of the city. There are views across Wolverhampton and towards the South Staffordshire and Shropshire countryside. The garden is where our Offsite9 project will take place. It’s a space shared by plot-holders and local groups and includes woodland, a pond, an orchard, sensory garden, storytelling space and large polytunnel.

HOW DO YOU HOPE THE EXHIBITION WILL ENRICH THE ALLOTMENT? Offsite9 will provide a further opportunity to highlight the creativity that is happening at Boundary Way. This ranges from school group visits, the site as a source of inspiration for local artists and writers and a place where we can learn more about local biodiversity and its preservation. I hope that the exhibition will encourage connections between site users, and between site users and local people. It will also celebrate the creativity that Boundary Way has inspired and the importance of allotments in communities.

HAS YOUR OWN RELATIONSHIP TO NATURE AND WELLBEING ALTERED DURING THE PANDEMIC? Contact with nature and tending plants has always been important to me and with more time spent working in isolation at home this became even more significant. During the first few months of lockdown I wasn’t able to visit Boundary Way as I don’t live near enough to it. I went for daily walks in my local area and felt very lucky to live near countryside and have a garden. This was very important for my wellbeing.

There were two books about nature that I read at that time that were significant for me.

Firstly, ‘The Wild Remedy’ by Emma Mitchell, a beautifully illustrated diary that highlights how connecting with nature helped her to manage severe depression. Secondly, inspired by fungi in the woodland at Boundary Way I was gripped by ‘Entangled Life, how fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures’ by Merlin Sheldrake. This book opens up new ways of thinking about how we relate to the fungi kingdom.

HOW WILL THE EXHIBITION DRAW ATTENTION TO ISSUES OF CLIMATE EMERGENCY? The exhibition will highlight how the climate and ecological crisis impacts on us all by presenting artistic responses and community projects in a local green space. It will highlight the importance of these spaces for nature and biodiversity to local communities. I hope it will also help to illustrate actions that we can all take to make a difference. It will examine the changes in artists practice that are needed in a new greener future and the important role of the arts in helping us cope in challenging times.

Creativity in whatever form can help us share our thoughts and feelings and bring people together.

In this way we can express our hopes and fears about the climate and nature crisis and come together to take action.

During lockdown we developed online workshops and films that explored a whole variety of ways of connecting with nature; ranging from examining seasonal folklore tradition, the uses of herbs, movement and mindfulness, flower arranging, making botanical inks, cookery and poetry.

We also encouraged people to connect with nature wherever they live and under lockdown

restrictions. Whether this was through noticing nature through a window, tending plants indoors or exploring urban trees.

These activities can help people to feel more connected to nature and therefore value it and protect it.

It will also highlight examples of artists’ ecological practice and a move towards carbon neutral and zero carbon ways of working.

WHAT WILL THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE? The exhibition will combine film, artwork, poetry and installation from artists based in Wolverhampton and across the region. It will also showcase work by local school pupils including Penn Fields Special School and Highfields School that are adjacent to the allotments.

It will present work created by two groups that have developed online during lockdown; Boundary Way Writer’s group is a monthly online meet up where we create and share nature inspired poetry, and the botanical INKollective is a group of artists exploring plant inks who connect online to work on projects via postal exchange.

The exhibition will highlight and celebrate the wealth of creativity that has been generated through Boundary Way Project’s lockdown programme over the past couple of years which was made possible with support from Heritage Emergency funding and the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE PROJECT? I’m really excited that Boundary Way project will be part of a cultural programme for our city. It’s an exciting time to highlight the cultural richness of Wolverhampton that is often overlooked.

I would like it to lead to new partnerships and joint working especially in relation to Wolverhampton’s Climate Change Framework and Strategy (2021). I hope it’s an opportunity for fun and positivity and a hopeful transition following the challenges of the past couple of years.

Illustration by: Pickle Illustration

Hum Saath Saath Hein The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group 18 #OFFSite9

Hum Saath Saath Hein (We Are Together) by The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group hopes to enhance community cohesion and nurture a sense of belonging. It aims to strengthen relationships and harmony within the rich, diverse communities who live in Wolverhampton through a poetry event at the city’s Central Library.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOTIVATIONS AND PRACTICE? The poetry/writing of The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group is based on real life events and experiences and we take this opportunity to share and tell our stories. We have composed poems on contemporary issues, women’s position in Indian society and our personal experiences. Often we are commissioned to write poems collectively and individually and a theme or title is usually provided to us. The four members of The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group who are participating in Offsite9 have had their work published. This has provided us with the encouragement and motivation necessary to continue to be creative and write poetry.

HOW DO YOU WORK TOGETHER? We regularly hold meetings to discuss on-going issues and work.

Once every month we hold workshops to enhance our writing skills and occasionally this can include a guest who demonstrates the art of writing in its many forms, from rhythm and rhyme to stanzas and styles of writing poetry. As group members we often are provided with a theme yet due to our individual style of writing we are able to produce something different which can be very positive and complimentary.

29 January 1.30-3.45pm Wolverhampton Central Library Free / Drop in / All ages

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR EVENT. The title of our project and the forthcoming event is called Hum Saath Saath Hein (Togetherness) and will be held at Wolverhampton Central Library connected to Wolverhampton’s Literature Festival. It will be a colourful event full of Indian culture, with props and displays, food and music. Our poetry will adopt the themes of BAS9 in Wolverhampton with a focus on bringing communities together, celebrating differences and promoting harmony and relationships.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE STORIES AND POEMS? The stories are based on our experiences. We will use imagery to show, evoke senses and take the listener on a journey poetically within the event. The poems are all written in English with Punjabi/Hindi words which are translated before the performance.

The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group includes: Kuli Kohli, Santosh K Dary, Parveen Brigue and Priyanka Joshi.

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Part of poem ‘Hide’

by Kuli Kohli

Blood-orange of robins; pink-blush of chaffinches; gold-dust of goldfinches; dandelion-yellow of siskins; moss-green of woodpeckers; buttercup, azure of blue tits; starlit indigo of starlings; earth-brown of sparrows and wrens.

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I have a secret, in the very depth of my core, a magical curing with time, space and energy.

I will give you the gift of strength with love.

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.

I am Mother Earth.”

Part of poem ‘Mother Earth’

by Parveen Brigue

Part of poem ‘Under The Open Sky’

by Santosh K Dary

In a small village in northern Indian, I live by a hill where a river flows.

It takes a village to raise a child, under the open sky.

The hoots of an owl, whistling of crickets, wake-up calls from our cockerel.

A blanket of mist lifts to another glorious day under the open sky

Here I take my solitary rounds, amidst tangly walks in ruined grounds.

Elders chat over stiles in fields under the open sky

Many a pastime circled in the shade, young contended as old surveyed.

Often I pause on every charm, under the open sky.

Nicholas and Brisco will exhibit two separate but interconnected bodies of work in an exhibition at Newhampton Arts Centre.

Their project examines the theme of kindness through visual artworks, workshops and poetry.

Kindness is Free – Let’s Pass it On Kanj Nicholas + Susan Brisco

Image courtesy of Kanj Nicholas

HOW DID YOU ALIGHT ON THE THEME OF KINDNESS AND WHY IS IT SO VITAL AT THIS TIME? KN: Sue and I were instantly drawn to the theme as we were then emerging from the pandemic. Communities came together with acts of kindness to support one another in this time of need. I will highlight some of the uplifting stories through my paintings that focus on those who made a difference.

SB: Scientists have revealed that kindness can benefit our health. It activates the brain to release chemicals that calm our parasympathetic nervous system which in turn helps lower our heart rate and blood pressure, reduces our stress levels and eases social anxieties. I felt compelled to share this message with others.

HOW ARE YOU COLLABORATING? SB: Each artist takes the lead at different times and being kind is embedded.

This makes for a very pleasant working relationship. We are each using social media in our own ways to reach a diverse audience.

KN: We both work separately on our individual bodies of work and communicate regularly. Part of working together is being able to support each other and encourage each other.

WHAT WILL THE EXHIBITION LOOK LIKE? KN: It offers two clear perspectives on kindness. The acrylic paintings I produce will communicate the message of kindness as the heartbeat of our community. These colourful, uplifting artworks will narrate stories of kindness within our city. There will be kindness quotes and a display of Postcards of Kindness threaded throughout the exhibition.

SB: My artwork will involve elements of film, drawing and sound focusing on the science of kindness. The artwork will explore imagery of the brain and the body’s nervous system and the changes taking place when giving or receiving kindness. A spoken soundscape will instil a calming atmosphere. There will be an open evening with recitals of poetry and artists talks to welcome audiences.

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TELL US MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS AND POETRY SESSIONS. KN: Workshops will be held at Newhampton Arts Centre. My workshop for children and families encourages simple acts of kindness that are free to give and wonderful to receive.

