Join us for the Transforming Narratives Mela & Symposium, a three day celebration of contemporary arts and culture in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Bringing together artists, organisations and audiences, the Mela and Symposium is a platform for new art, music, film, critical discussion and reflection.
How it works
The Transforming Narratives Mela & Symposium is a digital festival, hosted on our dedicated online platform.
Over the three days, there are three simultaneous programmes to experience:
Mela:Â Performances and presentations from artists based in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This is your chance to see new work and experience the theatre, music, dance and visual art being made across our three locations, right now. (audio described)
Symposium:Â A programme of critical talks and debate, where we investigate pressing subjects facing artists and arts organisations in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Ālaap: A series of one-on-one conversations, bringing together artists, curators and arts leaders from across the Transforming Narratives community. The word Ālāp has two meanings: it refers to unstructured, improvised movements found in musical traditions across South Asia, and is also the word for first-meeting and free-flowing conversation between friends and new acquaintances.
Within the Mela & Symposium platform you’ll be able to create your own profile and network with other attendees.
If you can’t join us for the full three days, don’t worry, as the Mela element will also be live-streamed on the Transforming Narratives Facebook and YouTube channels.
What’s On
The Mela & Symposium will feature new artistic work including:
Shehzad Chowdhury & Mahtab Hussain – Dear… Kindest
Ahsan Bari & Sheikh Dina –Â Dhaka Say Karachi, Chapter 2 Â
Kamruzzaman Shadhin – এ্যালহাকার কাথা / Elhakar Katha (A Story of Now)
Omar Chowdhury –Â Janus Tussle
Mukhtar Dar & Arieb Azhar –Â Mast Qalandar Dancehall & Songs of SolitudeÂ
Saif-ul Malook Orchestra & Shafaq Hussain –Â Safar-Ul-Ishq
Fateha Begum & Sudip Chakroborthy –Â Tik-Talk / Kotha Kaw
Tahia Farhin Haque, Shaheen K. Ahmed & Saba Khan –Â The Fabric Under My Skin
And many more! Full programme details will be announced a few days ahead of the event.
