Open call for aspiring writers and poets
Calling aspiring writers and poets: come and be part of SPACE’s exhibition in 2025
Artist Alan Abrahams has been commissioned to work with SPACE to create a film in collaboration with writers and poets, exploring themes of transition.
The artist, who is based in Paris, spent four days filming in and around Redbridge. The film captures an area of East London that has experienced rapid change in recent decades, and yet retains a strong sense of place and identity with its rich cultural and environmental heritage.
The artist is now inviting aspiring poets and writers to co-create a soundscape to accompany the film. You will be asked to respond in words and poetry to one of a series of excerpts from the film, thinking about any ideas, observations or emotions that it evokes for you. A selection of these poems and written words will then be incorporated into the final piece, which will be displayed at SPACE Gallery in September 2025.
If you are interested in taking part in this creative project, you will need to be available to meet the artist at SPACE Gallery in Ilford on the following dates in 2025:
- Saturday 1 March
- Saturday 5 April
- Saturday 17 May
- Final workshop date TBC
How to submit your work
To watch the seven parts of the film:
click on this link
password: space
The clips have been recorded in widescreen using vintage lenses, and then transformed using video synthesis. There are a number of clips to choose from – please select only ONE clip to respond to. Maximum word count for submissions: 500 words. If you have any questions, please contact daniel@spacestudios.org.uk.
Warning advice: the film contains pulsing and flashing effects which some people may find visually uncomfortable.
Submissions must include your
- Full name
- Age (you must be aged 18+)
- Postcode
- Contact phone number
- Confirmation of your availability to meet the artist on the dates specified above
- Title of the film excerpt your piece is responding to
- Maximum word count 500 words
Email your submission to exhibitions@spacestudios.org.uk with the subject line ‘Alan Abrahams, SPACE exhibition 2025’.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 12 February 2025. Submitted work will then be considered for the project by the filmmaker and SPACE. Final decisions will be made by 19 February 2025, and selected authors will then be invited to meet the filmmaker to discuss their work. Please note that SPACE is unable to pay for submissions.
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Alan Abrahams (aka Portable) is a celebrated live act and music composer whose practice grew out of the ruins of post-apartheid South Africa. He was part of the generation that brought about the freedom of Nelson Mandela and all that followed for his country.
Through his short film narratives, music videos, and sound compositions, Alan pieces together diverse sounds and images from his childhood memories of Cape Town in the 70s, the techno, house and rave scenes in Johannesburg in the 80s, and experiences from his later adopted homes of London, Berlin, and currently Paris.
Alan films in cinematic widescreen using vintage Russian lenses, a modern DSLR camera and an anamorphic adapter which distorts and squeezes images to produce timeless textures.
View his latest work on his website alanportable.com.