THE EXCHANGE ON SUNDAY ! ARTIST PROFILE P.2 • COMMUNITY P.6 • RECIPE P.8
Welcome to our new edition of The Exchange on Sunday! As we open the doors to artists, community groups and families, so we offer our very own newspaper. The media plays such an important part in interpreting the world we live in, and our stories have an important role within this. With articles by local contributors, commentary on the week gone by and the one ahead, we hope you will not only enjoy the read, but be inspired to put pen to paper or click to camera, and share a bit of your world with us! We want you to dream with us and share your ideas for our future, as we strive to deliver the new, whilst negotiating our past and present realities, making new meanings of tomorrow along the way. As you flip through the pages, sample our special range of teas and sweets, experience the main gallery film installation The Unfinished Conversation, or our photographic exhibition in the Mezzanine gallery The Urban Eye. There is so much going on in our busy lives, we hope that you get a chance to relax and unwind in our café, take part in the activities that we have lined up for you, or simply soak up the vibe!
02.06.2013 / #1
Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it. Rabindranath Tagore
Check s ubble at the b wh cover to dis g on this n is goi y Sunda
THE WEEK AHEAD AT NAE STUART HALL & JOHN AKOMFRAH: CREATING MONUMENT SYMPOSIUM Saturday 8 June, 11am-5pm Book to reserve a place!
Sooree Pillay This issue of ‘The Exchange on Sunday!’ has been put together by: Bethan Davis, Maria Rosaria Digregorio, Skinder Hundal, Sooree Pillay.
Submissions to Sooree@nae.org.uk Deadline every Monday! Set in Merriweather, printed at NAE on Steinbeis MagicColour yellow 80 g/m².
THE UNFINISHED CONVERSATION Main Gallery film installation – open till 14 July THE URBAN EYE Mezzanine Gallery exhibition – open till 7 July SPECTRUM Central Gallery exhibition – open till 8 June
2 • ARTIST PROFILE
KYLE FUTERS Theatre practitioner and ExperiMentor at New Art Exchange by SOOREE PILLAY
? under re 18 or e h at ARD T Join Y r Young or ou Panel! es Peopl tion recep t a Ask l tai s! e with for de Creat , pens, cine . plasti nd chalks a s l t i f c o rs pen in ou Today y area pla
Sitting in the café at New Art Exchange with Kyle Futers is a pleasure. As one of the first people to welcome me to the gallery over a year ago, I am delighted to have the opportunity to learn a little more about this chap, dry witted, and with a warm persona, always with the edge of being cruel, yet in such a kindly way that one could not help but smile. Kyle is a twenty three year old Nottingham man. Born here, so too was his art form. He speaks now, having worked at New Art Exchange in a variety of different capacities, and returning as an ExperiMentor to share and develop his practice as theatre creator, performer and artist (though he struggles to admit the latter). This we can read on his doubtless beautifully crafted Curriculum Vitae, but I want to know a little more… Curious to find out Kyle’s thoughts on growing up here in Nottingham, he modestly denys the right to comment as any kind of authority, instead hinting towards the ethnically mixed environment in which he grew up:
Kyle Futers performing on the main stage at Contact Theatre, Manchester.
3 • THE EXCHANGE ON SUNDAY!
“Living around here and engaging with the people in Nottingham has given me a familiarity enough to know certain things that I can feed into my own work… the piece we are doing now is exploring the stereotype of race and religion.” This prompts my interest in Kyle’s longstanding relationship with New Art Exchange, where he joined YARD Theatre at the age of seventeen. I feel the urge to fill in the gaps, as he mentions an array of productions he was involved in devising and performing, yet in his understated manner, he simply refers to the experience as a whole, saying,“with Yard it was always what we wanted to talk about, what we wanted to show and it was just guided… being part of Yard has developed my relationship with visual arts.” As I probe further, he speaks of his relationship with theatre, how it has grown, and continues to change. I am finding a mature head on young shoulders, and beyond the odd wise crack, he speaks about his current practice: “Any piece of work I create comes from what I see around me, what might be in the news, what I might experience working here, engaging with the public, there is not a strict formula for how I would create something.” I am beginning to see the passion that informs his work as he recalls a piece of spoken word that “randomly popped into” his head whilst brushing his teeth (quickly insisting that the final work had nothing to do with brushing his teeth). We smile and move on to the current residency that he is doing with Mia Johnston: “It is one of the larger projects that I have worked on, I am not on my own, but I’ve not got someone else guiding me… It’s a collaboration with Mia, but we are the ones guiding it… we are not restricted.”
Sooree Pillay is, was, and will be for a while longer...
He speaks of defining his practice, exploring his methods, and still with that wry smile, he shares some of the doubts that he has had along the way: “Anyone artistically questions themselves at some point, because it’s a hard life, a hard road to go down, there are no guarantees, we should respect children more for taking the harder path.” And so I wonder what Kyle sees in this world of theatre. Talking of increasingly multi-media based work, and how the art form is rather underrated, he also states that theatre needs “a bit more spice” and that audiences can feel “disconnected” at times from theatre work. Qualifying his comments, as ever, he shares his feelings about the direction of theatre today: “I think theatre should be more of an experience, take the audience on a journey with them.” And what of Kyle’s journey? He is eager to develop through ExperiMentor and take his work further afield, I am keen to chart his path. So I ask him what he would say to those just starting out? “If you’ve got something in your head, write it down, even if it’s just a word or a random selection of words, just write them down, if you’ve got an image in your head draw it, it doesn’t matter if you are good at drawing or not just draw it, it could potentially take you on a journey that could change your life.” And with a grin, so we continue to chat…
4 • HOME AND AWAY
2
1
5
5
Relax and unwind in the ‘soundbite’ cafe Sense that creative vibe, realised. Summer smile with a lassi on ice, nice! Sizzling garam masala perhaps is your vice? People, cultures collide - join the ride! Gravitate to attract, in this worlds ebb and flow Find, explore so recharge, and restore. Come share with us here As we open the doors It’s our play day, our fun day… …The Exchange on Sunday!