Children will create cards that communicate what kindness means to them and how it makes them feel to give and receive kindness.

SB: My workshop is aimed at adults where participants will be encouraged to design a Postcard of Kindness that focuses on the science of kindness and how it effects our bodies. Each card will be displayed and later posted back to the maker. There will be two commissioned poems, one based on kindness as the heartbeat of our city and another that will draw on the science and health aspects arising from kindnesses.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE VIEWER WILL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PROJECT? SB: We want to use the artworks to open up conversations how being kind can benefit our health and each other.

KN: We aim to share a simple message of kindness; that kindness is for all and is a legacy for all future generations to pass on.

Workshops 15 + 22 February (1-3pm), £5, book via newhamptonarts.co.uk Exhibition 5 - 20 March 11am-3pm, Newhampton Arts Centre Drop in / All ages

Image courtesy of Sue Brisco

Image courtesy of Sue Brisco

Image courtesy of Sue Brisco

HOW WILL YOU WORK WITH COMMUNITIES? The whole project is centered on engaging and gathering opinions and dreams from the public in Wolverhampton. We also hope to be outside the work encouraging engagement, based on the high street. We are sensitive to engaging with people who cannot physically visit the work, so will create an online presence to engage more communities.

We want the work to be shaped with, and for, local communities.

For more information about the project see creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9

Imagine Wolves

HOW IS THE CONTEXT OF THE FUTURE SHAPING THE WORK YOU ARE MAKING? Everything in Wolves is being prepped for some imagined future, from the new developments, to the delayed developments, to the whispers of things anew. Within the connected context of Offsite9, we want to activate the radical potential of a collective re-imagining of Wolverhampton. Our project seeks to engage with current anxieties about future contexts and gathering opinions about what the future hopes to be, rather than being overwhelmed by the future contexts of despair, climate collapse, unbridled capitalism, etc.

Leanne O’Connor + Ewan Johnston

TELL US ABOUT YOUR COLLABORATION. This collaboration came about through a series of conversations centred around belonging in Wolverhampton, the current climate of existing, and how we can harness collective reimagining to consider the future of the area. We have a conversation-led process of making and building together. These conversations have so far shaped a co-produced window display utilising empty shop units, which will garner the hopes and dreams of Wolves residents to engage them in what their wants and needs are for the city.

The physical outcome will be a window display that engages with and encourages people to question and imagine a future Wolverhampton.

This window display will contain a series of questions and visual representations, both sculptural and image-based, of change and imagined futures. People’s responses will then be incorporated into the window display.

Imagine Wolves is a collaboration between artists Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston born out of discussions and research in to reimagined futures and ways of togetherness for Wolverhampton and its people. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 33

Thomas Jack Brown

Communion

Communion is a sitespecific video installation tied to the BAS9 theme of ‘tactics for togetherness’. Hosted within the chapel of St. Peter’s Church in the city centre, Communion contains archival footage and images of some of Wolverhampton’s citizens collapsed together to show the city’s history in a nonlinear way.

22 January - 10 April Mondays to Fridays: 11-2pm St Peter’s Collegiate Church Free / Drop in / All ages

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WHAT’S YOUR CONNECTION TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND THE CHURCH? My connection began through architecture and interiors. Visiting religious buildings and witnessing rituals of worship which have existed for centuries leaves me in a state of awe. The tempos at which we live our lives feels incredibly fast, so to connect and be witness to buildings and practices that have been permanent features for so many people over so many centuries and in so many places across the world is an astounding feeling.

Permanence across time is important.

I did my undergraduate study at Canterbury Christ Church University and had free access to the cathedral and gardens. I used it all the time, to have a reflective moment or as a quiet route to campus.

As a wide-eyed teenager in a new place, whenever I got lost in the city I used the cathedral to find my way home. It became a big source of comfort to me, like one would assume it was for visitors and pilgrims over the centuries. Graduating in Canterbury Cathedral for my degree and Worcester Cathedral for my MA were special moments of my life. I visited Toulouse in 2016 and spent time in The Basilica of Saint-Sernin and the Cathédrale SaintÉtienne, in 2018 I visited Buckfast Abbey and in 2021 I visited the grounds of the Caldey Abbey off the coast of Tenby. Each allowed for a deep appreciation of what and who has come before me.

HOW HAVE YOU DEVELOPED THE IDEA FOR COMMUNION? Communion has seen different prior iterations and has gone through various changes in its conception but the running theme has been archive footage.

I used archival footage and audio of Wolverhampton in a piece called Wolverhamptopia (2020) made during a residency at The Asylum Art Gallery. This was focused on the city’s architecture/ topography, whereas Communion is focused on its people in line with the theme of ‘tactics for togetherness’.

I am incredibly grateful to St. Peter’s Church for agreeing to host Communion as I think there is a harmony between piece, site and audience.

To have work installed in a religious site is a personal achievement. The US video artist Bill Viola is a personal hero and his piece Martyrs in St. Paul’s Cathedral is an incredibly evocative installation. To be able to emulate an element of Viola’s career with my own installation feels incredible.

Communion has developed in conversation with other commissioned artists and staff at Creative Black Country.

Negotiating a proposed piece of work between partners is a really important and useful step to the overall creative process.

The conversations and changes along the way are as rewarding as completing and exhibiting the final work.

WHAT DRAWS YOU TO ARCHIVES? It is similar to my connection to faith – that same feeling of being connected to what has come before you.

However, a different mindset is adopted when using archival materials as an artist.

There’s an interesting objectivity in using archival material which provides freedom from potential bias or subjectivity. This could be digitally editing or when I have physical access to archive materials like Super8 film reels, where I can irrevocably change the material with paint or bleach.

I can make bold decisions and have a greater field for experimentation.

HOW WILL YOU WORK WITH COMMUNITIES? I propose to conduct talks with church congregation members and other groups of patrons of Offsite9 and BAS9. I also will be attending church services which gives me the chance to meet the communities that will be witness to the work. It will be interesting to receive feedback and generate dialogue.

Communion will have a physical visitor comments book and a QR code to a feedback portal to give thoughts on the piece via mobile technology.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW YOUR WORK IS LINKED TO THE BAS9 ‘TACTICS OF TOGETHERNESS’ SUBJECT? I have collapsed different times, spaces and people who have existed in Wolverhampton into one video, overlaying footage, for instance, of the celebrations of King George’s Silver Jubilee in 1935, a carnival in Lower Penn from the 1950s, factory workers from the 1960s and the city centre in the 1970s. This community is built by trades and industries, by people of many different religions, ethnicities, ages, beliefs and a community that is proud of its ability to come together such as in defiance of the former Wolverhampton MP Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.

Those marches and actions, a physical manifestation that stated ‘his words are not who we are,’ are testament to what Wolverhampton citizens can do when united in common thought and belief.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES WILL EXPERIENCE? I hope audiences gain an appreciation for the people that have come before them and what can be learnt from their own past. There is so much to be learnt from archive footage.

Stories of our local area, held by the older residents of our communities, can sometimes be diluted or lost to time. Archives are ways of keeping stories and lessons connected to us in the present and are valuable resources.

Image previous page and next: Courtesy of Thomas Jack Brown - Archive video from Media Archive of Central England at University of Lincoln.

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Pop-up Lives Storybook Image courtesy of Katie Holtom

Katie Holtom

Pop-up Lives is a visual pop-up book experience designed for a family audience. It is an intimate exploration of togetherness on a miniature stage co-created by Wolverhampton’s own children.

A paper theatre will be brought to life with light using a combination of paper pop-ups, projection mapping, poetry, and hand-drawn illustrations to illuminate the experiences of young people and their families. Katie Holtom discusses her ideas and motivations for the work.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE COMMISSION? I was drawn to the commission after seeing the lack of restraint it held to my creative practice. Usually there are boundaries and certain points you have to hit within commissioned work but this let me be free and fully experimental in my practice. It was also appealing to be associated with such a significant network of cultural organisations. As an emerging artist, it is exciting that this has the potential to springboard my career in the arts further.

TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THE PROJECT WILL WORK. The piece will work just like the pop-up books we know and love. At first glance the book will stand no more than a few feet tall, decorated only in children’s scribbles but when the lights dim and a projection is beamed onto the book’s pages, the images become animated with the stories of children and young people. A digital narrator will tell the story on each page, with the addition of subtitles to make the installation entirely accessible. Designed for an audience of one family at a time, the installation will create a unique and intimate story experience.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF CO-CREATION FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? My work often experiments cross-discipline, playing with emerging technologies and contemporary theatre. I enjoy the co-creative aspect of working with children and young people, and allowing them to inform the work from the ground up.

Co-creation with children and young people is at the heart of this project. They have worked with me to provide the content of the text, based around their own life experiences of family, friends and their own networks. The story therefore comes direct from the minds and souls of children. This has also informed the illustrations of the book, which they have produced themselves.

