Now On: Wandsworth Arts Festival 2011

Jemma
By Jemma Last edited 154 months ago
Now On: Wandsworth Arts Festival 2011

The two week long Wandsworth Arts Festival launched on the 6th of May with Jean 'Binta' Breeze performing her specially commissioned festival poem.

Glancing at the programme brings to mind a kaleidoscopic circus, with inclusive arts events mingling with the avant garde. This year their fringe offerings have been extended to include satellite events across the borough, so there's plenty to suit all artistic tastes, including street art, theatre, spoken word, dance, visual arts, and exhibitions by visiting and local artists.

The festival culminates in The Shimmy on the 22 May, 'named because it shimmies between the variances of what outdoor art can be'. The performance site along the Thames will be decorated by thousands of origami butterflies made by local community groups, and the expected 1000+ visitors will be enchanted by dance and circus performances, interactive installations and mischievous roving performers. With a dedicated children's area and loads of wonderful workshops it's a very family-friendly event.

Here are some of the things we're most excited about:

  • Make Your Bike Dance workshop on Saturday 14 May 10am-1pm, making dance routines with and on your own bike, brilliant!
  • Tailors of Tooting on Saturday 14 May, 10am-4pm, a thought-provoking sari shop soundscape, that conjures reminiscence of local social history through fashion.
  • Tilt's London Liming on Sunday 15 May 6-8pm, calypso and beatboxing create a carnival backdrop for some exhilarating poetry and spoken word performances.
  • Let Them Eat Cake on Saturday 21 May from 7pm, visual splendour is promised at this ex-dairy warehouse light installation show.
  • The Extreme Postal Force on Saturday 14 and Sunday 22 May 2-4, a group of curious young sleuths who will engage the crowds in their investigative antics.
  • And don't forget the Pump House Project with People Show in Battersea Park's Pump House Gallery, 11-15 May.

Go and explore. The festival runs until 22nd May. Find out more and download a programme from the Wandsworth Council website.

Last Updated 12 May 2011