6
5 • THE EXCHANGE ON SUNDAY!
3
4
1. O ffice Manager Ian Lunn can count to 10 whilst on the phone 2. Programme Coodinator Roshni Belkavadi and artist Vivan Sundaram 3. Ravi Abbott, our Sunday dude 4. ‘The Unfinished Conversation’ by John Akomfrah 5. ‘ Memory Games’, First Floor’s drama workshop 6. NAE team in Venice for the Biennale 7. CEO Skinder Hundal with artist John Akomfrah and David Lawson from Smoking Dogs Films
7
6 • COMMUNITY
THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
your Move With ! World dancer erful wond Pollitt: e. Jay 5 Jun day 1 Satur reception t Ask a etails! for d
by SHAD ALI
In July 2008, I was the victim of a violent racist attack in Nottingham city centre. In July of that year, whilst coming to the aid of two women who were being threatened by a very angry man, I was attacked by the same man and knocked unconscious. He then repeatedly stamped on my head whilst I lay unconscious until he was eventually stopped by a passer by. As a result of the attack I required major facial reconstructive surgery and now have four metal plates in my face. It was a miracle that I survived the attack. The attacker was eventually caught by the police and after two trials was sentenced to serve a minimum of five years in prison. I remember being in the court room when he was sentenced and feeling physically sick at the thought of this man being locked up for five years of his life because of what he had done. Despite the damage this man had done to me and the suffering he had caused to my family and friends, I decided to forgive
him. I made this decision because I believe that real forgiveness is the only way we can bring people together. I should point out that I am not a religious person so my forgiveness was not motivated by faith. I genuinely felt that the pain I had suffered was only half the pain that my attacker was experiencing when he attacked me. How else could you possibly inflict so much pain onto another human being? Since I made that decision my life has taken an amazing journey. Due to the interest expressed I have been asked to share my story on endless occasions. I was featured on a Channel 4 programme on forgiveness and then contacted by an organisation specialising in forgiveness and reconciliation work. I have shared a platform with Alan McBride, who lost his wife in the Shankhill Road bombings in Belfast in the 1980’s, to the IRA. Alan now specialises in reconciliation work. More recently I have taken part in restorative justice work in a prison helping
7 • THE EXCHANGE ON SUNDAY! Shad Ali is an active member of the Nottingham community who is interested in helping others to create a more meaningful and purposeful dialogue.
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. Harper Lee, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
er a lett Write eone to som ire, dm you a our st in o p n the x rbo Lette
ur Try o ass cl a r i capoe rday, all atu k on a S lcome! As e w r s o e f g n a eptio at rec ails! det
prisoners to share their stories with each other. I have personally witnessed the transformation that this type of work can lead to and how it helps men from reoffending. I have also spent the last four years trying to visit my attacker in prison. Recently I have exchanged letters with my attacker and am hopeful that we will meet each other in the near future. This meeting is an essential part of the restorative justice process and helps me, the man that attacked me, and the wider society to live in a more peaceful place. My journey over the last five years tells me that if we want to have a society that is based on understanding, tolerance, compassion and forgiveness then we have to listen to others and be prepared to be vulnerable with each other. It is only then that we really connect with each other at a deeper level. Most of all, we must never judge another until we have walked in their shoes.
8 • RECIPE OF THE WEEK
MUTTON WITH TABOULEH by DAVID SILLITOE
your Make wn very o e! o h n telep y Toda Café in the Serves 4: • 1 kg of mixed mutton (pieces of mutton, mostly on the bone). • 1 tin of chick peas, or soaked fresh ones, your choice! • 1 tube of harissa (Le Phare du Cap Bon brand is my favourite). • several red onions. • dried apricots, or flat apricot paste. • coriander (fresh). Cooking this dish is simply common sense, and requires no special skill… Remember though, that mutton requires a lot of cooking to become tender. So, get a large heavy pan, heat some olive oil good and hot. Fry the meat until it’s getting browned all over. Add the drained and rinsed chick peas. Add some water, enough to cover, and add enough harissa (I like a lot). Simmer, and don’t let it dry out!
New Art Exchange 39-41 Gregory Boulevard Nottingham NG7 6BE
0115 924 8630 info@nae.org.uk
Now you can make the cous cous. Get a good brand, you’ll know. I like moyen (medium) rather than fine, but it’s your choice! Everyone has a different way of preparing cous cous, I’d start with the instructions on the back of the packet! Now, finely dice (I mean really fine!) some good firm tomatoes, some Syrian cucumbers, these are the short ones, with real flavour, and some small red onions… Wash and chop some fresh coriander… When the cous cous is done, let it cool down completely. Then mix in a large salad bowl, with the onion, tomato, cucumber etc. Dress with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Put it aside in a cool place Now, the mutton… it needs more cooking! So add more water (from the kettle, not cold) and let it simmer some more. This is the time to add some chopped fresh garlic, some coarsely chopped fresh coriander, and some red onions too. The balance is between the hot harissa, the sweet apricot, and the garlic. So now add the apricot paste, hunza apricots, or dried apricots. When it’s all cooked (you’ll know when), serve with the tabouleh, and lots of fresh flat bread. Black olives and sweet mint tea complete it.
David Sillitoe is a photographer, fascinated by the experience of being a stranger in a strange land.