Children and young people have had very little access to arts and cultural opportunities since the pandemic, as it has been deemed less important than those traditional skills such as maths and English. But when such a significant cultural event like Offsite9 comes to the heart of their city, they should be able to immerse themselves in it and celebrate by sharing their own experiences.

26 February, 10-1pm 5 March, 10-1pm 12 March, 10-1pm Whitmore Reans Library Free / Drop in Families with accompanied children / Young people aged 16yrs and under.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES WILL TAKE AWAY? I hope the work will provide a sense of joy and happiness after such a tough time. It will give deeper meaning to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of children and highlight their quite often profound knowledge of things that we as adults still find hard to understand. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 41

Image courtesy of Tegen Kimbley of Wolverhampton Market

SINGLEPOINT Sian Macfarlane Deborah Stone Tegen Kimbley Jasmine Morrison

Four female photographers explore how we navigate the reparative histories of our region when we document culture. Each artist’s practice focuses on framing place, space and community identity. The project is designed to allow for reactive documentation that responds to the city’s engagement with the touring BAS9 and its outcomes. This includes social media takeovers, blogs and tangible materials that allow for communities to engage with and exchange evidence of these shared experiences and transform them with their own participation. Curator Hannah Taylor tells us more.

HOW DOES THE PROJECT BRING TOGETHER FOUR DIFFERENT PRACTICES AND PERSPECTIVES? The project is really about providing agency to the photographers to decide their own responses.

Often photographers are given strict parameters when dealing with event photography. We want to provide space for these very different photographers to respond to what they are seeing in the city through their own gaze as women, as artists and as individuals, all with very different experiences and backgrounds of how different communities benefit or don’t benefit from cultural initiatives.

HOW WILL THE PROJECT MANIFEST? Each photographer is developing their own response which will appear in different manifestations around the city: some installations, some sticker bombs, some prints, some interviews but their focus is here and now - how does BAS9 and its themes correspond with what the city is and could be?

The process and outcomes will be available to track over social media and printed as bespoke and limited-edition postcards available to find in multiple locations. The idea is that the postcards will change, provide space for other conversations and experiences, to share, to travel and have a legacy of their own, shaped by those who pick them up.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE LEGACY MIGHT BE? It’s important if we are serious about how we imagine more successful futures together that we start first with creating opportunities for agency with our creatives, and trust that their experiences and histories don’t need institutional interpretation.

22 January - 10 April Sian Macfarlane - See If We Had This Space venues Deborah Stone - waterproof stickers in the city Tegan Kimbley - Wolverhampton Market Jasmine Morrison - Former Nationwide unit, 43 Queen Square Free / All ages

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Image courtesy of Deborah Stone

Image courtesy of Jasmine Morrison

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Image courtesy of Sian Macfarlane

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Image courtesy of Asylum Artist Quarter

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[If-we-had-this-space] BONES, Emma Purshouse, Steve Pottinger, Neonthewonderer, Ni Lim, The Calamity, Rebecca Mayhay, Sian Mcfarlane, Nathaniel Grant

Asylum Artist Quarter is producing a sound trail that explores the social history of forgotten spaces in Wolverhampton.

Nine artists have been chosen to create sound works in the form of music, soundscapes, spoken word and speeches that respond to nine sites in Wolverhampton that were once used as spaces that emphasised care, commonality, collaboration, healing, togetherness and non-hierarchical ways of organising activity.

These spaces now sit as derelict unused sites, empty but restricted for the public to revitalise through grassroots initiatives. Working with the organisation OVERHEAR, these sound pieces will be geotagged to the location and an engagement board will collect responses to reclamation and activity. This forms a digital art trail for the duration of the BAS9 tour. Each sound piece offers the public the opportunity to imagine what was and what could be IF WE HAD THIS SPACE. Curator Hannah Taylor explains.

HOW HAVE THE NINE PRACTITIONERS BEEN BROUGHT TOGETHER? Asylum Artist Quarter was commissioned as a project partner for Offsite9 with an artistic commission. In response to Creative Black Country and our own priorities as an organisation, in bridging the gaps between artists and institutions, we felt it was necessary to put this commission back out as an open call and to develop a project that allowed for multiple entry points, engagement and advocacy for artists and those who interact with those spaces.

The open call allows us to work with an array of creatives and we chose the nine practitioners based on their proposals. All of them showcased a commitment to exploring forgotten histories and people who have had access to these sites, ask questions of its future and use multiple mediums such as poetry, spoken word, music production, noumenal, found sound and archival sound to allow us to delve into what they were and could be through immersive soundscapes.

All of the chosen practitioners have a link to the area either through living or working here. We felt this was integral to the question we were posing and provides authenticity.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CONNECT WITH THESE FORGOTTEN SITES? The sites are all spaces that used to provide community services or were spaces where communities came together and made memories such as youth internet cafes, independent music shops linked to The Civic, community art cafes, hospitals and churches. None of these are now in use. With such a large tour, BAS9 promises investment both financially and culturally, providing opportunity for increased visitor footfall and hopefully high street regeneration.

Having been a part of multiple working groups, the Cultural Compact and providing years of free consultancy of how to capitalise on this opportunity, the impression we are left with is that there is no strategy

in place to make the most of this national tour.

This year it has been stated more than a fifth of commercial units are empty in city centres, with Wolverhampton City centre one of the highest on the list according to the British Retail Consortium.

BAS9 asks us to consider ways in which we can come together, create communities and provide healing for our reparative histories. How is this possible if we still function with a top-down model in relation to access to our central spaces?

This project not only remembers what was but asks, if you had access to this space, what would you, WE do with it? Why aren’t we being asked how our city centres should be used? BAS9 brings us many contemporary artists who are trying to provoke us to reconsider our position in regard to how our society responds to crises.

Considering our local council has recently passed plans to pedestrianise the high street without consulting its local businesses, resulting in much more than a few independents closing due to decreased footfall, changing car and walking routes and access to the city centre now confusing, is it any wonder we want to provoke new modes of resistance, ways in which to imagine new futures for ourselves in the public realm?

HOW CAN THE TRAIL BE ACCESSED? The trail will be accessible to anyone walking by, where they can respond to the empty space by writing what they would do with it on to the blackened windows and front hoardings. There will also be multiple sound pieces to collect by downloading the OVERHEAR mobile app (you can also download this using QR codes on sites around the city centre). Follow the Google map to the locations and as you approach you get a notification that there is a sound piece to collect, then listen at your leisure.

The sites and the community responses will be documented and shared with the local council and on social media with the tag #ifwehadthisspace

22 January - 10 April Lost Locations: Epic café KFC Beattie’s Wildbytes Darlington Street Church The Whitehart Pub Chapel Ash Underpass The Eye Hospital Wulfruna’s Well

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This project has been commissioned by DASH.

Fae Kilburn, Resilience, 2020, Framed Silkscreen print

(Perspectives)

Fae Kilburn To create (Perspectives) Fae Kilburn is incorporating narratives from those who live, work and visit Wolverhampton, exploring their experiences and asking what needs to change in order to build an inclusive city. Kilburn’s practice often incorporates lived experiences and collaborations through printmaking processes and techniques. (Perspectives) is a silkscreen text print installation on Japanese paper that represents the ever changing nature of Wolverhampton.

HOW WILL YOU BE WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS PROJECT? I will be working with others by connecting with individuals who identify as D/deaf, disabled or Neurodiverse. I will be doing this via social media, newsletters, community groups and individuals I know. Working with these groups and combining their narrative within my work is important to me because they are often overlooked but have much to offer and I want to show how unique we all are.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE INSTALLATION ITSELF INCLUDING YOUR CHOICE OF MATERIALS? I’m creating a text silkscreen print on a beautiful Japanese paper scroll that will be displayed from the ceiling, draping on to the floor. Subtly moving with the air current, ever changing like our health, the Japanese paper appears fragile but is surprisingly strong. D/deaf, disabled and Neurodiverse individuals are so often seen as fragile or vulnerable but are incredibly resilient.

HOW DOES THIS COMMISSION CONNECT TO THE WORK YOU USUALLY MAKE? As a printmaker a large part of my practice is my relationship with materials and the tactile nature of different processes. The materials used connect with my practice through the narrative of others, and the tactile nature of the paper.

WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR THE PROJECT? I hope this project gives individuals a voice, especially those who face barriers. The design of this installation means it has the potential to be exhibited in different ways to suit different venues reaching wider audiences.

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12 March - 10 April Opening event: 12 March, 7-9pm The Quarter Contemporary Space Free / All ages D/deaf, disabled or Neurodiverse

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Wander

Image Courtesy of Graham Everitt

Graham Everitt + NeOne the Wonderer

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Wander is a projection-based play. In it, the audience follow stories told by on-stage characters from diverse ethnicities who make their own individual travels from their place of birth towards Wolverhampton to make new lives for themselves. These stories are contrasted with a true story of a local white boy who “busses it” to Heath Town in the early 80s to breakdance and DJ.

