Transition + Transit was curated by Dwayne Church-Simms. A collection of works that explore movement, change, the stories we share and the objects that define our past, present, and future.Part of Transform.
Taking place in various venues across Nottingham from Thursday 30 May till Saturday 22 June 2024.
What is it about our differences that brings us together?
Each of us navigate different spaces, lives and experiences but what are the pieces we leave behind and how do they transition across time?
Transition + Transit was a collection of enriching experiences delivered by six different artists in 12 different moments. Finding familiar experiences told in an unfamiliar way. Becoming immersed in a moment that speaks to you for the first time, in a place you may have visited many times.
After months of imagining how you would meet Transition + Transit, it was a joy to see you connect with each other and our artists. The collections stretched across dance, digital installation, crafts, letters of legacy and you might have even come across some callaloo.
Be part of something beyond yourself. Connect with someone. Watch, experience and learn.
Transition + Transit Gallery
Elaheh Raofi weaving workshop. Image by Sally Bracko.Elaheh Raofi weaving workshop. Image by Sally Bracko.
PIROUZ by Elaheh Raofi. Image by Sally Bracko.PIROUZ by Elaheh Raofi. Image by Sally Bracko.
Elaheh Raofi weaving workshop. Image by Sally Bracko.Elaheh Raofi weaving workshop. Image by Sally Bracko.
The Ideal Life by Yos Clark. Image by Sally Bracko.The Ideal Life by Yos Clark. Image by Sally Bracko.
The Ideal Life by Yos Clark. Image by Sally Bracko.The Ideal Life by Yos Clark. Image by Sally Bracko.
Angnaa by Janhavi Sharma. Image by Sally Bracko.Angnaa by Janhavi Sharma. Image by Sally Bracko.
Sym Stellium and melissandre varin. Image by Sally Bracko.Sym Stellium and melissandre varin. Image by Sally Bracko.
M.I/L!K? digestive by Sym Stellium and melissandre varin. Image by Sally Bracko.M.I/L!K? digestive by Sym Stellium and melissandre varin. Image by Sally Bracko.
Usha Mahenthiralingam and Dwayne Church-Simms. Image by Hannah Sharpe.Usha Mahenthiralingam and Dwayne Church-Simms. Image by Hannah Sharpe.
Dwayne Church-Simms, a Nottingham-born artist, curator, and cultural producer, boasts a rich background in dance and choreography, having served as a maker, performer, and educator.
His curatorial approach is anchored in fostering dialogue between individuals and their surroundings, meeting them where they are in this world and in their lives. He excels in crafting immersive atmospheres that effortlessly connect audiences and nurture genuine human interactions through the art of storytelling, imbued with profound emotion.
Leveraging the transformative power of storytelling, archival exploration, healing practices, and embodiment, Dwayne has made indelible contributions to international dance festivals and collaborated with various organizations across the UK. Notably, his insightful writing has graced the pages of esteemed publications, Hidden Movement: Contemporary Voices of Black British Dance.
Currently, Dwayne serves as the programme lead for FABRIC’s Centre for Advanced Training in the East Midlands, further cementing his dedication to advancing the arts and nurturing talent in the region.
Elaheh Raofi is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East, particularly drawing inspiration from Persian symbols and metaphors.
By day, she navigates the digital realm as a designer, harnessing her expertise in graphic design and illustration. As the sun sets, she transitions into her role as an artist, indulging in the tactile world of textiles, fabrics, and clay. Elaheh’s artistic practice is a journey of exploration, blending traditional techniques with contemporary sensibilities. Through her work, she seeks to transcend boundaries, inviting viewers to engage with themes of identity, cultural memory, and social commentary.
Her commitment to staying informed about industry trends ensures that her art remains relevant and impactful in a constantly evolving landscape. With each creation, Elaheh strives to illuminate overlooked narratives and amplify the voices of the marginalized.
Her recent installation Pirouz pays homage to Pirouz and the courageous Iranian women tirelessly fighting for their rights. Elaheh continues to use her practice of blending across varied art forms to draw attention to crucial issues while blending modernity with a deep respect for the rich traditions that inspire her work.
Elaheh’s art serves as a powerful conduit for advocacy, stirring hearts, inspiring empathy, and igniting change. In honouring the stories of everyday heroes, she celebrates the resilience and diversity of the human experience, inviting viewers to join her in a journey of discovery and reflection.
As a dedicated Spoken Word Educator, Ioney Smallhorne encourages young people to harness the power of poetry to realise their own greatness, working in schools and community groups across the East Midlands. Ioney earned an MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths University 2019. As a filmmaker, she enjoys translating her poems to the screen. As a performer, she blends the political with the personal.
