Africa Express Presents The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, Glastonbury & London
Led by principal conductor Issam Rafea, the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians embrace both classical and experimental styles, and have collaborated with international acts such as Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz. As a result of the ongoing bombardment in Syria, many of the orchestra’s players have been forced to leave their country; here, they reunite with Albarn for concerts that celebrates Syrian music heritage, and also marks the anniversary of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, which shaped the modern map of the Middle East, with far-reaching repercussions.
Glastonbury, 24 June; Royal Festival Hall, London, 25 June
Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window, touring
These two vividly dramatic sculptures by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper comprise several thousand hand-crafted poppies, and were key elements of the celebrated installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London in 2014. Each blood-red bloom represents a serviceman killed in the first world war, and their devastatingly beautiful formations have provoked a massive heartfelt response. Both pieces will now reach even broader audiences as they tour historic sites across Scotland, England and Wales. “The Poppies really do spread their magic wherever they go,” says 14-18 NOW director Jenny Waldman.
Wave: Lincoln Castle, to 4 Sept; Weeping Window: Black Watch Museum, Perth, 30 June-25 Sept; Weeping Window: Caernarfon Castle, 12 Oct-20 Nov
Fashion & Freedom, Manchester
During the first world war, around 1.5 million women went out to work, many for the first time. While the men were away fighting, women were staffing factories, public transport and emergency services – leading to seismic social changes, as well as stylistic ones. This free multimedia exhibit explores the fashion legacy of the fist world war, and its impact on 21st-century style, with contributions from iconic female designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Roksanda Ilincic alongside vintage collections and specially commissioned films.
Manchester Art Gallery, to 27 Nov
Dave McKean: Black Dog – The Dreams of Paul Nash, London & Kendal, Cumbria
British painter Paul Nash was 25 years old when he signed up to serve in the first world war. The horrors he witnessed, both as a young soldier and subsequently as an official war artist, had a deep-rooted impact, and shaped his distinctly heady, disturbing style. Visionary comic illustrator, film-maker and musician Dave McKean has created a graphic novel and multimedia performance in response to Nash’s experiences; Black Dog is intensely poignant and nightmarish – comic art as the ultimate “empathy machine”.
Kendal Town Hall, 28 May; House Of Illustration, London, 13 July; Lakes International Comic Art festival, Kendal College, 15 Oct
The Casement Project, London/Dublin/Belfast
Irish choreographer and dance artist Fearghus O’Conchuir has produced an ambitious project based on the life and death of Roger Casement. As an international human rights activist, he was knighted for his work; as an Irish nationalist, he was executed for treason in 1916; as a homosexual, he was viewed as a scandalous figure. Stage performance, a symposium, film and public participation merge in a work which considers “the national body”.
British Library (symposium), London, 3 June; The Place, London 11 & 12 June;
Project Arts Centre, Dublin, Oct; Venue tbc, Belfast, Nov
Radio Relay: Past Frequencies – Live Transmissions, Belfast
During the 1916 Easter Rising, Irish rebels made the world’s first “pirate radio” broadcast, seizing the newly developed wireless technology to publicly announce Ireland’s independence. Soon after this, commanders at the Battle of the Somme relied on vital radio communication. Artists including Graham Fagen, Mhairi Sutherland, Paddy Bloomer and Sara Morrison are creating mixed-media works for a nationwide programme that centres on public participation, including a weekend where audiences will be able to build radio transmitters.
Giant’s Ring, Belfast, 18-20 June
Somme 100, Manchester
The Battle of the Somme commenced on 1 July 1916. A century to the date, this major cultural commemoration takes place in Heaton Park, which once served as a training camp for some of the Manchester Regiment battalions. The event includes a live concert of soldiers’ songs from the period interspersed with archive film, a performance by the Hallé Orchestra, and a specially commissioned poem read by Lemn Sissay.
Heaton Park, Manchester, 1 July
Asunder, Sunderland
North-east indie band heroes Field Music and Warm Digits collaborate with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, creative producer Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne), and film-maker Esther Johnson in this event, which crystallises the Battle of the Somme’s legacy through its impact on Sunderland. New music and local film footage will merge in what Stanley describes as an “alluring, poetic and political” performance.
Sunderland Empire, 10 July
David Lang: Memorial Ground, Fife and nationwide
A community singing project on a grand scale, as choirs and singing groups of all sizes and abilities from around the country are invited to come together to perform a new choral work by Pulitzer prize-winning composer David Lang. Memorial Ground reflects on the Somme, and honours its fallen (the battle involved the worst casualties in British military history), and the project takes place over the same duration of time: 21 weeks.
Fife and nationwide, July-Nov
End Of Empire, Margate
This new commission by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE presents a world perspective on the first world war and its impact. Shonibare’s Victorian figures feature globe heads and African attire, and their “see-saw” positions represent powerplay, and attempts at compromise.
Turner Contemporary, to 30 Oct