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With digital art projections forming stage sets, the journeys and stories span a number of decades from the 60s to modern day, covering topics such as the Windrush generation, Brexit, relationships and employment, and are complemented with news archive elements together with a soundtrack of ska, punk, hip hop and bhangra. Wander includes live music performed by Wolverhampton-based NeOne the Wonderer.

Wander celebrates the fact that inclusivity and diversity in Wolverhampton has created a better and culturally richer place in terms of music, food, fashion, work and social integration.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE NARRATIVE OF THE PLAY AND ITS SOCIOPOLITICAL ISSUES. Individual stories are told by a number of characters who describe their journeys towards Wolverhampton from their native homes. Each of their travels are set in different times, yet all experience personal and socio-political challenges, such as the hostilities which emanated from Enoch Powell’s infamous speech, UKIP and Brexit, and Theresa May’s ‘Really Hostile Environment’ policy.

Wolverhampton was affected directly by these ideologies and yet we have a multicultural city which appears to prove otherwise. Music is an integral theme to Wander, particularly how it can have a strong influence on people’s lives and in forming connections across cultures.

I find it strange how a football supporter who voted ‘leave’ is happy with their club having foreign players or a foreign manager but has a problem with a Polish builder supposedly stealing a British person’s job. In my experience, an employer awards a person a job on their ability to do the work and not on their ability to steal it.

HOW WILL YOU BE USING TECHNOLOGY AND MUSIC WITHIN THE PIECE? Digital film projections will form the backdrop to various scenes, together with elements of interaction between characters and said projections.

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‘anyone the wonderer’) will compliment and integrate with certain characters and scenes.

HOW DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES WILL RESPOND? I hope audiences will (re)think the impact immigration can have on society and a community, in particular in Wolverhampton, which can bring both economic and cultural benefits. Some of the stories are based on true events, at times personal, and involving relationships which explore how our journeys in life affect other people as much as ourselves. To travel and explore is both a physical and mental process.

31 March - 7.30pm Arena Theatre Free / All ages Book via wlv.ticketsolve.com/ shows

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Image Courtesy Flexus Dance Collective

A Euphoric Happening Flexus Dance Collective in partnership with The League of International Misfits

A Euphoric Happening aims to capture euphoric moments through dance, music and visual media embracing themes of healing and togetherness in a double bill event of Euphoria and Visions.

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CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE STARTING POINTS OF EUPHORIA? HOW HAVE YOUR IDEAS DEVELOPED? Euphoria is a new work by Flexus Dance Collective (FDC) Artistic Director Katy Sterran in collaboration with Composer Ni Singh.

It is a relevant, timely and audacious new collaborative work created for, by and with the young people of Sterran Touring Company. It ignites meaningful relationships and opportunities across dance and music communities. Driven out of a period of limitation, repression, confinement and conformity, the work is a creative release of euphoric manifestations, capturing the impact of the previous year on a young generation desperately seeking their euphoric moment. Set against an anarchist musical backdrop composed by Singh, the work not only drives the intense and primal states of euphoria influenced through music but also celebrates and captures the euphoric heritage and culture of the City of Wolverhampton. With a historical reputation for its music scene, Euphoria promotes the music that has exhilarated communities for generations and profiles the talent of the next generation.

WHAT IS VISIONS CONCERNED WITH? Visions is a bespoke dance work created with four Wolverhampton schools and colleges as part of the British Art Show 9 Inspired Learning Programme. Led by FDC in partnership with Arts Connect West Midlands, Visions unites young people from across the city in a physical response to visual art created by inspiring young artists from across the Black Country that will be exhibited as part of the event.

3 April, 7.30pm Arena Theatre Tickets: £9 Book via wlv.ticketsolve.com/ shows All ages

HOW DOES THIS PIECE CONNECT TO YOUR WIDER OR PREVIOUS WORK? Katy Sterran is Artistic Director and founder of Flexus Dance Collective. Sterran’s career in choreography spans almost two decades, developing a reputation for outstanding theatrical, cross-art form works. Through an artistic vision based around psychological, physical and emotional challenge, enriched collaborative journeys with her dancers and practitioners from across the arts sector, Sterran’s work consistently takes risks and challenges what it means to engage and connect with contemporary dance in the 21st century.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT AUDIENCES WILL TAKE AWAY? A Euphoric Happening aims to showcase the power, influence and talent of a young generation, promoting togetherness, hope and healing in an event that highlights recovery and creative release through the arts. The event unites the local community past, present and future, and celebrates what can be achieved through cross-discipline collaboration and co-creation. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 63

Kathleen Fabre

Alignment

Kathleen Fabre is a conceptual artist with an interdisciplinary practice. Alignment sees a series of four site-specific architectural scale wool installations. The temporary installations form vast symbols of hope and each piece acts as a colourful welcome to visitors and residents.

22 January - 10 April To Heaven and Back - St. Peter’s Church Read Between the Lines - Outside Wolverhampton Central Library Lines of Enquiry - W’ton School of Art, MK building, Courtyard Garden Making Connections - Light House

Image courtesy Kathleen Fabre

Image courtesy Kathleen Fabre

CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR INITIAL IDEAS FOR ALIGNMENT? My idea stemmed from a desire to make contemporary conceptual art accessible to a wider audience through a series of public artworks with positive meaning. Alignment sees four vibrant site-specific architectural scale neon rainbow wool installations created utilising the existing infrastructure around Wolverhampton City centre.

These make many connections to form vast symbols of hope and diversity.

CAN YOU SAY MORE ABOUT THE MATERIALS AND SYMBOLS YOU’RE USING? I will be using a single material; super chunky neon wool. I love how I can use this simple material to explore and create artworks on an architectural scale. The wool essentially allows me to draw in space. I chose a neon rainbow colour palette for its vibrancy against the environments they will inhabit, but fundamentally the rainbow holds the most positive symbolism I know, with many interpretations and I am open to all of these.

Rainbows are a symbol of hope and peace in many cultures and religions and a promise of better times to come. The rainbow is a long-standing symbol of LGBTQI+ pride; a sign of solidarity and support for diversity. My reconnection to and love of nature also plays a part: when a rainbow appears in the sky it always captures and delights me. Nature’s beautiful linear illusion is all about light.

HOW DOES ALIGNMENT CONNECT TO THE WORKS YOU HAVE MADE BEFORE OR MADE RECENTLY? At the start of the pandemic I created a rainbow wool installation, Daily Exercise, on home turf utilising the lamppost outside my front garden.

It was my contribution to the rainbow walk that had developed as a result of the first lockdown, and later adopted as a thank you to the NHS. Alignment is a progression of that idea and an exploration of space on a far bigger scale. I’ve been creating temporary site-specific installations since 2009. I love to explore space and light and am often drawn to architectural voids as spaces to exhibit, the spaces in-between, and to spaces we cannot touch feel or stand in.

HOW DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES WILL ENGAGE WITH YOUR PROJECT IN ITS DIFFERENT SITES? WHAT DO YOU HOPE THEY WILL GET FROM THE WORK? My intention for the series of installations is to capture the public’s attention at each site. My aim is for each piece to act as a colourful greeting to visitors, commuters and residents as they arrive into or walk around the city centre, and if only for a moment, to make people smile and wonder. The titles of each installation reveal a connection to its location, suggesting a meaning for the work and why the site was chosen. Read Between the Lines, for example, utilises the trees outside Wolverhampton Central Library. The titles also hint at the process I undertake to create them such as Making Connections and Lines of Enquiry. My hope is the symbolism of the rainbow will connect to people in a positive way, however they may interpret its meaning. I hope the work will bring people together to provoke questions and conversations between each other. During a dark period of history, an ongoing global pandemic, environment crisis and great division and discrimination throughout the world, I feel we all need signs of hope for the future.

Event: ’Meet the Artist’ Friday 21st January at St Peter’s Church, 3-4pm + Flexus Youth dance performance ‘Aligned’ inspired by the installation series.

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Image courtesy of Hanifa Hudson

Social Death Hanifa Hudson Hanifa Hudson is an activist of Jamaican heritage, born and bred in Wolverhampton.

She is best known for her pioneering work in break dancing and her roll in the fight for reparatory justice. Her work is inspired by the ethos of music and dance: movements are the vibrations of sound; colours are the feelings of her fight.

“Social death and the legacy of British colonialism are at the heart of this work, particularly how these things effect people of the diaspora. My work will be presented on MDF sheets, using acrylic paint and the soles of my feet treading in my shoes. I’m also giving a brief discussion on my history. Music is a key element within each piece and has colours, shapes, and so does my artwork. Synaesthesia is both the name and concept of my artwork.

