More events announced for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021

8 September 2021: Coventry City of Culture Trust today announced the latest events open for booking taking place this autumn and winter. From the arrival in the city of Little Amal, a giant puppet who is travelling 8,000km in support of refugees, to a celebration of Sound System Culture, more events have been announced and will form part of the year-long festival that reflects Coventry as a diverse, modern city, with hundreds of ways for citizens and visitors to take part. Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday 10 September.

A Crash Course in Cloudspotting by artist Raquel Maseguer invites visitors on an intimate audio journey which explores the depths of human connection and the subversive act of lying down in public. The immersive installation at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has been created from over 250 stories from people living with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses, and presents a gentle horizontal journey through the heart of these experiences.  The artist will also be present for some of the sessions, allowing visitors to explore the installation in even more depth.

Home: Art and Homelessness Festival will host an exhibition of the same name created by artists across Coventry with current or previous lived experience of homelessness. International artists who have lived with these similar experiences have provided stunning visual artworks incorporating a range of art forms, including painting, sketching, murals and sculpture, emphasising the pure talent that can come from homeless communities. Meanwhile, installed on Warwick Row, a road leading into the city centre known for its high concentration of estate agents, Agency is a photography exhibition and accompanying community newspaper featuring ‘assisted self-portraits’ created by Anthony Luvera with people who have experienced homelessness in Coventry.

The Walking Forest, a 10 year artwork that marks the connection between women, activism and trees, will stage a city wide performative action across two days centred on a felled tree that will be carried through the city, before making its way to Glasgow ahead of the COP 26 climate talks. The Walking Forest is part of the Green Futures programme, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Following the phenomenal international success of The Jungle, Good Chance, in collaboration with world-famous creators of War Horse Handspring Puppet Company, is presenting its most extraordinary work yet: The Walk – a travelling festival of art and hope in support of refugees, with Artistic Direction from Amir Nizar Zuabi. October will witness the puppet of a young refugee, ‘Little Amal’ who will travel 8,000km across Europe, telling the story of shared humanity and the experience of displaced children, separated from their families. Coventry City of Culture is the first stop in the Midlands for Little Amal, and her visit will be marked with a special programme reflecting Coventry’s proud history as a city of sanctuary, with events created by young people and migrant communities working with Stand Up and Be Counted, the UK’s first theatre company of sanctuary. 

Light, and the possibility of hope, will also be celebrated. Abundance will be taking a circular route through Coventry. The event has been created by a collaborative community of artists responding to four themes: City of Light – the city lights up with lamps, lanterns; City of Sounds – creating a soundscape across the city; City of Love and Freedom - play, family; and City of Hope – capturing the female voice, female stories of the city, and our unity and togetherness. Each artist has a different artistic specialism that they can bring to the programme; including costume design, dance, filmmaking and creative writing.

Coventry Sound Systems is a celebration of Coventry’s rich cultural links to its twin city of Kingston, Jamaica, and the unique influence Sound System culture has had on Coventry and the UK’s wider music landscape. Dancehall Vibes will play and promote reggae dancehall music in the city and beyond, celebrating the artists that made the genre what it is today, from Yellowman and Don Carlos, to Beenie Man and Buju Banton. Meanwhile Dub and Roots takes over The Box at FarGo Village with the deep bass and conscious lyrics that are trademarks of this form of Reggae, presenting Dub as pioneered by the likes of Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby. The movement has informed the worlds of drum and bass, jungle, techno and pop and Roots Reggae, spearheaded by artists including The Abyssinians and Bob Marley. 

Following on from the Sound of Cov in June, which saw eight radio stations from across Coventry and Warwickshire work together to amplify the voices of local people both on air and on stage, The Community Radio Conference and Community Radio Awards will host a day-long conference covering topics from journalism, writing for radio and community engagement. The event aims to encourage the power of collaborative working.

The Coventry x Volgograd tablecloth is an artistic reminder of the friendship between Coventry and Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad in Russia. The two cities became the world’s first to be twinned during the Second World War as a symbol of solidarity for the devastation they both experienced, kick-starting an international movement. The women of Coventry led in this international act, embroidering their names onto a tablecloth and each donating a pound towards the rebuilding of Stalingrad. A new Digital Tablecloth will commemorate this, and forge new links between citizens of the two cities, before being presented around the UK next year. 

New events as part of Coventry Biennial will be announced this week, including Listening to the Anthropocene at Coventry Cathedral, an exhibition of sound and moving image artworks exploring the idea that we have moved into a new geological age - one that is marked by the impact of human activities on Earth. The 2021 edition of the Biennial is titled HYPER-POSSIBLE, in reference to the radical nature of Coventry’s history and signifying a positive way forward following a deeply difficult few years. The Biennial will see more than 50 artists exhibiting in seven locations across Coventry and Warwickshire from October to January.

