We Are Lewisham programme unveiling Lewisham talent

The We Are Lewisham programme unveiled on November 25, includes a number of highlights, from dance to sculpture to music.

It will include a new outdoor dance spectacle taking place in Beckenham Place Park, directed by choreographers Kristina and Sade Alleyne and developed with IRIE! Dance theatre.

The event will highlight black creative leaders in dance and feature an inter-generational cast of more than 200 performers in a mass performance that brings stories to life and showcases the rich and positive impact of migration on the borough.

Breathe: 2022 will be a striking new public artwork that has been commissioned close to the South Circular Road.

Presented by Invisible Dust and created by artist Dryden Goodwin, 10 years on from his first creation of Breathe, it will depict his five-year-old son inhaling and exhaling and highlight the growing emergency for climate action, paying homage to Lewisham resident Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah.

Ella’s mother, Rosamund, tirelessly and successfully campaigned for air pollution to be included on her death certificate, due to the adverse effects of air pollution to her health.

Revolution Through Music will tell the story of Lewisham’s activist musical heritage and celebrate its grassroots musical culture that has evolved from the borough.

Political and cultural movements such as Rock Against Racism thrived in Lewisham and brought people together to share their common joy for music and take a stand against increasing racist attacks and support for the far-right.

Pop, grime, afrobeat, jazz, global, classical and punk all play a part in Lewisham’s diverse musical ancestry.

Spread across March, May, August and October, there will be musical events taking place across the borough in venues and public spaces, with Dave Okumu, Novelist and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

The ever-popular Lewisham People’s Day returns to Mountsfield Park after a four year hiatus.

South -east London’s longest running free festival brings together the borough’s diverse communities in a celebration of live music with hundreds of performances across multiple stages.

Lots of fantastic food and drink options make it a great day out for all ages.

Co-presented with the Albany, LIFT and Serpentine, the UK premiere of the award-winning Sun & Sea at the Albany will include 10 tonnes of sand, 13 vocalists and an all-female creative team.

The theatrical installation stunned audiences at the 2019 Venice Biennale, earning the coveted Golden Lion award.

It will transform the Albany, recreating a beach scene inviting visitors to explore the relationship between people and our planet.

Other highlights will include Sonic Phô which will bring food and stories from the largest Vietnamese community in London together in one unique audio experience, Liberty Festival, showcasing a diverse programme of ground-breaking art, performance and interactive installations from D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse artists and Climate Home, which will put the voices of young people from diverse backgrounds at the centre of climate justice in a new low carbon pop-up creative space, based in Deptford.

The pop-up venue will house an eclectic climate focused programme of performances and events led by youth arts collective Sounds Like Chaos and a network of partners to create training, employment and commissioning opportunities for young creatives.

Pictured:Olympian Alex Yee, Deputy Mayor for Culture Justine Simons, Brenda Emmanus, Inua Ellams and guests attend the programme launch of We Are Lewisham, the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022. Photo credit should read: David Parry/PA Wire