This piece will connect with current and recent issues such as the Windrush scandal, racism in football, education and the health care system. I hope audiences will appreciate and understand these issues and the different genres of music I am working with, especially how one connects to music and to colours.”

29 January – 27 February Open on Sat & Sun 11am–5pm Opening night + talk – 29 January, 6-8pm (TBC) Bantock House Community Gallery

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This dream will soar above the architecture Stephen Lawrence dreamed of Riccardo De Bruce Poems

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Stephen Architect of Hope Riccardo De Bruce Stephen Architect of Hope is a tribute to Stephen Lawrence, the eighteenyear-old Black British student from South London who was the victim of a racist gang murder on the evening of 22nd April 1993.

Using poetry and drawings Riccardo De Bruce is documenting some of the continuous critical discourse, the lessons to be learnt, and the ways that Lawrence’s life story can inspire today’s generation to succeed in the multicultural landscape of the UK. His art book contains 29 poems and 34 drawings written for each year following Lawrence’s death and references Black Activists alongside quotes which add a historical context to the contemporary issues of hate crimes, racism and institutional racism that affect the Black Diaspora in the UK.

7 - 31 March 1pm-8.30pm Open night: 11 March, 6.30pm-8.30pm Light House

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CONTINUED SIGNIFICANCE OF STEPHEN LAWRENCE’S LEGACY? The Stephen Architect of Hope art exhibition and poetry book, is a tribute and a homage to the continued importance of Stephen’s legacy. His legacy is still very important as many innocent black lives have continued to be taken since his death in 1993. It is integral for artists and educators to continue to explore issues concerning hate crimes and racism in the ongoing fight for equality. The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montford University continues research-led initiatives and Stephen’s legacy continues to provide resources for pupils and educators. Art and education have a critical key role in informing the next generation of positive ideas and concepts in the struggle against prejudice.

Stephen Architect of Hope supports Stephen’s architectural dreams and continues a creative and transformational legacy of hope.

HOW HAVE YOU APPROACHED THE PRODUCTION OF YOUR DRAWINGS AND POEMS? The drawings and poems evolved emotionally over the decades - informed by critical thinking and narratives relating to the ongoing issues of the historical case. Conceptual reflections and a minimalistic outcome have evolved, inspiring the poems and drawings.

WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR THE PROJECT MORE WIDELY? My ambition is to inform the uninformed through poetry and drawing that explore these complex and sensitive issues. The narratives investigated in the Stephen Architect of Hope art exhibition and poetry book are created to inspire the next generation.

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Image courtesy of Jack Smallwood

22 January - 10 April 10.30am–4.30pm Wolverhampton Art Gallery Free / Drop in / All ages D/deaf

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Zebra Access directed by Jack Smallwood

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A new film produced by Jack Smallwood portrays the emotions expressed by D/ deaf people via a new short BSL poem. The poem tackles the concept of dual identity with D/deafness in relation to selfhood and features people who are deaf/hard of hearing and are born, raised and live in Wolverhampton.

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CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR CENTRAL IDEAS? It was challenging to create an idea for this project. My primary aim was to make it visual and for it to have a big impact. This is when I started thinking about a poem and adapting it into British Sign Language. The last time I wrote a poem was back in school, so I thought of my journey through childhood and how my deafness affected my childhood.

I also wanted to explore other deaf people’s experiences. I did a quick draft of the poem and shared it with my team, who are also deaf. They were overcome with emotion and felt they too could relate to the poem.

My next step was to work on making the poem visual and to translate it into BSL. I am fortunate to know many deaf and hard of hearing people that are either born and bred in Wolverhampton or have moved into the area. I approached them to ask if they would be interested in performing the poem in BSL which I then filmed. I wanted the poem to have an impact and to also raise awareness about deafness and the Deaf Community, especially as deafness is a hidden disability. There are many deaf people living in Wolverhampton and whilst there is a strong deaf community, there are also many hidden away, feeling isolated. I felt that this project would allow me to bring the community together and to have a positive impact on the younger deaf generation.

working with her and collaborating with the actors and the filming team.

HOW WILL THE WORK BE PRESENTED? I was inspired to create this style of work after watching a short film called Sign Night by Cathy Mager. Her film is a poetic conversation in BSL that was projected on the side of a building in Bristol, which I think is a brilliant idea. As this kind of work has not yet been seen in Wolverhampton I felt it would be good to replicate this idea by projecting the poem outside the Art Gallery in the hope that people walking past will see it, enjoy it and feel inspired. The aim is then for the film to continue to be screened inside the Art Gallery to give different audiences the opportunity to enjoy the film.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE WORK IN THE LONGER TERM? I hope this video will change people’s perception of deafness, deaf education and to raise deaf awareness – as it’s never too late! I am also hopeful that this work will continue to inspire people that have disabilities and for it to be screened in other locations or festivals in order to reach a wider audience. I intend to submit the poem to film festivals so that the hard work of all involved can be recognised and for the film to have longevity and a positive outcome for the Deaf Community.

HOW ARE YOU REACHING AND COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS? Getting the Deaf Community on board is quite an arduous task for many reasons such as camera shyness, feeling exposed, nerves and so on. However, I am fortunate enough to have some good connections, especially with working at Zebra Access which is a fantastic charity that supports the Deaf Community in Wolverhampton and the Black Country. They were able to assist me with this project by helping me find the right people who were willing to be involved. I also had the opportunity to work alongside a fantastic Director of Photography, Phoebe Capewell.

Phoebe is deaf and lives in London but is originally from Birmingham. It was great creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 75

Image of Ishtiaq Huusain

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Out of Darkness Cometh Light

Produced by Omar Haq and performed by Ishtiaq Hussain

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Out of Darkness Cometh Light is a Visual Vernacular (VV) show that follows the themes of healing, care and reparative history. VV is a theatrical performance that combines elements of mime, facial and bodily expression.

Ishtiaq Hussain (Ish’s VV World), has recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary of performing VV and this project aims to bridge the gap between the Deaf and hearing communities and bring back the Deaf Community to Wolverhampton. We caught up with project organiser Omar Haq.

12 March 1.30pm + 7.30pm Newhampton Arts Centre Adult: £7.00, Under 16: £3.50, Under 4: Free, Senior citizen / Student: £5.00 Book via: newhamptonarts.co.uk All ages

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WHAT IS VV? VV is a new, unique theatrical performance that combines elements of mime, facial and bodily expression. It has no grammar or linguistic structure (it is not sign language).

VV is a powerful storytelling technique that captures the world in its visual complexity.

An artist can use movement to morph into different characters or objects to help build an exciting story of any genre. Similar to the work of Charlie Chaplin, VV has no words, however the artist stays in one spot rather than walking around. This means VV is accessible and can be enjoyed by both hearing and Deaf audiences. Ishtiaq Hussain is performing Out of Darkness Cometh Light, he has over 10 years of experience in the craft and is popular within the Deaf Community.

TELL US ABOUT OUT OF DARKNESS COMETH LIGHT? WHAT DOES THE TITLE MEAN TO YOU? Out of Darkness Cometh Light is the city of Wolverhampton’s motto. To me these words relate to struggle, oppression, and new opportunities. The motto also reflects the recent difficulties faced during the pandemic. Many Deaf people were isolated during this time with limited access to entertainment and opportunities to socialise. This had a detrimental effect on the community’s mental health. This project aims to bring the light to this darkness and act as an opportunity for the Deaf Community to get back out, socialise and have a good time. Wolverhampton was once a popular hub for the Deaf Community, however, with many Deaf clubs being shut down this has dwindled.

Furthermore, the Deaf and hearing communities are often segregated. This project aims to bridge the gap between these communities and provide a friendly space for them to interact and mutually enjoy an inclusive, accessible performance.

This motto is the title of the project as it represents the overarching themes of healing, care and reparative history. We want to deliver an impactful show that focuses on

the City of Wolverhampton and the lives of Deaf people.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FOUR STORIES YOU WILL BE SHARING? The four VV performances are: Life of Lockdown (drama) - This VV performance will be about the life of Deaf people during the pandemic and various lockdowns, in particular looking at the impact of lockdown. Evolution of technology (comedy) - This will take a light-hearted and comedic approach to changes in technology over time in relation to Deaf people, with a focus on how technology has evolved between the 1920s and 2020s.

Wolverhampton 6 (drama) - A dramatic performance about the well-known protests that took place in 2001 in Wolverhampton for Deaf rights and BSL recognition. 6 people were arrested (1 Hearing, 5 Deaf) known as the Wolverhampton 6. Ishtiaq was one of the Wolverhampton 6.

