Beyond by Metroland Young Associates

Join us on Saturday 10 September for the closing event for the Brent Biennial 2022. Beyond is a day of celebration involving music, carboot, talks, workshop and art created and produced by the Metroland Young Associates.

Taking the theme of escapism as its starting point the event offers a space to rest, learn, eat, listen and gather to escape from issues of everyday life, and step into a space beyond.

Beyond acts as an opportunity to escape into Brent as a way to resonate, reason, represent roots, integrate identity and cultivate culture.

SCHEDULE:

11AM-12PM – Finding the New You: A Meditation Session by MYA Ashleigh Mundle

12-4PM – Hot food from SOOR (Lebanese cuisine) and One Stop (Caribbean cuisine)

12.30PM – Making Home: A Printing Workshop by MYA Roberta Borroni

12.30-1.30PM – Self-Portrait: A Poetry Workshop by MYA Lashay Green

1.30-2.30PM – Finding the New You: A Meditation Session by MYA Ashleigh Mundle

2.30–3.30PM – Self-Portrait: A Poetry Workshop by MYA Lashay Green

LIVE PERFORMANCES:

4.30-5.20PM – DJ set by Linett Kamala

5.30-5.45PM – Performance by Josh Revo Skrpio

5.45-5.55PM – Performance by MYA Santo Da Silva

5.55 – 6.05PM – Performance by MYA Jared Gayle

6.05-6.15PM – Performance by MYA’s Jared Gayle and Santo Da Silva

6.15-6.30PM – BREAK

6.30–6.45PM – Performance by Xav

6.45-7PM – Performance by MYA Malise Gordon

7-7.10PM – Spoken word by MYA Lashay Green

7.10-7.30PM – Closing speeches

Self-Portrait: A Poetry Workshop by MYA Lashay Green

This workshop will be an exploration into poetry as an identity marker. Poetry can be used to help understand who you are in a personal yet creative way. This workshop mainly focuses on the form of Self-Portrait Poetry, a medium that forces you to look at yourself both inwards and outwards, recognise the artistry of your identity and all the aspects that contribute to who you are. Through a range of activities, free writing and discussions this workshop is open to all abilities and experiences who want to explore poetry, listen and learn. All materials provided.

Making Home: A Printing Workshop by MYA Roberta Borroni

A collaborative workshop on the idea of homemaking: participants will be invited to try lino printing, creating their own images, and printing them on big pieces of fabric. During this durational workshop we will be navigating the question of how to make home in the context of the hostile environment: if you were given a house frame, what would you do to you make it into a Home? What objects, words, emotions would you bring? At the end of the workshop, the printed fabric pieces will be installed on a house frame to visualize and celebrate our efforts in Making Home.

Finding the New You: A Meditation Session by MYA Ashleigh Mundle

This 45 minute to 1 hour meditation workshop is all about being able to create a safe space to let go of your negative thoughts and Finding The New You. This will allow you to be explorative and creative within the space through calmness, peace and balance that will benefit from understanding your emotional connection and your overall health. The workshop will be split into 3 sections.

1. Warming the body,

2. Vibrations of sounds

3. Finding the new you

All Exercises will allow you to focus on your breathing, reconnecting with yourself, observing your thoughts and feelings and acknowledging and accepting your emotions.

(in)valuable / Exhibition

This exhibit focuses on the diversity and identity within individuals and their cultures. Inspired by a group trip to the St. Augustine’s car boot sale, only a stones throw away from Metroland Studios, we were tasked to find an item of value that reminded us of a specific time of our lives. All 20 MYA’s found something meaningful, showing the importance certain items can withhold in our lives. (in)valuable shows love to how significant objects can be art in our lives, painting memories and identity and what colours we gain and maybe lose on our journey to the bigger picture.

Brent State of Mind / Screening

VHS – Colour – Sound – 1994 – 12:32 (London Screens Archive)

A portrait of Brent and its strong history of multi-culturalism, with a particular focus on the Caribbean, Polish, Gujarati, Irish, and Japanese communities. Features interviews with Finbar Hooley, Brent Historian; Ben Williams, who arrived in Brent from Jamaica in 1954; T.J. Ellis from the Rostrum Music Complex, who talks about Harlesden as the reggae centre of Britain; musician Vasudev Mehta on the fusion music scene emerging in Brent; and journalist Marcia White, who explains that the cultural diversity of Brent is reflected in the politics of the Borough, with the first Black councillor elected in 1971 and the first Black mayor in 1986.

Rest Space

This space has been conceived as an area for chilling, learning, listening and being, we hope that this is a place for you to find comfort and rest to escape from the everyday.

WITH THANKS TO: Brent Council, John Lyons Charity, National Lottery Community Fund, SOOR, One Stop, London Screen Archive, Linett Kamala, Josh Revo Skrpio, Xav, Kilburn Square and Karis Pink.

About Metroland Young Associates:

Metroland Young Associates (MYA) is a paid opportunity for Brent young people aged 18-24 to develop skills and experience of working in the arts and creative industries. This event is the culmination of 20 young people’s journey and experiences on the programme as part of the Brent Biennial 2022, their ideas, skills, talents and vision for community building.

The Metroland Young Associates 2022 cohort are: Ann-Louise Marshall, Ashleigh Mundle, Chantelle Holness, Charple Mico, Daniel Santo Da Silva, Imran Abdulahi, Jared Gayle, Jenica Jetha, Kamiah Chae Cowell, Karvya Kaneswaran, Keegan Chrichlow, Lashay Green, Maksymilian Mirga, Malise Gordon, Mehaira Abdelhamid, Milica Simovic, Nicholas Cover, Roberta Borroni, Samara Roach-Keller and Victoria Adeyelu.

Image credit: Milica Simovic, Metroland Young Associate and The Unloved Agency.