https://brightonfestival.org/event/13583/brownton_abbey/
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 25 May
This Friday’s upcoming Brownton Abbey at Brighton Dome promises to be a very special night: a “performance party (where) celestial beings from queer dimensions will transform Brighton Dome into a kaleidoscopic off-world temple.”
As a fan of sci fi and speculative fiction as tools for inspiration and social transformation, I’m curious to experience the QTPOC Brownton Abbey collective’s version of Afrofuturism, an aesthetic that centres Black experience, actions and agency.
As Wikipedia puts it, Afrofuturism ‘explores the developing intersection of African/African Diaspora culture with technology. It combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, Afrocentrism and magic realism with non-Western cosmologies in order to critique the present-day dilemmas of black people and to interrogate and re-examine historical events.’
With a political vision this powerful and costumes and music this fabulous, Brownton Abbey is a must-see for anyone interested in courageous and joyful alternative visions of what’s real and what’s possible.
The co-producers of this amazing, bold event are Tarik Elmoutawakil of Brighton’s beloved Marlborough Theatre and Rob Jones of the Festival and Dome.
From the very beginning the project has sprung from and foregrounded the talents of queer people of colour, and is going to be a great opportunity for this community to do some inspirational storytelling on exactly their own terms.
Headlining will be New Orleans bounce star and Beyoncé collaborator Big Freedia, alongside choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe, UK performance artists Rachael Young, Ria Hartley, Lasana Shabazz and Brighton-based DJ duo Sista Selecta. Can’t wait!
By Persephone Pearl, Director of Brighton’s ONCA, a gallery that supports artists and audiences to engage with environmental and social challenges. Check out Visionary Fictions, ONCA’s summer sci fi-inspired programme of events and installations. https://onca.org.uk/whats-on/next/collaborative-future-fictions-symposium-scratch-night/
