Bradford 2025 ‘Built by Sound’ – Daytime clubbing nostalgia celebration and immersive show; Kala Sangam to Bradford Arts Centre (page 1/2)

The final phase for the year long City of Culture has begun and a new exhibition about a feature of South Asian youth life from the late 1960s to 1990s comes to the city later this month…

🔹 Daytime Clubbing between 1960-1990s to be marked in ‘Built by Sound’ – scripted by writer Nikesh Shukla

🔹 Also forthcoming shows at new Bradford Arts Centre – showcase Roma voices and Bharatanatyam, Reggae, and Qawwali – some performances are just £1 entry
Refurbished building once used to be old Post Office (built 1861) and then was council facility (St Peter’s House) and now transformed into £7.9m modern arts space, Bradford Arts Centre

🔹 Has rehearsal space at just £1 an hour

🔹 One part of the building (upstairs stage) was used by South Asian arts organisation Kala Sangam – one of the UK’s oldest South Asian arts groups, initially formed to promote Kathak dance

🔹 Founders tell www.asianculturevulture.com means to them to be part of transformation

🔹 Bradford Arts Centre now has 170 capacity ground floor theatre with full access; five rehearsal studios; meeting rooms, conference space, new Kala Sangam lounge decorated with local art; community radio station has home too

🔹 See interviews (Instagram) with senior executives leading makeover – Alex Croft (CEO), Amer Sarai (community engagement) and ‘Ifty’ Mohammed Iftikar (facilities manager)

🔹 Centre now has catchphrase, ‘Hiya, Love!’ and stressed accessibility and inclusivity on visit (see page 2)

🔹 Turner Prize Exhibition continues at Cartwright Hall and Art Gallery – winner of Britain’s most prestigious art accolade to be announced at Bradford Grammer School and alma mater of one of Britain’s best loved and known artists, David Hockney. His ‘20 Flowers and Some Bigger Pictures’ at Salts Mill till January 4.

WELL-KNOWN presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Anita Rani, filmmaker Shehani Fernando and writer Nikesh Shukla come together creatively to celebrate the culture of secret daytimers in the city, in ‘Built by Sound’.

From 1960s to the 1980s, nightclubs would open in the daytime to let mainly Asian kids dance, meet and have fun and party.

Narrated by Bradford-raised Rani ‘Built by Sound’ has personal testimonies, and uses archival footage from the era to paint a picture of a vibrant underground day time experience – all through the use of headsets.

There is an original score by DJ and music producer Provhat Rahman.

Audiences will use the headsets and be able to listen to the sounds of the time and be taken on a tour down memory lane with augmented reality graphics, film and oral histories.
It will open on November 21.

There will be photographs from the 1970s and viewers will even be able to ‘experience’ Tony Walker’s Belle Vue photography studio, “the streets of Bradford in the 80s and then onto the collective joy of secret daytimers parties” – a PR for the event told www.asianculturevulture.com.

‘Built by Sound’ aims to celebrate a movement that was about the power of music and community. (We will have more on ‘Built by Sound’ next week – make sure you follow acv socials to know when – choose your platform the top of the home page).

In the show, you will be able to experience these sounds and sights from Bradford of yesteryear at the Loading Bay (a pop-up venue created for Bradford 2025 events – see listing below).

Last month, Bradford Arts Centre opened – we were invited to take a tour and conduct interviews with senior managers who run the centre.

Jaivant Patel Company world premiered its groundbreaking dance work, ‘Astitva’ at the venue and this continued the legacy of Kala Sangam.

It was an organisation set up by married and now retired couple Dr Geetha and Dr Shripati Upadhyaya in 1993, to promote Kathak dance.

“We attended a few South Asian dance and music events and found that only a certain community were the audience.

“There were no locals or others from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community, and also no differently abled people.

“This made us think about how we can bring people together, especially those with health challenges.
“We were keen to use creativity to unite communities. Hence, we founded Kala Sangam (arts and confluence).”

The organisation used to run a third floor theatre space which had issues with audience access and artist facilities but was often used by South Asian artists and organisations looking to connect with Asians in the north east of Britain.

Dr Geetha who is visiting professor at the school of health and community Studies at Leeds Beckett University and is now based in Chennai and running a Dementia Care centre, told acv, that the transformation is part of evolution and growth “it’s a mix of nostalgia, pride and anticipation”.

“We hope that the growth will still be based on the founding values of inclusivity, creativity, innovation and excellence,” she told acv over email from India.

There is a pictorial tribute to Dr Geetha at Bradford Arts Centre with local graffiti artist Stewy creating a life-size stencil artwork near one of the dance studios on one of the upper floors.

On the ground there is also Sangam Lounge, recognising the building’s artistic legacy.

Inside the café/relaxation area is work by locally based artist, Razwan Ul-Haq. It is Arabic calligraphy inspired work in ‘Muthanna’ style that celebrates Bradford and is actually made with brickwork from Kala Sangam before that area of the building was transformed.

There is a new central staircase which Alex Croft, CEO of Bradford Arts Centre, told acv inspires him every morning and reminds him of a new dawn for Kala Sangam.

This £7.9m transformation was earmarked for opening as part of Bradford 2025 and is supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport through Art Council England, Cultural Development Fund, The National Lottery Heritgage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation and Bradford Council.

Bradford Arts Centre has a a new chair of trustees with Bradford-born and raised Shagufta Bibi, a marketing and communications directing taking up her new role on the centre’s opening. Also joining the board is Deepak Sharma, vice chair of Bradford Race Equality Network.

The new centre has the backing and support of several different South Asian dance groups, along with Jaivant Patel Company.

Jaivant Patel who is the founder and artistic director of Jaivant Patel Company, said: “The opening of Bradford Arts Centre is important not just for local but also for national dialogue with British-South Asian artists and their voices.”

See page 2 for more….https://asianculturevulture.com/bradford-2025-winter-update-our-visit-to-bradford-arts-centre-interview-references-and-final-exhibitions-continued-page-2/

Previously

Bradford Arts Centre interviews – https://www.instagram.com/p/DPrY5lQgtst

Turner Prize Exhibition and Salts Mill (Bradford 2025) https://www.instagram.com/p/DO_sKpcAp04