Wolverhampton History (comedy) – A comedic VV performance that will look at the history of Wolverhampton as a city including the football team and stadium.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE EVENT? I hope the event is entertaining, inspirational, and unforgettable. I hope the event reduces isolation within the Deaf Community and hope they will be happy to be back in Wolverhampton. Also, I hope that the hearing community enjoy seeing this new style of theatre performance that they may never have come across before. As VV is well known within the Deaf Community, I really want to reach out and introduce it to the hearing community. We are in communication with a variety of contacts, including the University of Wolverhampton, with the aim of attracting a diverse audience. It would be fantastic if this project inspired people to take up VV. Individuals will have the opportunity to talk to Ishtiaq if they are interested in taking part in future Ish’s VV World workshops.

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Frozen Archive for MOON/ish.exe Sahjan Kooner

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Images courtesy of Sahjan Kooner

Sahjan Kooner’s work for Offsite9 explores the relationships between migration, technology and lineage through a new video installation titled Frozen Archive for MOON/ish.exe Working with a network of people, the video looks at the connections and futures that bring people together and forge bonds across time and space.

A set of recurring motifs, including archival and digital imagery alongside virtually rendered environments, will blend with testimonies, song and resistance to weave a work that defies gravity and location. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 81

22 January - 31 March 2-8.30pm, closed on Mondays Light House - upper gallery Free All ages

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CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INITIAL IDEAS? Originally I was thinking about the things people carry with them as they migrate: technologies, stories, ideas, social structures, bonds and lineages.

I got really interested in my family’s version of this. These are things that travel across space and time, linking it to science fiction and the future as well as origin stories such as the desire to have a ‘true’ story of India. The project brings all this together with stories of people I don’t know, and never will, via the archive. A hallucinogenic whirlpool of ideas generated this work.

HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES? I’m always quite sceptical of that word but I think of it in terms of being tethered or bound to people I don’t know though we had a similar journey to get here. When I talk about community, I talk about gathering and congregating. The work incorporates multiple positions, multiple histories and futures, and counterpoints to the history that are recorded through existing power structures.

AND WITH ARCHIVES? It’s a mixture of working with families that I know, my own family’s archives, and working with a broader set of institutional archives in order to think about the future of archival behaviour.

HOW HAS THE WORK DEVELOPED SINCE YOUR PROPOSAL? Wider questions have arisen; representation, value, inheritance, the future. I work a lot with my family and we congregated to make a video and in it we go to the moon through the technologies of imagination, drones and GoPros. It comes from an image left by an astronaut from the Apollo 16 mission of a family, leaving traces of humanity on the moon, and then I found out that the photos were made white by solar radiation. India is also developing a space system, like a lot of countries and I became really interested in our family as being active in our next migration, our next technological leap. It also includes 3D creatures I make that look like me and discuss their own production. It’s a complex and very deeply moving work. I want it to feel like a dream.

YOU’VE SHOWN WORK BEFORE IN THE CITY …

A lot of the previous work was laying the groundwork for this. I restarted my practice two years ago and questions around liberalism’s violence in the West and existing within colonial infrastructures have been important to me. I work in video installation specifically because it does this weird thing with your body, mind and your consciousness, a bit like being in a black hole or worm hole. As before, I’m also still working a lot with terracotta clay because it’s malleable.

HOW WILL THE WORK INCLUDE VOICE? There will be layers of augmented digital voiceover that I’m writing a script for. It’s not like a script for a film, it’s more to do with the work discussing its own production and the relationship to the images that people are being shown, like the part that is me and my family gathering together. We’ll be opening up and unpacking the production together.

The work opens with a song by Sophie, the musician and producer, who died in 2021. Sophie was taking a photograph of the moon on her roof in Athens and she fell off. Sophie was a powerful and incredible person who was really important to the queer community, making tools for musicians and trying to shape shift. Her ambient song Pretending opens up the work and the visual commonality of the moon is important.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE WORK? I’m excited for the work because I think it’s really joyous but at the same time, it holds questions about violence and technology that are important.

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Jambo Cinema

Dawinder Bansal Image: Outroslide Photography

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Jambo cinema interrogates the complex, nostalgic, humorous and sometimes painful processes of remembrance. Dawinder Bansal recreates her father’s shop in this iteration of Jambo Cinema, which sold electrical supplies and also rented Bollywood VHS tapes to establish their newly immigrated South Asian family.

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CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CENTRAL PREMISE OF JAMBO CINEMA? Jambo Cinema is a love letter to my late father, who died in 1988 one month after my eleventh birthday. He was a qualified electrician when he arrived in the UK from Kenya and worked primarily within British Steel until he was made redundant in his late thirties. After this, he opened Bansal Electrical, a shop situated in the Whitmore Reans area of Wolverhampton. It was an electrical shop but also rented out Bollywood VHS tapes to the local South Asian community in the area.

Jambo Cinema is a step back in time, taking audiences on a journey into my life growing up in 1980s Wolverhampton as the youngest daughter to first generation immigrant parents. As the artist, I invite people into the re-creation of my living room - a space that is familiar and reflective of how many South Asian families lived during the 1980s. This multi layered work opens up opportunities for discourse, an opportunity for conversation and I encourage people from other cultures and communities to be curious and ask questions about whatever they want within that space. I feel this is particularly important after rising racial tensions reported in the global news, particularly throughout the pandemic.

In the film, I talk about my life as a young British Asian girl, born into a Sikh Indian-Kenyan family and my experience of living in two worlds; the culture and heritage of my parents and of Britain - the place of my birth. I talk about the importance and value of video rental shops and why they were so valuable to South Asian immigrant families within a turbulent decade of 1980s Britain.

Jambo Cinema is a piece of work with heart, it’s warm, friendly and reflects the life of my family that is reflective of many South Asian households across the UK.

HOW HAS THE CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON FED INTO THE PROJECT? Wolverhampton is a central part of Jambo Cinema because this project is based on my own life story and the observations I made. It is partly about my own life but also a social commentary on how South Asian families lived, worked, socialised and made gloomy and grey Britain their homelands through faith, culture and entertainment through the humble VHS that provided a connection to the motherland.

WHAT MOVES YOU TO REFLECT UPON YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES? I have very vivid memories about my childhood, mainly because the 80s was such an iconic era of British and American culture, but also because I was immersed into Bollywood via the films I watched at home while carrying out video piracy.

I was particularly interested in telling the story of my youth because it is my lived experience and it’s truthful. The best art is that which is born from truth and this work is about letting the wider British community understand the life of someone who was growing up in two worlds, that of the British culture and the other of home life - a traditional upbringing informed by my parents’ heritage of 1950s India and Kenya they left behind to move to the UK. HOW DO YOU HOPE CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCES WILL RESPOND TO THE PROJECT? Jambo Cinema invites people into the intimate world of my life and allows people to experience what a 1980s living room of the South Asian community might have been like. Young people are usually fascinated by the analogue world of the 1980s, while being totally confused about how VHS tapes and music cassettes work. Older people find it to be a familiar living room which takes them back to their

own youth. The video shop is a totally confusing space for young people who are digital natives and have all their content streamed directly to their phones or laptops.

When I am in the installation I enjoy hosting audiences who enter the room as my guests and, when possible, I offer them tea and biscuits as if they are really entering my living room. The one thing I enjoy most about this project is speaking to people and watching how they interact and absorb the film and interact with the environment I have created. It’s a very intimate thing to do, to put your life into the public domain but it’s also about honesty and that allows me to connect with everyday people through being honest about my own working-class background to twice migrant parents who worked very hard to give their children the kind of future they could never have.

It’s a celebration of difference and ultimately making it in the UK.

22 January - 10 April Times TBC Lower ground level unit Mander Centre Free / Drop in / All ages

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The podcasts are researched, presented and produced by Wolverhampton-born and long-time resident Bobby Tiwana with editing and sound engineering by Duncan Grimley.

Podcasts will be available to download during Offsite9 - find out more at creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9

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9 Words

Composer, sound designer and music producer Duncan Grimley creates sound and music responses to each of the words which form part of the podcasts.

Bobby Tiwana

Nine words identified act as a catalyst for discussion with Offsite9 commissioned artists about their projects and their practice exploring how each word relates to community and society today.

Illustration by: Pickle Illustration creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 89

Origin Unknown The League of International Misfits 90 #OFFSite9

Origin Unknown brings together a wide range of musical styles and eclectic global influences via a diverse programme of assembled artists. The project, developed

by Ni Singh’s League of International Misfits (L.I.M), also includes a series of short films and visual materials on display throughout.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR STYLE OF WORKING? I am an Anglo Asian-Caribe singer songwriter born in London and raised in South America, Jamaica and East Anglia.

This defines my work and I am misfit through and through. It was a curse when I was younger and now it’s a blessing. I was formerly a writer and journalist who then found guitars and beats and I have run the odd gallery or two. Because of that I have to create narrative and I use my wonderful (and sometimes challenging) life experiences to create that narrative. It’s sometimes deep and sometimes poetic, and it’s always from the heart. I started to front indie rock bands but found drum machines, samplers and a global palette and have never looked back.

