Image – Sadia Ur-Rehman

A Local Dialogue

Sadia — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:29:51 +0000

From January to March 2011, as Artist in Residence at Valentines Mansion, I hosted six tea parties at Valentines Mansion as part of the project ‘A Local Dialogue’. Over 150 million cups of tea are drunk daily in Britain today, we are now a nation of tea drinkers with tea being our most drunk and favourite beverage. As a tea lover herself decided to host the tea parties for local residents, creating a communal space for local people to meet and discuss the local area.

‘’The idea for the tea parties came about from my own love of the beverage and how a good cuppa can be the setting for a really good conversation. I wanted to create a space where strangers could connect and engage over a conversation and I thought about an activity that all communities and cultures shared, and tea drinking seemed apt.”

Each tea party served a different type of tea from a different part of the world, guests were able to experience how tea is drunk in South Asia, North Africa, Persia, China and of course England. An authentic experience was provided with each tea party, I also set a topic of conversation about the local area and history. During the tea parties, the artist collected and recorded stories, memories, experiences of the local area and Valentines Mansion. I also organised two walks/trails of Valentines Park.

The exhibition at Valentines Mansion held on Sunday 22^nd May till Sunday 24^th July 2011 is a culmination of the conversations that took place during the tea parties and the walks that were facilitated. I utilised a range of multimedia practices to present the conversations from an audio installation, silent film, photographs and an installation dedicated to tea. The project was initiated to empower local communities to play a part in the creation of art through local engagement; local residents whom attended the tea parties and walk played a vital role in this. The project engaged 120 local residents as participants of the project, making art accessible to new audiences and increasing participation in the arts across Redbridge.

For more information about the project, visit: http://alocaldialogue.com/

The post A Local Dialogue appeared first on Sadia Ur-Rehman.

PL4TE5

Sadia — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:24:16 +0000

Co-directed with Shazia Ur-Rehman, PL4TE5 documents three young men and their obsession with personalised number registrations.

Bhavesh, Farhan and Kamal all aged 24, are keen number plate collectors. PL4TE5 documents the stories behind their cherished marks, exploring the roots of their fixation, their lifestyles and charts the accumulation of their collection. All three men are easily identifiable by their plates and cars. The plates have become an extension of their identities. To watch the film, follow this link: PL4TE5

The post PL4TE5 appeared first on Sadia Ur-Rehman.

Ilford

Sadia — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:09:12 +0000

Co-directed with Shazia Ur-Rehman, Ilford is a collaborative oral history project. We engaged local community members who were actively involved in the process. Collecting and sharing their stories, documenting their experiences, mapping their lives and presenting a picture of the composition of Ilford today. The nature of the project was to uncover the untold stories and experiences of community members, and to share them with a wider audience in the format of a short film funded by the Eastern Edge Film Fund. Link to watch film here

The post Ilford appeared first on Sadia Ur-Rehman.

Community Engagement

Sadia — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:05:51 +0000

As an artist with a socially engaged practice, I have over the last ten years been concerned with community engagement and participation from audiences who normally would not engage with the arts. I have worked in community and heritage settings developing community led participatory art projects. I thrive on being involved in direct grassroots activity and have a considerable amount of experience working with a variety of different communities and groups across London, these skills have also developed over the course of managing community buildings in both Westminster and Barking & Dagenham, two very different London boroughs with two very different resident and community make up.

I am a creative individual with experience of creating, initiating and developing diverse partnerships as well as leading on delivering a vibrant programme of community engagement/development events I have successfully brokered relationships with heritage, education and community organisations to deliver high quality projects that benefit participants.

I am skilled and experienced in working with community groups, schools, museums and local councils. I have worked extensively in areas of deprivation with diverse communities, hard to reach groups and young people. I have produced events, workshops and educational programmes.

The post Community Engagement appeared first on Sadia Ur-Rehman.