Come Dine in Blue

'Come Dine in Blue'  at hARTslane Gallery in New Cross (next to Sainsburys) is a participatory art project created and produced by Tisna Westerhof & Cristiana Bottigella. As part of the Lewisham Borough of Culture, more than 100 participants of all ages, from 8 different Lewisham based community groups took part in 'a year-long art programme aiming to investigate and bring to light the diversity of cultural heritage in Lewisham, giving voice to five different communities of people who left their country to find new homes in the UK: the Asian and the Latin-American communities of New Cross; first and third generation African and Afro-Caribbean Lewisham residents and Middle Eastern refugees'.

The outcome is a 'Blue and White dining room installation telling stories of identity and belonging' centred around a dining room table with ceramics as well as tea towels and other works. It really is very moving with objects embodying people's memories and journeys.

'No one can take away the dances you've already had'

The exhibition continues until 6 October 2022. If you miss it try and get hold of the excellent book that accompanies it.

House of Covvens - New Moon opening at Harts Lane SE14

It was the opening night tonight of 'House of Covvens' at Harts Lane SE14 (the road next door to Sainsburys).

Conceived by artist Jodie Chinn, House of Covvens is  'an imagined political system based on empathy, inspired by ideas and practices found in Wicca, shamanism and the Riot Grrrl Movement...

From the new to the full moon (15th-29th May), ‘House of Covvens - South East London’ will create a space for local people to come together, reflect, tell stories and share ideas against the backdrop of the current social climate. It will be centred around a series of ten group discussions called ‘Covvens’, which, through their structure aim to create a non-hierarchical, communal exploration of ideas and social issues using both conversation and creativity'

The Harts Lane space was decorated with foliage gathered during a herbalist-led expedition to Nunhead Cemetery earlier in the day, and included a sound performance to mark tonight's New Moon from Chloe Owen - a soothing piece with synth tones, violin and singing bowl, felt like a sound bath after the day I'd had at work.

There will be discussions and more performances over the next two weeks, culminating with the full moon on the 29th. Further information at House of Covvens and on facebook

Interesting to see these ideas about radical witchcraft being considered again in a new context in what was once the South East London heartland of eco magic and the Dragon Environmental Network (whose main facilitator lived nearby in Pepys Road for some years).