Join us for a dance class led by Akeim Toussaint Buck which will draw on his explorations of Caribbean and Contemporary Dance elements including: Kumina, Dinkimini, Undulations, Skanking and the richness of Improvisation. Come with an open mind to move your body and feed your soul!
Saturday 1 February, 2pm-3pm (doors open 1:45pm, please arrive on time)
Venue: G12, Victoria Rooms, University of Bristol, 88 Queens Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1SA
Open to everyone with some dance experience. Places are free but limited so please book early.
Akeim Toussaint Buck is a performer and maker, born in Jamaica and raised in England. After graduating from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2014, Akeim has been immersed in many cross-disciplinary projects working with a range of artists and communities from around the world. His focus as a maker and collaborator is to combine expressive skills such as: dance, poetry, beat-box, singing and acting through performance and storytelling that reach beyond existing dance audiences. His work aims to challenge, enlighten and entertain the spectator or participant. Audiences are not just observers; they are implicit in the experience. Akeim’s work reflects on our reality, looking at ongoing socio-political situations with a humanitarian intention.
One year after the acquittal of the Colston Four – the free, new augmented reality (AR) mobile app has launched in the city to offer the public an opportunity to take a remarkable AR immersive trail for a closer, interactive look at it’s links to the transatlantic slave trade, it’s effect on communities within the city and the expansion of Britain’s colonial rule.
Decolonising Memory is an interactive immersive experience informed by the citizens of Bristol. App users are taken on a journey through the streets of Bristol to explore through AR a reimagined cityscape responding to colonisation through new works of 3D visual art, film, music, spoken word, movement and storytelling.
Decolonising Memory allows users to see and interact with digital content using the AR application as if they were physically present through the lens of their smartphone. People can simply download the app directly on the phone and head to key locations or ‘sites of memory’ in the city to engage and interact with compelling content revealing a colonial history told from an African-centred perspective.
The App takes a bold step towards imagining a decolonised city and re-examining several contentious locations and landmarks in Bristol, like the Colston statue and Pero’s Bridge. The immersive experience was designed by The Cultural Assembly in collaboration with former Lord Mayor Cleo Lake, Prof Jessica Moody from the University of Bristol and Bristol Citizens Researching Together.
Over the course of the last year, a series of events and workshops across the city were designed to facilitate a dialogue of atonement, reconciliation and learning. Led by local experts and community leaders, the events provided an opportunity for local artists, activists and people to come together to engage with these issues in a safe and supportive environment.
Kwesi Johnson said, “This is purpose-driven work, where AR-extended reality and creative technology can present a different view of the city. It became a response to the recent events in Bristol that had been brewing for many years and channels that response into something that everyone can access, and that can make a real impact‘.
Whether you are a lifelong resident or a first-time visitor to Bristol, Decolonising Memory is a must-see for anyone interested in discovering more about Bristol’s heritage from a different perspective. It explores hidden stories within the city’s landscape, inspiring those who take the journey, to engage with the past and present in a more meaningful way.
”We hope the reaction to Decolonising Memory will be a positive one. The immersive journey is an opportunity for the city to promote understanding and equity, through conversation.People can connect, and be resilient as they stand together exploring the streets of Bristol with a new perspective.”
Join us at Bristol Cathedral (in the Chapter House) on Tuesday 23rd August for a free dance workshop at either 11am or 12 midday to learn our new memorial dance. Workshops are free and open to all, but spaces are limited in the room so please do reserve your place using the ‘Register’ button below which will take you straight to the Eventbrite sign up to choose a time.
Open to all abilities- please wear comfortable clothing you can move around in, and bring a bottle of water. There are a few small steps to get into the room but ramps can be provided, please let us know if you have any access requirements.
This event is held in conjunction with The World Re-Imagined and is supported by Bristol Cathedral
MASS DANCE @ 6pm!
Whether you’ve attended one of our workshops or not, you are invited to come and join us on College Green at 6pm on Tuesday 23rd August to perform the dance together as an act of memorial. 23rd August is designated by UNESCO as the International Day of Remembrance of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its Abolition and by performing this dance together we memorialise, honour and heal together.
Join us at the Bristol Beacon, this Saturday 13th August to mark Emancipation Day (1st August). Celebrations will begin at 12 midday and go on until 8pm. There will be lots of great activities including poetry and music, food, fashion and stories! The event is being run as part of the ‘Bridging Histories’ project and members of the Decolonising Memory team will be there to run a special workshop at 6pm where you can learn our memorial dance. We will also be performing the dance here to mark this event.
More information is available on the Bristol Beacon’s website:
Join members of the Decolonising Memory team at the community launch of The World Re-Imagined project and art event series at St. Paul’s Learning Centre, 12-3pm where we will be teaching the dance! Come along for the workshop and learn the memorial folk dance with us.
The World-Reimagined is a creative project looking at transforming understanding of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its impact. The even on Saturday launches a trail of globes around the city. There will be food, drumming and language sessions and it’s free and open to all.
Come along and learn the dance! There will be further opportunities to learn the dance in the next few weeks building to a mass dance performance on Tuesday 23rd August to mark UNESCO Slavery Remembrance Day. Watch this space for more information!
Join us at this year’s Bristol Harbour Festival to see the memorial dance created as part of the Decolonising Memory project performed live! We’ll be at the Dance Stage at Millennium Square on Sunday 17th July @ 12.35pm
This will be the first live public performance of the dance which has been developed from research and movement material developed through our 7 workshops held monthly since November. On the day (Sunday 17th July) you will also be able to get a preview of the project app development by going to our Instagram page on your smartphone – @decolonisingmemory_bristol – opening the filter and pointing your camera at the Edward Colston statue plaque where you will be able to see something new!
Rehearsals for the dance at the Victoria Rooms, University of Bristol
Dr Jessica Moody discusses what a ‘site of memory’ is, and how the Decolonising Memory project seeks to counter, challenge and create new memorial interventions. Filmed at the Malcolm X Centre, itself a site of memory, memorialising Black History through its name and mission.
If you’ve read around this website and our social media and are keen to join us on this journey, you can register via this form: https://forms.office.com/r/7BWLDeet8r
A word document version of this form is available on request, please email decolonisingmemory@gmail.com for a copy and for any other questions.
