London College of Fashion, UAL will host a free May Day Rave evening event to celebrate the start of summer, and folk costume in Britain, at LCF’s new home at East Bank in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Thursday 2 May from 6-9pm.
This event will be the first LCF After Dark late event held at the new campus and forms part of the public cultural programme surrounding LCF’s major new exhibition created in collaboration with the Museum of British Folklore; Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain, which opened today, 9 April, and is generously supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
LCF’s May Day Rave will transform the campus, for one night only, into a festival where folklore meets fierce beats through musicians, students, designers, creatives and performers joining forces to explore and reimagine the customs, costumes and rituals associated with national and international celebrations of May Day. As a response to LCF’s Making More Mischief exhibition, attendees are encouraged to wear folk inspired garments to reflect their own traditions and cultures and celebrate the vibrant customs and rituals that shape our individual identities.
LCF’s May Day Rave will be a contemporary reimagining of May Day celebrations paying homage to the tradition of international Labour Day parades and dance within Somali culture featuring collaborations with Numbi Arts, an east London organisation providing a platform for collaborative cross-cultural exchange for artists drawing from the experience of Somali communities around the world. Participatory performances will culminate in a spectacular procession with the crowning of Queen Arewelo; a figure in Somalian heritage and folklore who reflects the essence of resilience in the face of adversity.
This activation will happen in and around the Somali Museum Atelier; a Numbi Arts takeover space created in collaboration between LCF and Numbi Arts’ Somali Museum UK and specially curated by Kinsi Abdulleh for LCF’s Making More Mischief exhibition to explore the rituals of belonging and togetherness through the lens of British-Somali culture. The Atelier serves as a platform for cross-cultural exchange, delving into stories of both traditional and contemporary music, dance, folk figures and rituals surrounding weddings and poetry. The space will feature work commissioned by Numbi Arts associated Somali artists and designers including Maryam Jaama and Hoda Kadiye.
All events throughout the evening aim to foster an evening rooted in togetherness with highlights including:
· Performances and sets from DJs and visuals from artists including Nadine Noor, Verify Its Really You, Susu Laroche, H for Spirit, Laina and Yem Gel. Films from Turner Prize winning artist Mark Leckey alongside Jade O’Belle and H for Spirit + Nick Hadfield
· Workshops to create a collaborative Morris dancing outfit with Folk Club and learn techniques in natural dyeing and creating with buttons in the style of pearly kings and queens.
· Folk dances by London Pride Morris side and Yaram SeneGambian Lion Zimba Masquerade by Moulaye Diallo.
· Participatory activities, such as tarot readings from Megan Jessica and Mother of Spells
· A wellness space from Wild Ivy Retreats featuring a guided journey meditation focusing on relaxation, growth, and embracing the start of summer
· Talks and performances curated by LCF MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming students
· Curator-led tours through the Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain exhibition to further explore the pivotal role of costume in folk customs thriving within London and across Britain and the rich tapestry of people bringing them to life
“We are so pleased to be commissioned by London College of Fashion, as part of Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain, to create the Somali Museum Atelier and May Day Rave procession. Both create wonderful opportunities to engage so many different people from across east London’s communities with expansive notions of cultural heritage and to celebrate the rituals of belonging and togetherness through the lens of British-Somali culture. We hope the May Day celebrations are an opportunity for us to bring Numbi Festival and our work to East Bank and to build on the connections and wealth of experience gained on this journey” – Kinsi Abdulleh, Artistic Director, Numbi Arts
“The May Day Rave is a vibrant and inclusive showcase of contemporary folk dress and customs that dare to challenge conventions as we welcome the beginning of summer and audiences to East Bank, east London’s new creative quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Come and make mischief as we invite you to express your own folk traditions and heritage – past, present, and future!“
-Mirren Kessling, Cultural Producer, London College of Fashion, UAL
Free, book in advance tickets to the May Day Rave can be found on LCF’s website here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-day-rave-tickets-857062395697?aff=oddtdtcreator
Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain is generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by curators Simon Costin and Mellany Robinson of the Museum of British Folklore and London College of Fashion, UAL’s Amy de la Haye. Featuring commissions by NUMBI Arts and PXSSY PALACE, in close collaboration with Dr. Leila Nassereldein and Mirren Kessling, London College of Fashion, UAL’s Cultural Producers.
Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain is open 9 April – 22 June 2024, Tuesdays – Saturdays, at London College of Fashion,105 Carpenters Road, Stratford, E20 2AR. The exhibition is free with no need to book in advance.
To book free tickets to the May Day Rave, or for more details about Making More Mischief and the wider cultural programme of events, please visit LCF’s website here: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion/cultural-programme/making-more-mischief