I created the League of International Misfits (the L.I.M) and invited friends I know to collaborate and contribute, firstly, music, and then through other artforms as the material seemed to resonate. I have a broad palette, I am used to commercial song structure but I am also a lover of leftfield dance. Combine that with a small space in my head that’s full of Indian, Arabic and dub sounds.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR ORIGIN UNKNOWN? It’s hopefully more happening than gig. We have a programme of artists and musicians who gladly invite you into their creative minds. Stay as long as you want but our extended license only runs until midnight.

We bring you NeOne the Wonderer with his poetic and sublime grooves; Eastern Pressure’s Juttla, who will dazzle your earbuds with eastern flavoured beats and then top it

with a dose of festival energy courtesy of the L.I.M dance division, blending uplifting beats with infectious melodies. Additionally, the L.I.M visual department have been creating short films and visual imagery focused around culture and identity that will be showcased around the venue.

HOW DOES THIS EVENT CONNECT TO YOUR WIDER WORK AND PRACTICE? I am old school. I have wanted to release music and represent live music way before the pandemic. Like all musicians I focused on different areas during the lockdown – some exciting and some not so. It’s no accident that the Misfit DNA is at the heart of Origin Unknown so why not use this perfect marriage to launch some Misfit music? The first EP is called Hello Mi$fit. If I could, I would release it on recycled TDK 90 tapes but I guess maybe some CDs and download codes will suffice. The practice I have now includes a range of work from commissions to commercial work. This is definitely the work that inspires me and I hope others. I love supporting and shouting about the work of others, but of course like many, struggle to do so for myself. This is that opportunity.

WHAT CAN AUDIENCES EXPECT FROM ORIGIN UNKNOWN? The event is the first time this diverse collective of talent has been gathered together and, as this is Offsite9 and British Art Show 9, we choose to showcase the very British but global talent that resides in Wolverhampton.

We want to create opportunities for audiences to engage, comment and respond. This is the start of something beautifully eclectic… so come as an audience and leave as global citizens… that’s the Misfit code. If you have preconceptions, leave them at the door. I mean it’s just music, right? So expect energy, expect poetry, expect the unexpected.

The Official Offsite9 After Party 9 April, 7-11pm Newhampton Arts Centre Tickets: £8, Book via newhamptonarts.co.uk, 16+

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OFFsite9 event listings Please note that venues and events are subject to change. Follow our social media and check the website for updated information. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 @CreativeBCuk @CreativeBCuk @CreativeBlackCountry

OUTDOOR INSTALLATION ALIGNMENT Kathleen Fabre Duration of BAS9 (22 January - 10 April) To Heaven and Back - St. Peter’s Church Read Between the Lines - Outside of Wolverhampton Central Library Lines of Enquiry - W’ton School of Art, MK building, Courtyard Garden Making Connections - Light House Kathleen Fabre produces a series of four vibrant site specific architectural scale rainbow wool installations, created utilising the existing infrastructure around Wolverhampton city centre.

Meet the Artists 21 January, 3pm & 4pm St Peter’s Church Artist talks followed by a performance of Aligned from Flexus Youth dance, inspired by the installation series Alignment.

VIDEO INSTALLATION COMMUNION Thomas Jack Brown 22 January - 10 April, Mon-Fri: 11-2pm St Peter’s Collegiate Church Free / Drop in / All ages Communion is a site-specific video installation containing archival footage

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tackle the concept of dual identity with D/deafness in relation to selfhood. This short film features people who are deaf/ hard of hearing and are born, raised and live in Wolverhampton.

and images of some of Wolverhampton’s citizens collapsed together to show the city’s history in a non-linear way.

MUTLI MEDIA INSTALLATION JAMBO CINEMA Dawinder Bansal 22 January - 10 April, Times TBC Lower ground level unit - Mander Centre Free / Drop in / All ages Jambo Cinema is a multifaceted installation emerging from a nostalgic time in artist Dawinder Bansal’s childhood in Wolverhampton. The project is influenced by her time growing up as a young girl in her parents’ electrical shop, Bansal Electrical, which also rented VHS Bollywood films.

SOUND |IFWEHADTHIS [SPACE]|: Curated by Hannah Taylor & Corin Salter With commissioned artists: Emma Purshouse, Steve Pottinger, NEONE, Nathaniel Grant, Ni Singh, Rebecca Mayhay, The Calamity, BONES, Sian Macfarlane 22 January - 10 April Lost Locations: Epic café | KFC | Beattie’s | Wildbytes Darlington Street Church | The Whitehart Pub Chapel Ash Underpass | The Eye Hospital | Wulfruna’s Well Free / All ages

VIDEO | POETRY DO YOU UNDERSTAND? Zebra Access, Directed by Jack Smallwood 22 January - 10 April, 10.30am–4.30pm Wolverhampton Art Gallery Free / Drop in / All ages / D/deaf A new film produced by Jack Smallwood will portray the emotions expressed by D/ deaf people via a short BSL poem created specifically for the project. The poem will

Collect the 9 sound pieces of spoken word and music around Wolverhampton city centre. Experience a pilgrimage of forgotten spaces, ghosts of lost places and help shape a new city by telling us what you would do... If you just had that space!

9 creatives have been commissioned to

Use the digital map on the Overhear app to follow the trail, collect and bring to life their history again. Each site also allows for visitors to write their thoughts on how they would use the space if they had access to it.

VIDEO INSTALLATION FROZEN ARCHIVE FOR MOON/ISH. EXE Sahjan Kooner 22 January - 31 March, 2-8.30pm, closed on Mondays Light House - upper gallery Free / Drop in / All ages

PHOTOGRAPHY SINGLEPOINT Sian Macfarlane, Deborah Stone, Tegen Kimbley, Jasmine Morrison 22 January - 10 April Sian Macfarlane - See If We Had This Space venues Deborah Stone - waterproof stickers in the city Tegan Kimbley - Wolverhampton Market Jasmine Morrison - Former Nationwide unit, 43 Queen Square Free / All ages Four female photographers explore how we navigate the reparative histories of our region when we document culture.

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Sahjan Kooner’s work for Offsite9 explores the relationships between migration, technology and lineage through a new video installation.

Working with a network of people, the video looks at the connections and futures that bring people together and forge bonds across time and space.

VISUAL ART SOCIAL DEATH Hanifa Hudson 29 January – 27 February, open on Sat & Sun 11am–5pm Opening night + talk – 29 January, 6-8pm TBC Bantock House Community Gallery Free / Drop in / All ages Hanifa Hudson is an activist of Jamaican heritage, born and bred in Wolverhampton. She is most known for her pioneering history in break dancing and her roll in the fight for Reparations.

Her current work is inspired by the ethos of music and dance.

Please note that venues and events are subject to change. Follow our social media and check the website for updated information. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 | @CreativeBCuk | @CreativeBlackCountry

respond to 9 locations around the city that once stood as pillars of our community, spaces of healing, of community spirit.

They now stand derelict.

POETRY PERFORMANCE HUM SAATH SAATH HEIN (WE ARE TOGETHER) Punjabi Women Writing Group 29 January, 1.30-3.45pm Wolverhampton Central Library Free / Drop in / All ages Hum Saath Saath Hein (We Are Together) by the Punjabi Women’s Writing Group hopes to enhance community cohesion and nurture a sense of belonging.

POETRY + EXHIBITION STEPHEN ARCHITECT OF HOPE Riccardo De Bruce 7 - 31 March, 1pm-8.30pm Opening night: 11 March, 6.30pm8.30pm Light House Free / Drop in / All ages This tribute to Stephen Lawrence, the Black British student from South London who was the victim of a racist gang murder on the evening of 22nd April 1993, features poetry and drawings that De Bruce is using to document the continuous critical discourse, the lessons to be learnt, and how Stephen Lawrence’s life story can truly inspire this generation to succeed in a multicultural UK.

WORKSHOPS + LIVE ART POP-UP LIVES STORYBOOK Katie Holtom 26 February, 10-1pm 5 March, 10-1pm / 12 March, 10-1pm Whitmore Reans Library Free / Drop in Families with accompanied children / Young people aged 16yrs and under Pop-up Lives is a visual pop-up book experience designed for a family audience. It is an intimate exploration of togetherness on a miniature stage cocreated by Wolverhampton’s own children.

A paper theatre will be brought to life with light using a combination of paper pop-ups, projection mapping, poetry, and hand-drawn illustrations to illuminate the experiences of young people and their families.

