Carnival arts specialists Kinetika are bringing a taste of carnival and costume for all to enjoy this summer.
Kinetika will be creating a brand new carnival section for the Hackney One event on 7th August, featuring a breathtaking tower structure with flags, banners and fabulous costumes – with the ideas for the designs coming straight from the people of Hackney. Some of Kinetika’s trademark carnival costumes will then be displayed at RichMix arts centre in Shoreditch, between 23 and 30 August.
Hackney One Carnival creates an extravaganza of colour, music and dance as the procession - made from 1,000 performers - works its way through the borough to Clissold Park. This year Kinetika will be bringing an added dimension to the carnival, with 20 communities of Hackney being represented in the designs.
Hackney One is expected to bring more than 8,000 residents and visitors out onto the streets to enjoy the Festival, which celebrates Hackney’s role as host for the 2012 Games.
Later in the summer, Kinetika will be displaying some of its most exciting carnival costumes at Rich Mix arts centre. The exhibition will begin with a presentation from Ali Pretty, Kinetika's Artistic Director, on 23 August 2011, and then a lively debate hosted by Rich Mix Artist in Residence Shane Solanki and featuring expert voices from the carnival world.
Drawing on Ali's personal experiences, the discussion will attempt to explore the many cultural roots of carnival, to question if one culture can lay greater claim to carnival than another, to look at the future of carnival in the 21st Century, and to critique the many ways that artists in London have interpreted this unique and celebrated art-form.
For more information visit http://www.kinetika.co.uk.
Picture by Ali Pretty
