WORD

16-18 July 2020 – Almeida Theatre presents:  Shifting Tides, a new digital festival exploring the intersection between art and the climate crisis.

Aimed at and created with 14 – 25 year olds, the festival will take over the Almeida’s digital platforms from Thursday 16 – Saturday 18 July, and features a brand new audio drama, world premiere film screenings, panel discussions with artists and creatives, and online exhibitions.

At the centre of the festival is the world premiere of Ben Weatherill’s new audio drama As Waters Rise, performed by members of the Almeida Young Company.

All events are free to attend, but registering attendance in advance is essential.

As #WORD2020 #WellConnected comes to a close, there are plenty of amazing opportunities to enjoy and engage creatively with WORDs this summer.

Children and young people can take part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge with Islington Libraries. This year it’s all about funny books, happiness and having a laugh. The Challenge aims to make sure children aged 4-11 keep up the reading habit over the summer and discover new authors and types of books to read. Due to COVID-19, the Summer Reading Challenge is coming to children in a different way. Rather than featuring the usual face-to-face conversations with library staff about what they’ve read, it will be mostly online, with emphasis on getting children into reading and taking part in reading-related activities.

To mark the end of the #WORD2020, House of Illustration has shared an extract of their book Jacqueline Ayer: Drawing on Thailand, which celebrates the ground-breaking, globetrotting polymath: part author-illustrator, part fashion designer, part entrepeneur.

Born in 1930s New York to Jamaican parents, Ayer grew up with Milton Glaser in the first interracial housing in the US. House of Illustration is honoured to share this extract with an introduction by Glaser himself, the man behind the iconic I Love New York design, who sadly passed away last week.

Read an extract from House of Illustration’s book on the extraordinary black American author, illustrator and designer Jacqueline Ayer HERE

During lockdown young women aged 16-25 taking part in All Change’s B Creative programme have created a collection of individual and group poetry and photography with Associate Artists Cecilia Knapp and Marysa Dowling. The poetry and photography explore the theme of kindness. See all the poems and photography HERE

Illustration by Holly Bushnell – Pathways

In June 2020, in response to the Black Lives Matter campaign, Inspire! young parents project created a group poem, working with Associate Artists Cecilia Knapp and Sarah Blanc.
As part of a collaboration for WORD2020 with House of Illustration and Pop-Up, a commission was offered to participants in Pathways – a two-year programme for the next generation of talented illustrators from diverse backgrounds – to illustrate the poem. Three illustrations were chosen, created by Chanté Timothy, Holly Bushnell and Glory Alozie.

See the full poems and illustrations HERE. 

The poem and illustrations have also been published on Instagram for WORD2020 #WellConnected festival.

During the Covid-19 lockdown young parents, young women and older people in Islington have been working with All Change Associate Artists Francesca Beard, Cecilia Knapp and Sarah Blanc to create poetry in response to the crisis and for their community. As part of a collaboration with House of Illustration for Word2020, Illustrators Toya Walker, Sion Ap Tomos and Merlin Strangeway have illustrated a selection of the poetry to create a series of greetings cards. The cards will be sent this week with food deliveries from St. Luke’s Centre, Alsen Day Centre, New Park Day Centre, Manor Gardens and Age UK Islington, and to care homes including The Mildmays, to older people and families isolated at home.
The poetry and  illustrations  have also been published on Instagram

Little Angel Theatre presents When… 11am
“When I grow up I want to be clever and funny, wild and free”. In When… one little bear shares his hopes and dreams. Determined to explore the world yet stay true to himself, he heads off on an inspirational adventure. This puppetry adaptation of Emma Dodd’s picture book has been created by Pinwheel theatre during the lockdown in association with Little Angel Theatre.
(Available until 30 Sep)

6pm Freedom of Sexpression: Pride, Comics and Tom of Finland – HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION
Comics expert Paul Gravett and Tom of Finland Foundation President Durk Dehner in conversation  to celebrate Pride – part of #Toms100 and Islington Word Festival. A free Zoom event. This is event is now SOLD OUT – join the waiting list HERE
(Please note: this event will be recorded, contains sexual imagery and is for those aged 18+ only.)

4-6pm – Key Changes shares some of Word2020’s commitment to creative disruption by parachuting Islington peoples’ poet Paul Lyalls into its Music Industry session for musicians with mental health experience today. Expect interactive word play and lyrical dexterity plus open mic from Key Changes’ artists.
Free to attend for all musicians who have mental health experience by advance registration to: artist@keychanges.org.uk

To celebrate National Writing Day 2020, All Change’s company of older people undertook the #247challenge on Zoom with artist Francesca Beard to write a 24 word story in 7 minutes beginning ‘One Day…

One day when walking around the Emirates, I saw a toddler kicking a football. His mother applauded him. Will he really be a star? – Ann

One day in 1953 when I was in the army, I came home on leave and I met June, my future and my wife. – John

One day last week I had a lovely surprise, a visit from my son and daughter-in-law. Good to have a long chat. And haircut. – June

One day I will, God willing, have time to realise a dream. To de-clutter all unnecessary memorabilia collected which was thought to be necessary. – Maria

One day I opened my window and saw a bird perched on my balcony When it saw me it started singing a beautiful melody. – Dina

One day, I learnt to float in the deep end. Stop, too dangerous! Wrong. Deep water is strong. Deep water will hold you up. – Daphne

One day the sun was shining. Went for a walk in the park with friends. Stopped in the park for coffee and cake too! – Rachel

One day I hope to see that place. The people are traditional, the landscape authentic. One day I’ll get there to achieve my desire. – Pauline

One day feeling low, I walked out the door with head bent. A bird I heard in song, its delightful tune lifted my mood. – Eula

One day I was lost in space and then came re-stimulation. A kind word, gesture, movement, togetherness, a held heart and then I’m back. – Tony

One day I feel the ground through the pavement, push up against my shoes as one foot then the next propels my body forwards. – Roger

One day we emerged, all changed, to discover a changed world, emerging from its shattered shell. That day was our first spent home together. – Francesca