Janhavi Sharmais a visual artist from Mumbai, India, currently living and working in Nottingham, UK.
Her work explores the intimate conflicts of remembering, misremembering, and forgetting present within the material of gendered memory. She delves into the inaccuracies, and unreliabilities of anecdotal histories from a post-colonial feminist lens, and finds meanings in the distorted, folkloric structures of storytelling.
She works across photography, sculpture, and installation – using the tools of performance and fiction in reviving, and re-assembling narratives that contribute to, and transform her accumulated experience of the ‘self’. Her work also offers uninterrupted observations of how the domestic interacts with its immediate biodiversity and traces the ecological and socio-political trajectories of the materials and processes she interacts with.
melissandre varin (they/them) is an undisciplined atmosphere-maker
(collaborator, artist, consultant, curator).
Intimacy, embodiment, and healing
emerge from their work
via experimental partnerships contributing to freedom and liberation.
melissandre’s latest experiment: les ongles noirs (dirty nails) commissioned by Eastside Projects and FABRIC is currently messing up stuff at Eastside Projects gallery in Birmingham (7th June 2024 to 27th July 2024) after a collective residency in Dakar, Senegal, with Ban Workshop part of The OFF of Dak’art Biennial 20224. Grateful for generous funding from Arts Council England, and Fluxus Art Projects.
Sym Stellium has been spiritual care coordinator and commissioned performance artist in this sticky experiment.
Sym Stellium aka Sym Mendez is a movement/performance artist, facilitator and ritual maker – with the exploration of connection/communication on micro and macro levels situated at the core of its practice. Its work mainly revolves around bodily autonomy, ancestral & psycho-somatic roots to physical pain, and furthering collectivity – and possibilities of liberation – from the inside out.
Usha Mahenthiralingham is an interdisciplinary artist working across visual arts, movement, film, performance, activism, and creative mentoring practices.
Based in Nottingham, she responds to the life of enquiry within health, ecology, and education. She has become increasing fascinated by the neuroscience of developmental movement and the multifaceted ways in which we play, learn, embody, relate, and interconnect.
Beginning as a Textile artist she has gone on to train in somatic and developmental movement practices. She feels passionately that intelligence is not just in the head but involves our whole wonderful selves. She celebrates keeping the creative process alive to support our own and our planet’s wellbeing.
Yos Clark is an Ivorian artist whose mediums are dance, fashion and photography. His work is autobiographical, telling his story as a cultural outcast who strives to belonging in the Ivorian society as a gay man whose interests differ from the common Ivorian people.
Based in London since 2023, Yos Clark grew up in Côte d’Ivoire where nurtured a passion for ballet. Although it’s an unpopular art form back there, he stuck to his passion since age 8 to only start at age 17. Yos was a self-taught ballet dancer in Côte d’Ivoire for most of his life there, during his training, he found a dance teacher on Facebook who decided to give him some online classes via Skype, which they did for 2 years. Yos has since been on TV shows like Africa’s Got Talent, interviewed by BBC Africa, performed in shows where he was spotted by the British ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire who offered him a scholarship to study in the UK.
In his first year at KS Dance (Warrington) in 2018, Yos showed promise and dedication in his classes, showing more and more interest in other genres such as contemporary dance, flamenco, and jazz. In his third year, he had to go back home for visa reasons, which resulted in obtaining The Global Talent visa. Yos decided then to focus on creating his own path, from working on other artists projects in various areas such as dance, fashion and films, to now creating his own work.
Nevertheless Yos’ story has caught many attentions, and got him appearing in the book Those Who Inspire, Côte d’Ivoire alongside Didier Drogba (former Chelsea football player). Yos has his story told all over the UK alongside the screening of The Red Shoes by Powell & Pressburger. He also danced in the latest Vivienne Westwood campaign, was in Harvey Nichols window display as part of London Fashion Week for designer Roksanda, danced live in fashion shows, appeared in Vogue Italia in 2020, and the list goes on…
About TransformTransform is a festival of events and activities celebrating Global Ethnic Majority leadership, creativity and stewardships; fostering a wider conversation on diversity and inclusion in the city. A collaborative and transformative endeavour for all participating cultural organisations, partners and venues in Nottingham.
The Transform program is a multifaceted initiative designed to celebrate and showcase the contributions of the Global Ethnic Majority in Nottingham through various cultural and artistic events, exhibitions, and initiatives. It emphasises diversity, inclusivity, and community engagement.
Like most websites, we use cookies on our site to improve the user experience. Please click here for information about how they work on the FABRIC website
You can update your preferences at any time by clicking on the icons at the bottom of this page.
