Show Notes
Our dreamer in this episode is the brilliant Jenn Nkiru. Jenn is an award-winning artist, director and visionary filmmaker from Peckham, whose work is rooted in the history of Black music, Afro-surrealism, experimental film and the Black arts movement.
Her own particular style of filmmaking is distinctive, switching between eras and locations in a process she describes as “cosmic archaeology”. She’s directed documentaries, cinematic shorts, and music videos - including the critically acclaimed music video for Beyoncé's "Brown Skin Girl", which won the Best Music Video award at the 2021 Grammys.
For Factory International , Jenn is creating a brand new film which reflects on space, time and memory, intertwining Manchester’s industrial history with modern-day architecture, paying homage to the people and culture that make up a city… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Dream Space
In this special episode of Dream Space, renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei dreams of a world built on fairness and justice.
For the final episode of Dream Space season three, we leave nature behind for a chaotic, futuristic city from the mind of comedian Nish Kumar. Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Nish reflects on the energies of the world’s great cities from his home of London to Mumbai to Melbourne. Enter a Dream Space where Manhattan skyscrapers meet Parisian boulevards in a series of contrasting neighbourhoods. Communities live alongside one another in cheap, floating housing with 100% renewable energy and flying wind turbines. Covering everything from the importance of grassroots venues to the dangers of AI, Nish asks us to imagine a more optimistic version of our present cities. Nish Kumar is a comedian, broadcaster and podcast host known for his social and political commentary. He hosts Pod Save the UK with journalist Coco Khan and has toured his stand-up show Nish Don’t Kill My Vibe around the world including at Aviva Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Angelique Kidjo’s Dream Space isn’t a space that you enter as such, but a mindset that you carry with you day to day. The five-times Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and activist delivers a beautiful metaphor to live by in this joyous exchange with host Gemma Cairney. Riffing on the oral traditions of Benin where she was born, for her Dream Space Angelique invites listeners to envision themselves as a tree – the roots our value systems, the trunk our self and the branches our choices. Reflecting on how nature works in cycles – how a tree loses its leaves annually in order to renew – Angelique contrasts this with our modern world where we’re so accustomed to getting everything we want immediately and running ourselves off our feet year-round. The lifelong campaigner for women’s rights, healthcare and climate change imparts a wealth of wisdom throughout the conversation – from nature’s nurturing powers and not holding grudges to remembering humour and humility when times are tough (something she notes her friend and mentor Nelson Mandela did).
From running away to London at eighteen and living on a bus with a band, to forcing the door open to a career in the music industry, Mary Anne Hobbs’ path hasn’t always been the conventional one.
In this episode of Dream Space, Terence Lewis – India’s leading contemporary dance choreographer – asks us to be still for a moment. Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Terence imagines a dark space where sound is the only guide. He talks about connecting with our bodies through movement, thinking, listening and stillness – taking us on a journey from dance techniques to Indian philosophy. Terence Lewis is a multi-award-winning Indian dance, singer and choreographer – best known for judging the reality dance show Dance India Dance. He is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Terence Lewis Dance Company in Mumbai – one of two dance companies behind Keith Khan’s The Accountants, which premiered at Aviva Studios in May 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.