Naima Khan and Spike Laurie take look at what we can expect from the commercially unrestrained Coming Up Festival.
Civil Unrest is the kind of multi-disciplinary theatre show/exhibition/event that could either go horribly wrong or be one of the most memorable events of the year. Why? Because in the words of creator Spike Laurie, “as soon as the audience checks their coats, they'll be handed over to the Civil Unrest security force, who'll guide them around the exhibition and on to their meal.” Yep, your meal, “served in the dystopian prison canteen.” Obviously.
One of the wackier festivals in London, Coming Up is so exciting partly on account of the creative freedom it allows. “It has allowed us to be ambitious and adventurous,” says Laurie, “without the constraints of having to be commercially cautious.” Of the six theatre makers given a portion of the £75,000 total budget to work with, Spike Laurie has come up with one of the most ambitious works. It includes working a theatre show into an exhibition he's curated and incorporating food by Mark Jankel.
The event features a photography exhibition, dinner and a debate all fueled by the voice of the public, ignited, explains Laurie, by the student protests. “I went to Millbank as an impartial observer and came away with the feeling that something was changing. Civil Unrest is really of the moment, it’s a huge event when people take to the streets in protest. You just need to open the paper to see this change in mentality all over the world right now. I think it’s bigger than what’s happening here, or in Egypt or in Libya. It’s global, it’s a human revolt against injustice.”
An important focus of Civil Unrest is the work of photojournalists like investigative journalist Marc Vallee, who's made his name taking images of protest and dissent. “The images are really evocative of the feeling on the streets, which is not just confined to London,” says Laurie. “The exhibition acts as a portal, the beginning of the journey.” It also includes images by Fil Kaler, known for his work in Palestine and Israel, Guy Smallman, John Godwin and others.
“It culminates in a brand new specially commissioned installation by Kennard Phillipps. It’s a cool 5x3 metre duratrans print, which really does have to be seen.” Kennard Phillipps is the man behind Cafe of Equivalent$, a lunch stall that sells dishes at the equivalent cost they would be in their countries of origin. The example Phillipps gives is that of a man buying soup in Mozambique where his salary is $2 a day and the soup costs 20¢, 10% of his daily wage. Last year, it was set up in the financial district and sold soup at 10% of a bonus-earning banker's salary, £111.20.
The main event of the evening is a new play by Ben Ellis, Unrestless. “In the midst of the student riots,” says Laurie, “it centres on three young siblings as they struggle to understand their place in all this political and social turmoil. Architects House of Jonn, the ceatives in residence at The Hospital Club have been working very hard on transforming the main space into an incredible imperial underground prison. A vast scaffolding infrastructure will encase the audience while they eat and provide a steel playground for the actors during the play.”
The night finishes with political talk and debate from speakers brought together by Verso Press. They include Gareth Pierce and Dan Hind talking about civil liberties on Wednesday night. “I think it’s a nice close to the evening having some audience participation,” says Laurie. “The event itself will hopefully have stirred some feelings in people, and debate and conversation is definitely encouraged!”
Civil Unrest runs at Debut as part of Coming Up Festival from 2nd to 4th March.
For tickets to Civil Unrest check out civilunrest.net
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