Slanguages has supported many community projects across the Midlands and beyond. The projects explore the languages spoken in different communities and how they interact with creativity, literature and performance.
Performing the languages we live
The body, making and (s)languaging workshop, held at the Birmingham Rep on Friday 13th March, brought together Slanguages and non-slanguages performers and practitioners to explore Claire French’s doctoral research examining the role of the collaborating actor’s body in improvisational exercises to disrupt dominant languages. This research found that, as performance works emerge, actors perform the languages they/we live, rather than are forced to breathe.
Sounds Like Harlesden
This project uses photography, interviews and sound recordings to capture and curate Harlesden's diverse linguistic cultures and neighbourhood characteristics. It's organised in collaboration with Pesolife.
Watch the audio-visual essay below or read an interview with Pesolife's Nathaniel Telemaque and Slanguages' Rajinder Dudrah to find out more:
Our temporary nest of birds: exploring Panjabi wedding folk songs
This project aims to explore the female narrative of Panjabi wedding folk songs across both sides of Panjab in India, Pakistan and the diaspora with a focus on Birmingham and the Black Country over the past years. Workshops will take place at various dates in November, led by the poet Rupinder Kaur.
A Million Welcomes
A Million Welcomes is an initiative by Redhawk Logistica in collaboration with Slanguages. There was an accompanying exhibition at Cafe Artum, Birmingham from 28 September to 28 October 2019.
Find out more about the initiative on the Creative Multilingualism blog.
Tongue-Tied
These workshops were designed to create a safe space for women to be able to explore their stories, languages and culture in a way that connects rather than separates them. Languages were celebrated; the day was part playfulness, storytelling and improvisation. The ethos of the day was to have fun!
#LitMustFall
On 28 September, Slanguages took part in the #LitMustFall festival with a workshop on Decolonising Mother Tongues: Reading Punjabi Literature. The session, facilitated by Kavita Bhanot, with Jay Faqir, Rupinder Kaur and Sara Kazmi, was a practical workshop which includes performance, collaborative critical translation and guided discussion around the popular Punjabi poetry of Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Amrita Pritam.
Read a blog post about the event by Kavita Bhanot to find out more >>
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