WORKSHOPS + EXHIBITION KINDNESS IS FREE – LET’S PASS IT ON Kanj Nicholas and Susan Brisco Workshops 15 + 22 February (1-3pm) Exhibition 5 - 20 March (11am-3pm) Newhampton Arts Centre Workshops: £5, book via newhamptonarts.co.uk Exhibition: Free / Drop in / All ages Kanj Nicholas will present Kindness is the Heartbeat of Our City and Sue Brisco The Science of Kindness, two separate but interconnected bodies of work within

one exhibition that examines the theme of kindness through visual artworks, workshops and poetry.

WALKING WORKSHOP SO9198 Daniella Turbin 29 January / 2, 12, 16, 26 February / 2, 12, 16, 26, 30 March / 9 April Meet at The Quarter Contemporary Arts Space Free / Book via: eventbrite.co.uk/e/213445139157 All ages - under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Good walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing should be worn.

INSTALLATION + WORKSHOPS IMAGINE WOLVES Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston 1 February - 10 April Shop Unit Victoria Square - TBC Free / All ages Imagine Wolves is collaboration between artists Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston born out of discussions and research in to re-imagined futures and ways of togetherness for Wolverhampton and its people.

Please note that venues and events are subject to change. Follow our social media and check the website for updated information. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 | @CreativeBCuk | @CreativeBlackCountry

Join Wolverhampton based artist Daniella Turbin for a walk around the City of Wolverhampton.

S09198 is the unique grid reference for the centre of the City of Wolverhampton, and throughout the duration of British Art Show 9 you are invited to explore every underpass, street and building within this one kilometre square. Sign up to take a one-to-one walk with the artist, and together you will map and record the city through photography and walking. This project will take place throughout the duration of British Art Show 9, and will finish with the creation of a public map of the city on the scale of 1:100.

POETRY + EXHIBITION STEPHEN ARCHITECT OF HOPE Riccardo De Bruce 7 - 31 March, 1pm-8.30pm Open night: Friday 11 March, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Visual Vernacular (VV) is an exciting, artistic performance by Ishtiaq Hussain that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. This project aims to integrate the Deaf and hearing community as well as bring back the Deaf community to Wolverhampton, following the overarching theme of healing, care and reparative history. Out of darkness cometh light will give people the chance to learn a new skill as well as enjoying a breath-taking, entertaining performance that they may never have experienced.

Light House Free / Drop in This tribute to Stephen Lawrence, the Black British student from South London who was the victim of a racist gang murder on the evening of 22nd April 1993, uses poetry and drawings that De Bruce is using to document the continuous critical discourse, the lessons to be learnt, and how Stephen Lawrence’s life story can truly inspire this generation to succeed in a multicultural UK. PERFORMANCE OUT OF DARKNESS COMETH LIGHT Presented by Omar Haq and Ish’s VV World 12 March, 1.30pm + 7.30pm Newhampton Arts Centre All ages Adult: £7.00, Under 16: £3.50, Under 4: Free, Senior citizen / Student: £5.00 Book via: newhamptonarts.co.uk

EXHIBITION (PERSPECTIVES) Fae Kilburn commissioned by DASH 12 March - 10 April Opening event: 12 March, 7-9pm The Quarter Contemporary Space

Fae Kilburn is a Midlands based artist and arts facilitator, specialising in printmaking.

She often includes or refers to the lived experiences of other disabled people and this becomes a collaboration of their narrative and her artwork.

(Perspectives) will be an exhibition that incorporates this process and explores the experiences and barriers faced by individuals who identify as D/deaf, disabled, Neurodiverse or who have faced significant barriers. Fae aims to raise awareness, challenge preconceived ideas and highlight the stigma faced by many.

INSTALLATION PLANT FETE Charlotte Dunn

PERFORMANCE WANDER Graham Everitt and NeOne the Wonderer 31 March - 7.30pm Arena Theatre Free / All ages Book via wlv.ticketsolve.com/shows Wander is a projection-based play. In it, the audience follow stories told by diverse characters on-stage that make their own individual travels from their place of birth towards Wolverhampton to make new lives for themselves. Wander celebrates the fact that inclusivity and diversity in Wolverhampton has created a better and culturally richer place in terms of music, food, fashion, work and social integration.

West Park: 2 April, 10am-1pm.

School of Art: 31 March, 1 April, 4 April, 5 April, 10-3pm Free / Drop in / All ages Charlotte Dunn is recreating a ‘floral fete’ within Wolverhampton’s West Park, inspired by traditional fete stands and plant selling events of the 19th Century.

Her work Plant Fete will host a plant swap, recreating the community fetes that once helped the development of the park. The canopy will be built by the University of Wolverhampton.

SOUND 9 WORDS PODCASTS Bobby Tiwana 22 January - 10 April Nine words identified act as a catalyst for discussion with Offsite9 commissioned artists about their projects and their practice exploring how each word relates to community and society today. Composer, sound

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Please note that venues and events are subject to change. Follow our social media and check the website for updated information. creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9 | @CreativeBCuk | @CreativeBlackCountry

Free / All ages + D/deaf, disabled or Neurodiverse

designer and music producer Duncan Grimley creates sound and music responses to each of the words which form part of the podcasts. The podcasts are researched, presented and produced

by Wolverhampton-born and long-time resident Bobby Tiwana with editing and sound engineering by Duncan Grimley.

Find out more at creativeblackcountry. co.uk/offsite9

DANCE A EUPHORIC HAPPENING Flexus Dance Collective in partnership with The League of International Misfits 3 April, 7.30pm Arena Theatre All ages Tickets: £9 Book via wlv.ticketsolve.com/shows A Euphoric Happening aims to capture euphoric moments through dance, music and visual media embracing themes of healing and togetherness in a double bill event of Euphoria and Visions.

Euphoria is a new work by Flexus Dance Collective (FDC) Artistic Director Katy Sterran in collaboration with Composer Ni Singh.

Visions is a bespoke dance work created with four Wolverhampton schools and colleges as part of the British Art Show 9 Inspired Learning Programme.

LIVE EVENT ORIGINS.UNKNOWN The Official Offsite9 After Party 9 April, 7-11pm Newhampton Arts Centre Ages 16+ Tickets: £8 Book via newhamptonarts.co.uk Wolverhampton is the home of reggae, dub, rock, punk and indie, sometimes these genres collide and when they do - beautiful things, Origins.Unknown are formed. Our aim is to celebrate the diversity of Wolverhampton, its cultural eclecticism and musical diversity and to showcase the global talent of Wolverhampton. You are invited to join the fun.

BAS9 Wolverhampton Art Gallery + University of Wolverhampton School of Art 22 January - 10 April Look out for events taking place as part of the official British Art Show 9.

Find out more at: wolverhamptonart.org. uk/whats-on/bas9/

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Getting to venues Most of the venues are accessible within a few minutes on foot from Wolverhampton Train and Bus Stations.

Wolverhampton is well served with bus, train and tram links to Birmingham and other towns in the West Midlands.

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Bilston Gallery is located 3 miles outside of Wolverhampton and 5 minutes walk from Bilston town centre. Buses 79 Wolverhampton to West Bromwich and 39 Wolverhampton to Walsall both go from Wolverhampton Bus Station and stop on the Wellington Road in Bilston close to the Gallery.

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9. Eye Infirmary, 16 Compton Rd, WV3 9PH 10. KFC, Mander Centre, WV1 3NH 11. Light House, Chubb Buildings, Fryer St, WV1 1HT IE NESF WED

OA GR RIN

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8

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ET VIC TOR IA S TRE

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15. St Peter’s Collegiate Church,

Bus Station

ST

Lich Gates, WV1 1TY HOR S

T ST MARKE

12

ST

D

EN QUE

Molineux Ring Rd, WV1 1SA

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18

T GS

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Wolverhampton City Campus,

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PRIN

10 T YS

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20 4

St, WV1 4AN 14. School of Art, University of

LICHFIELD ST

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ST

13. Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley

ST

24

DU

7

12. Mander Centre, WV1 3NH

Train Station

ER FRY

15

D LD R

11

1

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16. The Chindit Inn, 113 Merridale Rd, WV3 9SE

Road, WV1 4QU

23

SALO P ST

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17. The Good Shepherd, 65 Waterloo

BILSTON ST

18. The Quarter Contemporary Arts CLEVELAND ST

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Space, 3 School St, WV1 4LF RA D E

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RD

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22

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Arena Theatre, Wulfruna St, WV1 1SE

2. Asylum Art Gallery, 21 Clifton Street, FORD RD STAF

25

1.

19. West Park, 6 Park Rd West, WV1 4PH 20. Wild Bytes Café, 15 Darlington St, WV1 4HW 21. Whitmore Reans Library, Bargate Drive, WV6 0QW

RING ROAD HA BIRMING

22. Whitehart Pub, Worcester St, WV2 4LQ

M RD

23. Wolverhampton Central Library, Snow Hill, WV1 3AX 24. Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield St, WV1 1DU 25. Wulfruna’s Well, Viaduct Dr, WV6 0UX

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