Today Shell sent us a message to update us on the amazing work she has been doing after taking part in last February's edition of Shake!. We are excited to hear she's applying the skills she learnt at her workspace, and look forward to hearing more about her inspiring projects!
"Just wanted to say a massive thank you. Yesterday I ran part 1 of Sprout out- a bushcraft and media skills session at my work, working with families with additional needs. We built dens, made fire and cooked on the fire, whittled sticks, walked up the stream and explored with film and photography. Couldn't have done the film side without everything i learnt and all the inspiration from everyone at Shake. We are going to make a short film about young people's emotional health and well being and the outdoors.. and we will exhibit their photography in the woods with frames made from sticks. Don't know what else to say but thanks a billion." - Shell
Catch our very own Sai Murray speaking on art, climate justice and oil sponsorship!
Last week Resonance FM
had a four hour special on oil sponsorship of the arts, featuring the
Tate a Tate alternative audio tour in its entirety, interviews with
Liberate Tate, folks working on the ongoing impacts of the Deepwater
Horizon disaster, and a panel discussion in the last half hour featuring
Sai and Kevin from Platform - activism, education and the arts
We're very pleased to announce that our #Shake2013 film "Reach" has been shortlisted for theSmall AxeRadical Short Film Awards in theBest Activist Film - Factual/Documentarycategory at this year’s Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival.
The Small Axe Short Film Competition is a brand new
initiative for radical filmmakers being launched at the inaugural
Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival in July 2014.
Young people,
students and activist filmmakers from all over the world were invited to
submit short films that are "rebellious, angry, radical, revolutionary,
socialist, anarchist, militant, progressive or subversive"!
The Small Axe screening and awards event will take place on the morning of Sunday 20th July in the Vintage Mobile Cinema on the festival site of the Tolpuddle Festival in Tolpuddle, Dorset.
Short-listed films will be screened between 10.00-12.30 with the winners being announced between 12.30 and 13.00.
Congratulations to all our young film-makers: Nathaniel Chapman, Enayet Mannan, Umaru Saidu, Khadiza Shahid, Minhas Wariz! And also to Richard York and Hannan Majid (The Rainbow Collective) and Derek Richards from Hi8us South for their facilitation and support.
You can watch "Reach" and our brand new film "Remember" on our YouTube channel and further videos here.
Our next shake! up >> 18th-22nd August 2014 << at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre.
Applications now open for our FREE! 5 day course on Art/ Race/ Media/ Power for 16-25's. See below for more info & how to apply ======================================= Art can be a powerful non-violent force for change.
Each day Shake! creative workshops will provide space to imagine what
justice looks like, experiment with new ideas, learn new tools and fire
up your imagination.
Over the five days, the course will include:
>> interactive workshops, stimulating dialogue & skill-shares
to creatively campaign for change with practising artists/activists/educators:
>> ZENA EDWARDS >> SAI MURRAY >> FARZANA KHAN >> PAULA SERAFINI >> NU WAVE PICTURES >> PLATFORM >> MARCINA ARNOLD >> ESTHER STANFORD-XOSEI >> JANE TROWELL (Platform & Body Politics) (+ more to be announced!)
>> practical hands-on techniques in spoken word, online media,
film/video and music technology to develop your ideas around injustice
and power.
>> access to a/v equipment, workshop spaces, rehearsal room, and refreshments at the landmark Stephen Lawrence Centre.
>> opportunity to showcase your work and continued involvement in the Shake! network.
>> You don't have to be an activist or artist to apply, just have an interest in social justice or change and creativity. ======================================= ** LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE (for 16-25 year olds) **
To receive a short application & for more info, email: platformshake@gmail.com or farzana@platformlondon.org ==================================== http://voicesthatshake.blogspot.com/
Last Thursday 26th of June we held our
fourth Shake! showcase at Free Word Centre. Shakers present and past got
together in an amazing line up of poetry, fiction, music and film, targeting pressing
social and political issues.
The weeks prior to the showcase were intense. We had
planning meetings, rehearsals, worked on our poetry and music, and practiced
our performance skills. We also got together to think about what we wanted
people to take away from this. We decided we wanted the audience to feel energised,
inspired, and to realise they could be change-makers too.
The showcase was an opportunity to share some of the
work created during the 4th Shake! course last February at Stephen Lawrence
Centre. For five days we took part in intense discussions and art making
sessions around the themes ‘Remembering, Re-imagining, Reparations’,
challenging official narratives and stories, and thinking of ways to transform
ourselves and the structures of society.
The event, hosted by Lateef and Grainne, featured
powerful poetry by Christianah, Onysha, Selina, Mujtaba, Zena, Umaru, Orla,
Sai, and Annie. We were also lucky to have Heritier and Marcina on the music
front, a short story by Orla, and a long-distance video poem by Maaike all the
way down in the Netherlands. Last but not least, the showcase saw the premiere
of ‘Remember’, a short poetic film by Michelle, Mujtaba, Grainne, Isi, Edwina
and Tasnima, who worked in partnership with Patrice and Dershe from Nuwave
Pictures.
The 4th showcase was a 2 hour taster of
what we do at Shake, packed with powerful performances, shared stories, and
passion for change. Here are some of the comments from our audience, who shared
with us their experience:
Emotional, empowering, the themes of positivity,
strength of voice… You are all amazing ! –
FANTASTIC SHOWCASE!
The singing, the stories of individuals and people
their voices and minds are powerful “AMAZING!”–
I’m still digesting and contemplating the wonderful
work I saw in the showcase. Many congrats again.–
Our next Shake! Course is in August 18th-22nd.
For more info on how to apply email farzana@platformlondon.org.
Since their attendance at last year's intensive Shake! course at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre (Annie was also a participant on Shake! at the Stephen Lawrence Centre, August 2012) it has been a pleasure to witness the poetry/activist pow of Annie and Onysha go from strength to strength.
In addition to all this, both poets are also developing educational work: Annie is currently working on a self-help book for young people - highly relevant to our next two Shake! courses focusing on well-being and healthy eating - and Onysha has just returned from Dominica where she is making first steps towards developing an Afrikan-history based education project.
Here's a sample of their latest videos and of course - don't miss the chance to catch them LIVE! alongside the wealth of other Shake! talent at #ShakeShowcase #4 this Thursday at the Free Word Centre 6-9pm.
An explosive showcase from the participants of the fourth Shake! course.
An explosive showcase from the participants of the fourth Shake! course. Featuring freshly created poetic, filmic & musical responses to injustice from:
Poets >> Arkady Johns / Carmela Cuesta / Maaike Boumans / Orla Price / Paula Serafini / Sai Murray / Zena Edwards
Musicians >> Heritier / Marcina Arnold / Zareen Roy-Macauley
"Just wanted to say a massive thank you. Yesterday I ran part 1 of Sprout out- a bushcraft and media skills session at my work, working with families with additional needs. We built dens, made fire and cooked on the fire, whittled sticks, walked up the stream and explored with film and photography. Couldn't have done the film side without everything i learnt and all the inspiration from everyone at Shake. We are going to make a short film about young people's emotional health and well being and the outdoors.. and we will exhibit their photography in the woods with frames made from sticks. Don't know what else to say but thanks a billion." - Shell 