Love Coventry: Verbal Reading Rooms forms part of the City of Culture’s goal to achieve ‘one million reads ’in the city. Aiming to make arts and culture accessible to all, Verbal Arts Centre will bring their Reading Rooms model to Coventry.

Love Coventry: Try it! is a programme which presents an opportunity to learn new hobbies and skills to the Coventry and Warwickshire community. The multiple clubs on offer are the perfect excuse to try something you’ve always wanted to, whilst making new friends along the way!

Chenine Bhethana, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture said:

“As we move into Autumn, there is a huge range of activity taking place across the city, from environmental activism and spiritual enlightenment to vibrant dancehall music and a celebration of light, peace, hope and aspiration, Coventry truly has something for everyone. These events celebrate the city as a utopia - of creativity, liveliness and internationalism; make sure you don't miss out on the excitement of the coming months.”

Listings 

Coventry x Volgograd tablecloth - INSTALLATION

07 September 2021 – 01 May 2022

Online

The Digital Tablecloth is a collaborative photo exhibition run by Coventry based organisation, Twin Studios Project, and Volgograd NGO, Leaders of Change. The two will be working alongside one another to recreate the first ever recorded act of twinning cities, but with a modern twist.

Communities in Coventry and Volgograd are being encouraged to participate in this project by sending their photos of what makes their city home. Both parties will begin accepting submissions from September 1st 2021, continuing till the end of November. Other opportunities for youths, artists, and musicians to take part will be available throughout Autumn, too.

The Digital Tablecloth is proudly supported by Coventry City of Culture 2021 and Russian Federation Presidential Grants Fund.

Coventry Sound System presents Dub and Roots - MUSIC

2 Oct 2021

The Box @ FarGo Village

From £7

Co-Produced by Coventry City of Culture Trust with Colin Bell and The Playmaker Group

Join us for a night of Dub and Roots as Coventry Sound Systems take over The Box with the deep bass and conscious lyrics that are trademarks of this form of Reggae. Be prepared to let the music move you.

Dub was first pioneered by Reggae producers such as King Tubby, Lee Scratch Perry and Mad Professor, and has informed many genres of music such as drum and bass, jungle, trip hop, techno, dance and even pop. Whereas Roots Reggae was inspired by Rastafarianism with more spiritual and political themes. Notable Roots artists such as The Abyssinians, Bob Marley and Burning Spear helped take Reggae music to the world. This event is strictly for 18+.

A Crash Course In Cloudspotting - IMMERSIVE SOUND EXPERIENCE AND LIVE SHOW

7 Oct - 20 Oct

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

A Crash Course in Cloudspotting is an intimate audio journey exploring the depths of human connection and the subversive act of lying down.

Over the past five years Raquel Meseguer Zafe has collected over 250 stories from people living with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses around the country. This immersive audio installation invites you into the heart of these personal experiences by weaving together some of these stories. In this fragile and beautiful space, Coventry residents will illuminate your horizontal journey with a gentle choreography of lights, activated in the space by patterns of rest we so rarely see.   

Coventry edition is co-commissioned by Coventry 2021 and Unlimited with Arts Council England Support. Co-produced by MAYK and Coventry 2021 with support from Grapevine. Originally commissioned by Camden Alive and Unlimited.

HOME - ART EXHIBITION

Mon 08 Oct - Sat 16 Oct 2021

Various locations

As part of Home: Art and Homelessness Festival, this exhibition is created by artists across Coventry with current or previous lived experience of homelessness, we bring you an exhibition of phenomenal visual artworks sitting alongside pieces from international artists who have had similar experiences.

Co-created by David Tovey (Arts & Homelessness International) and Hayley Harman, from the HOME steering committee, the exhibition will be on display across locations in Coventry between 8th -16th October. Incorporating a range of art forms, including painting, sketching, murals and sculpture, please do join us to celebrate the pure talent from within our homeless communities.

Home: Art and Homelessness Festival provides a platform for the brilliant work of Coventry’s homeless citizens and creative communities.  Co-produced by the Arts & Homelessness Steering Committee, and working alongside the wider forum of organisations, the project aims to nurture and develop skills and provide a legacy of experience to continue this creative work beyond the life of City of Culture.

Supported by funding from Spirit of 2012.

Anthony Luvera, Agency

Mon 08 Oct - Sat 16 Oct 2021

Warwick Row

Agency is a new body of work commissioned for Coventry UK City of Culture which extends the artist's ongoing work made with people experiencing homelessness in towns and cities across the United Kingdom over the past 20 years. Throughout 2021, Luvera invited participants to use disposable cameras to document their experiences and places in the city that are significant to them. Participants were also invited to use digital medium format camera equipment in order to work on the production of a self-portrait for the artist’s ongoing series Assisted Self-Portraits. The final images will be exhibited along Warwick Row throughout the duration of the Home festival and featured in a community newspaper distributed freely across the city.

