June 15, 2018
Ahead of the concert at KOKO London, Lowkey and his collaborators Mohammed Yahya and EbsilJaz recorded a track with lyrics reflecting a story based on the real experiences of detainees at the notorious Yarl’s Wood detention centre. The track is an exclusive collaboration recorded for Refugee Week, with the main theme initiated by the artists: Escape […]
June 7, 2018
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Refugee Week, co-ordinated by Counterpoints Arts with a range of national partners. It’s the biggest national festival celebrating the contributions, resilience and creativity of refugees to the UK. Founded in 1998, Refugee Week has grown from a small community-led initiative to become one of the UK’s biggest participatory festivals, with […]
May 22, 2018
A piece commissioned by Who Are We? project, an initiative between Counterpoints Arts and The Open University in association with Stance Podcast and the University of York Migration Network. This is our first writing commission, and we are proud to publish the full text of Selina’s evocative piece of writing below. Please see our fantastic new website for Who Are We? with […]
May 18, 2018
Counterpoints Arts is the leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and social change. We support and produce the arts by and about migrants and refugees, seeking to ensure that their contributions are recognized and welcomed within British arts, history and culture. The range of Counterpoints Arts’ work has grown considerably […]
April 10, 2018
Counterpoints Arts is in the process of piloting a newly funded cross-sector Pop Culture and Social Justice initiative. The aim of the initiative will be to leverage the reach and power of pop culture for social justice goals, specifically in relation to migrants and refugees in the UK. To do so we will be collaborating […]
April 10, 2018
Wind Sculpture (SG) I stands 23 feet tall at the southeast entrance to New York’s Central Park. Created from fibreglass and painted in rich gold, turquoise and terracotta patterns reminiscent of Dutch wax batik prints, Yinka Shonibare MBE’s monumental sculpture captures the gentle undulating motion of wind. Conjuring up images of fluttering sails gliding over […]
March 21, 2018
Hours: 17.5 – 21 hours (2.5 – 3 days a week), Fixed-term 2 years Salary: £ 35 000 (pro rata) Deadline: Monday 9th April Counterpoints Arts is a leading national organisation working in the field of arts, migration and social change. For more info visit: www.counterpointsarts.org.uk We are looking to hire a highly motivated individual […]
September 22, 2017
We’re delighted to announce that theatre company PSYCHEdelight are the new Counterpoints Arts artists in residence. Founded and directed by Sophie Besse, PSYCHEdelight created the play Borderline in 2016 following facilitated workshops in Calais refugee camps. Sophie, a theatre director and art therapist, had found an eagerness for comedy among refugees to contrast with and […]
September 21, 2017
Chrissie Tiller is a writer, teacher and advisor on participatory and socially engaged art practice. In this evaluation piece Chrissie reflects on observations, conversations and practices within ACE’s Creative People and Places programme. Beautifully written and insightful, Chrissie’s piece gets to the heart of some of the current issues surrounding participatory and collaborative arts practices, asking pertinent […]
July 19, 2017
Guest post by Eliana Reeves (intern at Counterpoints Arts), written in response to “The Caged Bird’s Song” by Chris Ofili. We only know as much as our eyes allow us to see. From far away, the fizzing colours hang in midair and then drip down the wall, and as they do, shapes begin to form. A […]
July 11, 2017
Guest post by Eliana Reeves (intern at Counterpoints Arts), written post Refugee Week. The young boy stands among the ruins of his school with his camera phone. Another child blinks curiously at him as he takes pictures of buildings that have been devastated by bombing after bombing. Then he enters his workshop and he begins […]
July 11, 2017
Guest post by Eliana Reeves (intern at Counterpoints Arts), written post Refugee Week. “Oh, my sorrows! I am so unhappy… I shall leave as my city turns to dust.” The women stand in rows with their hands covering their mouths, their voices ringing through the performance hall. There is nothing but three benches, a screen, […]
June 28, 2017
It’s interesting to reflect that when the BFI first started doing a Refugee Week programme, more than 10 years ago, there were not all that many films being made about refugees – certainly not about contemporary refugee situations. How things have changed. In the last couple of years, in films such as Fire at Sea, […]
June 20, 2017
Image: Nelli Stavropoulou Counterpoints Arts was in York last Saturday (17 June) participating in the York Festival of Ideas, working at the University of York on an Impact Research Fellowship – with Maggie O’Neill in Sociology and Simon Parker in Politics. Part of the focus is to encourage people to see the value of arts and […]
June 19, 2017
Join us for a rich range of happenings and activities taking place at The British Museum – from music performances, to visual installations, youth workshops and much more. Prompted by this year’s Refugee Week, ‘Our Shared Future’, the programme is curated to encourage full participation. Catering for all ages, it’s a heady mix of theatre, […]