Open mic night SHIFT HAPPENS featured in this year’s Community Takeover

BWC and artists Cole & Joslin are excited to be hosting SHIFT HAPPENS – a community open mic night at Phoenix Art Space on Thursday 7 September.

The free event will be hosted by award-winning Brighton-based spoken word artist AFLO. the poet with music by all-queer band Starting Fires.

Music, spoken word, stories, poetry …

SHIFT HAPPENS is all about transformation, movement, coping with change and the way that women and non-binary people have experienced or created this in their lives. Everyone is invited to come along to perform, showcase their ideas, tell their story, share their voice and words!

The evening will also include an AI experiment in collaboration with creative technologist Chris Chowen, where words will become images as they’re spoken.

Jane Moore, Women’s Peer to Peer Service Manager said “This is a celebratory event – celebrating all that the women who engaged with the SHIFT programme have achieved over the last year, as well as showcasing the benefits of partnership working and recognising the enormous contribution to the success made by the artists Sarah and Annis. Thanking them for all their creativity with kindness.”

The open mic evening is part of the Community Takeover A Seat At The Table exhibition programme at Phoenix Art Space.

Artists Sarah Cole and Annis Joslin, in partnership with BWC, created the SHIFT project – a safe, experimental space for making, sharing and reflecting on ideas and feelings. SHIFT HAPPENS was made by twelve people who met on a regular basis, committing to seeing what emerges when they trust a creative process and each other. The project was funded by Arts Council England.

Individual ideas from the project have been developed collectively, and during the exhibition visitors are invited to contribute to the ongoing enquiry by writing a postcard, drawing a still life and performing at the open mic.

The night is an opportunity for people’s voices to be heard in a safe, trans-inclusive space.

Event Details
Date Thursday 7th September 2023
Time 18:00 – 20:00 including 15 minute interval
Location Phoenix Art Space, 10-14 Waterloo Place, Brighton and Hove, BN2 9NB
Tickets Entry is FREE. Tickets must be reserved in advance through Eventbrite

A Seat at the Table Community Takeover
Work created at SHIFT has included monoprints, large-scale and collaborative drawings, 360 video, performance, animation and playing with objects and words. Selected works will be on display in the Community Takeover Exhibition at Phoenix Art Space from 2 – 17 September (Wednesday – Sunday, 11.00 – 17.00). You can find more information about the exhibition and other associated events here.