Coventry Biennial 2021 - ART

8 Oct 2021 – 23 January 2022

Various locations

The third Coventry Biennial will take place from October 2021 until January 2022 across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Referencing the radical nature of Coventry’s history whilst also signifying a positive way forward out of the pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Biennial is titled HYPER-POSSIBLE. HYPER-POSSIBLE will see more than 50 artists (local, national and international) exhibiting in seven locations across Coventry and Warwickshire, including Coventry Cathedral, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Leamington Art Gallery & Museum, Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, The Old Grammar School and a new gallery for the city, located above HMV Empire Coventry.

The Biennial will open to the public from Friday 8 October 2021. Some event tickets for Coventry Biennial are on sale now and more will be released soon.

Coventry Biennial 2021 is generously supported by Coventry City of Culture Trust.

Coventry Sound Systems presents Dancehall Vibes - MUSIC

9 Oct 2021

The Box @ FarGo Village

From £7

Co-Produced by Coventry City of Culture Trust with Colin Bell and The Playmaker Group 

The second night of Coventry Sound Systems features the Coventry Sound Systems that play and promote reggae dancehall music in the city and beyond.

Dancehall music came out of the dub and roots music that originated in the dancehalls of Jamaica in the mid 1980s, it had faster rhythms and featured more popular themes and lyrics of everyday people and life. Some of the early dancehall artists were people like Yellowman, Sugar Minott and Don Carlos. Modern day dancehall music has been celebrated worldwide with artists such as Beenie Man and Buju Banton, becoming a mainstream genre as Reggae music continues to influence the soundtrack of life around the world.

This event is strictly for 18+ 

Love Coventry - Verbal Reading Rooms – LITERATURE

Northern Ireland based organisation Verbal Arts Centre have worked in partnership with UK City of Culture programmes in Derry/Londonderry and Hull. Continuing this legacy of work, they have joined in partnership with Coventry City of Culture Trust and Coventry Libraries and Information Service to bring their Reading Rooms model to the libraries ‘One Million Reads’ programme.

With a strong focus on young people in care and those referred through social prescribing, the Reading Rooms Champions will be able to use these skills and effective bibliotherapy model to promote positive mental health, self-care and resilience within the participants.

Throughout Coventry's city of culture year this project aims to train 20 new reading rooms champions in the city and reach 150 young people.

The Community Radio Conference and Community Radio Awards - RADIO

23 Oct 2021

On 23^rd October 2021, community radio stations from across the UK will come together for a daylong conference covering topics ranging from community engagement and fundraising to journalism and writing for radio. The conference not only aims to inspire stations but to also encourage collaborative working and partnerships between stations across the UK, with Coventry’s radio stations setting a glowing example of the positive impact working together can have.

Following the conference, the Community Radio Awards will be hosting it's sixth annual awards in Coventry, having previously taken place virtually in 2020 and in Barry in Wales for the last face to face awards in 2019.

The Walk - FESTIVAL

27 October 2021

Various Locations in Coventry

FREE

Following the phenomenal international success of The Jungle, Good Chance, in collaboration with world-famous creators of War Horse Handspring Puppet Company, is presenting its most extraordinary work yet: The Walk – a travelling festival of art and hope in support of refugees, with Artistic Direction from Amir Nizar Zuabi.

At the heart of The Walk is ‘Little Amal’, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet of a young refugee girl, created by the acclaimed Handspring Puppet Company. Representing all displaced children, many separated from their families, Little Amal is travelling over 8,000km embodying the urgent message “Don’t forget about us”.

  

Coventry will welcome Little Amal on 27 October through their own artistic creations - be it song, dance, music, food and much more. Everyone is welcome to walk with and welcome her. After walking through the city, Little Amal will witness the first Children’s Citizenship Ceremony and Celebration, designed by and for the young people of Coventry. 

This will be followed in the evening by a theatre performance for all to enjoy, featuring sound, light and choreography.

Good Chance, Stephen Daldry, David Lan and Tracey Seaward and Naomi Webb present a Good Chance Theatre Production in association with Handspring Puppet Company produced and presented in Coventry by Coventry City of Culture Trust.

Abundance

7 November 2021

Starts and Finishes at the Indian Community Centre

Abundance is a journey across the North of the city, in a celebration of light, hope, freedom. It will take place across the length of one of Coventry’s most historic roads, the Foleshill Road, weaving its way through residential streets in a circular route. The event has been created by a collaborative community of artists responding to four themes: City of Light – the city lights up with lamps, lanterns; City of Sounds –creating a soundscape across the city; City of Love and Freedom - play, family; and City of Hope – Capturing the female voice, female stories of the city, and our unity and togetherness.