Barbican OpenFest: Art 50

Art 50 is a collaboration between Sky Arts, the Barbican Centre, Sage Gateshead and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts in which 50 artists, from a variety of artistic disciplines, were commissioned to examine the question of what it means to be British today from a variety of perspectives. As part of a weekend-long programme showcasing the results on 23 & 24 February 2019, the Barbican will be presenting Barbican OpenFest: Art 50 on Saturday 23 February 2019, whilst BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts and Sage Gateshead host a selection of performances on Sunday 24 February.

The Barbican programme will include the premiere of Nitin Sawhney’s 'BREXIT' – A rational anthem for a national tantrum, which reflects the highs and lows of 'Brexit Britain', performed by Nitin Sawhney, members of his band, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) and choirs from another project on the programme, the British Songbook. When We Collide: A British Songbook, by Hanbury & Groves brings to life Britain’s passion for music by transforming interviews with choir members from across the country into a musical piece which will be performed live at the Barbican and Sage Gateshead.

Other events include poet Lemn Sissay’s Constitution for the UK, exploring the possibility of a ‘new charter’ for the UK, Boy Blue’s REBEL, a new dance and film production incorporating music, dance and performance poetry, a pop-up cinema of films and animation shorts, including Matty Crawford’s His England which follows a young Asian British boy questioning his home and identity, as well as writers including Paul McVeigh, Dreda Say Mitchell and A.L. Kennedy imagining what England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales might look like 50 years from now.

Full details from the Barbican website.