Mandatory – can not be deselected. Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Cookie Name: PHPSESSID
Provider: Website
Desc: This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
Expiry: session
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: sg-cookies
Provider: Website
Desc: This cookie simply stores your preferences on the website and allows you to continue viewing the website under your terms
Expiry: 1 year
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: sg-expiry
Provider: Website
Desc: Checks when to expire your accessibility preferences. After an hour, all the 'ch-' cookies are reset
Expiry: 1 hour
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: ch-font-sizes
Provider: Website
Desc: Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options. This specifically remembers your font-size choices.
Expiry: 1 hour
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: ch-font-times
Provider: Website
Desc: Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options. This specifically remembers how big you needed your font sizes.
Expiry: 1 hour
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: ch-prefs
Provider: Website
Desc: Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options
Expiry: 1 hour
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: __cfduid
Provider: .bootstrapcdn.com
Desc: The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
Expiry: 1 month
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: __cfduid
Provider: .fontawesome.com
Desc: The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
Expiry: 1 month
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: _ga
Provider: google.com
Desc: This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
Expiry: 2 years
Type: Statistics
Cookie Name: _gid
Provider: google.com
Desc: This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
Expiry: 1 day
Type: Statistics
Cookie Name: rc::a
Provider: google.com
Desc: This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
Expiry: none
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: rc::b
Provider: google.com
Desc: This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
Expiry: none
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: rc::c
Provider: google.com
Desc: This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
Expiry: none
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
Expiry: 5 months
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: YSC
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
Expiry: 8 months
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: GPS
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
Expiry: 30 minutes
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: CONSENT
Provider: google.com
Desc: Used to detect if the visitor has accepted the marketing category in the cookie banner. This cookie is necessary for GDPR-compliance of the website.
Expiry: 2 years
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: CONSENT
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Used to detect if the visitor has accepted the marketing category in the cookie banner. This cookie is necessary for GDPR-compliance of the website.
Expiry: 2 years
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: yt.innertube::nextId
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen
Expiry: none
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt.innertube::requests
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen
Expiry: none
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: none
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-cast-available
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-cast-installed
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-connected-devices
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: none
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-device-id
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: none
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-fast-check-period
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-session-app
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: yt-remote-session-name
Provider: YouTube.com
Desc: Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Cookie Name: __cf_bm
Provider: vimeo.com
Desc: This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website
Expiry: 1 day
Type: Necessary
Cookie Name: aka_debug
Provider: akamaized.net / Vimeo.com
Desc: Used by vimeo to track usage of their embedded video player
Expiry: session
Type: Marketing
Name
Provider
Description
Expiry
Type
PHPSESSID
Website
This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
session
Necessary
sg-cookies
Website
This cookie simply stores your preferences on the website and allows you to continue viewing the website under your terms
1 year
Necessary
sg-expiry
Website
Checks when to expire your accessibility preferences. After an hour, all the 'ch-' cookies are reset
1 hour
Necessary
ch-font-sizes
Website
Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options. This specifically remembers your font-size choices.
1 hour
Necessary
ch-font-times
Website
Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options. This specifically remembers how big you needed your font sizes.
1 hour
Necessary
ch-prefs
Website
Controls the preferences set within the accessibility options
1 hour
Necessary
__cfduid
.bootstrapcdn.com
The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
1 month
Necessary
__cfduid
.fontawesome.com
The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
1 month
Necessary
_ga
google.com
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
2 years
Statistics
_gid
google.com
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
1 day
Statistics
rc::a
google.com
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
none
Necessary
rc::b
google.com
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
none
Necessary
rc::c
google.com
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
none
Necessary
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
YouTube.com
This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
5 months
Marketing
YSC
YouTube.com
This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
8 months
Marketing
GPS
YouTube.com
This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
30 minutes
Marketing
CONSENT
google.com
Used to detect if the visitor has accepted the marketing category in the cookie banner. This cookie is necessary for GDPR-compliance of the website.
2 years
Necessary
CONSENT
YouTube.com
Used to detect if the visitor has accepted the marketing category in the cookie banner. This cookie is necessary for GDPR-compliance of the website.
2 years
Necessary
yt.innertube::nextId
YouTube.com
Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen
none
Marketing
yt.innertube::requests
YouTube.com
Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen
none
Marketing
ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
none
Marketing
yt-remote-cast-available
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
session
Marketing
yt-remote-cast-installed
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
session
Marketing
yt-remote-connected-devices
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
none
Marketing
yt-remote-device-id
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
none
Marketing
yt-remote-fast-check-period
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
session
Marketing
yt-remote-session-app
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
session
Marketing
yt-remote-session-name
YouTube.com
Stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube Video
session
Marketing
__cf_bm
vimeo.com
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website
1 day
Necessary
aka_debug
akamaized.net / Vimeo.com
Used by vimeo to track usage of their embedded video player