Second animation

Kain Leo has now finished work on her second animation and she has sent me the film plus a few screenshots. The subject is a continuation of the first short film - Mr Aslom Miah's story of leaving Bangladesh for England and, in particular, the terrible wrench of having to leave his mother. 

The film is another colourful and delightful animation - but tinged with the sadness of this particular memory of his childhood.

Animations

One of the most exciting strands of our Different Moons programme has been creating short animated films inspired by the interviews we've made with some of the first generation of immigrants to Rossendale from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

We've now made 10 films, created by wide range of animators. The latest two films have been very exciting, created by a young Chinese animator Kain Leo, who based her films on the story of Mr Aslom Miah and his journey from Bangladesh to Rossendale as a young man. Above we have three screen shots from her two films.

Our plan is to launch all of the films in 2016, when they will be part of a brand new Different Moons website, alongside the publication of a book of poetry and other writings by the participants in our creative writing workshops. We'll also be delivering the collected interviews and transcriptions and presenting them to local history libraries and North West Archives.

Masterclasses

It's a busy time for the Different Moons programme, and for the Apna Drop-In Centre in Haslingden in particular. 

Today there's a meeting with the designers who will help us put together the Different Moons website. There's also work beginning on a performance that will grow out of the DM project, particularly the stories that we've recorded from the first immigrants to Rossendale from South Asia.  Bob Frith and Shamshad Khan are working together on various approaches and ideas to develop this.

But the main current focus is on the Apna, where master calligrapher Hst al-Awaidi (above) has arrived this morning from Oman. This weekend we're planning to hang a selection of his calligraphy work, and over the next month Awaidi will be holding masterclasses in Liverpool, Manchester and at the Apna. 

The Apna classes are planned for the weekends of the 24/25th October and 31st Oct/1st November. For more information contact 01706 210335.

Sholay at the Boo!

After a great weekend at the Apna with London Bangladeshi artist Rahima Begum as part of the Rossendale Art Trail we're really delighted to be starting a great season of Bollywood classics.

These start at the Boo in Waterfoot on Saturday 10th October at 6.30pm. These are films suitable for the whole family and they come with free Asian snacks in the interval. 

Tickets are £5 and £3 for concessions - you can order on-line through the Boo shop (www.horseandbamboo.org) , or phoning 01706 220241 - or just pay at the door on Saturday. 

The first of the classic films starring Amitabh Bachchan is the all-time classic SHOLAY, loosely based on 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. Don't miss it!

Art at the Apna

For a short period only there's a new exhibition at the Apna in support of PEACE ONE DAY. The show consist of three striking images by Jalal Abdin and Saif Mistaul Ali, both young artists studying at Huddersfield and Liverpool Universities respectively.  

The Apna itself is closed over Eid but reopens at the weekend - come and visit to see these powerful works. They will only be on show until Thursday 1st October when we will be hanging work by Rahima Begum which will open for the Rossendale Art Trail weekend. 

Worth mentioning too that the Chand Raat and Eid Bazaar held last Friday was an enormous success, with over 200 ladies attending and the little Apna bursting at the seams! Thank you so much to everyone who helped or took part.

Eid Mubarak!

A future for the Apna?

The Apna programme has now been planned right through to the first day of November when the rental agreement for the Apna as a pop-up space ends.

There are 44 events being planned during this period, ranging from Guided Walks to Calligraphy Masterclasses; from World Braid workshops to a special Eid Bazaar and Mela.

The activities calendar only went public last Sunday, but already many of the classes have been fully booked. Arry is busy organising the timetable and signing-up participants (above).

When we decided to try a pop-up centre, with a focus on providing activities for local South Asian women, it was very much an experiment. I'm astonished at just how quickly it has proven there to be a need, and how enthusiastic people are about what's on offer. It's a great credit to Arry Nessa and her small team of helpers.

Now we're having to make some calculations and decisions about whether the Apna has a future...

A stock-take

Now that we're in September there are just 6 months left of the Different Moons project or, rather, 6 months left of the work funded by the Heritage Lottery under that title. So, inevitably it's time for a stock-take in order to make some decisions about the immediate future of the work - and beyond.

The interviews 

We've completed the main body of interviews with first-generation immigrants (from Pakistan and Bangladesh) to Rossendale, and transcribing these is almost completed. The transcriptions will be bound into folders during the next few months and donated to local libraries and archives, along with the original audio files.

The animations

Short animated films are being made of extracts from some of the interviews. So far there are 6 films completed or almost completed. We expect to double this number by early 2016. They will form part of a Different Moons website when the project is completed. 

Workshops

Our programme of training and other workshops is now finished. It's been brilliantly successful and the resulting artwork, mainly in the form of poetry, are being gathered together in the form of a 100-page book to be published in March 2016.

The events programme

In the Autumn of 2014 we held a number of events to celebrate the Different Moons project and announce the DM exhibition at the Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery. This year we'll do something similar in order to spread the word about our book launch. We're planning a mela and a music event at Haslingden Community Link, as well as a special Book Launch mushaira. We're also beginning a season of Bollywood films at the newly renovated Boo, down the Valley in Waterfoot.

The Apna

The Apna has grown out of the Different Moons Events programme, It's an intimate community space and gallery and to a large extent it is carrying on the work of DM workshop and events programmes. Situated in a small shop premises right in the centre of Haslingden, it is (half-way through) a three-month experiment in creating a community centre, focused on the needs of local South Asian women. So far it has been an outstanding success, and we will soon be having to decide on whether to extend this work. It has to some extent already taken on a life of its own since Arry Nessa, who has coordinated and brilliantly managed the Apna, has received a grant from the Arts Council for her work at the centre.

A performance

Shamshad Khan, who has led the Different Moons project, and Bob Frith, who devised and has overseen the work, are currently working together on creating a touring performance inspired by the project. This is still in its early days, but the hope is to create a show incorporating poetry, puppetry, film and story-telling.