Moving Southwark

Moving Southwark is a series of eleven stills and one video work derived from a film of the same title Moving Southwark in UK-based artist Jevan Chowdhury's project entitled Moving Cities*.

Commissioned by the Arts Council England, Moving Southwark is a magical realist take on Southwark, one of 33 London Boroughs and one of the oldest parts of London. Abandoned by the Romans, for centuries Southwark (also known as Suthriganaweorc) was a haven for criminals and free traders for centuries which was outside the city's jurisdiction. In 2015, inspired by the history of the borough, Chowdhury unearthed some of these stories and translated them into dance, creating the short film Moving Southwark .

Narrated by Nadine Marshall, with a score by composer Danny Odom, the film presents 24 modern day commuters possessed by a dark past. Each dancer performs on the ground, dancing in the streets of London. "Cities like dreams are made of desires and fears. " says Marshall through the end of the film, highlighting the emotive side of the city. The supporting still photographs capture the dancers in and around the borough of Southwark, taking viewers deeper into London, into its tube stations, bus stations, from the Barbican to Swiss Cottage, giving peculiar details of what makes the City of London what it is. Several contemporary dance organisations including the English National Ballet take part in the series. The film Moving Southwark was made possible by funding from the Arts Council England, Bermondsey Square and Institution of Civil Engineers.

*Moving Cities renews urban spaces and transforms them into permanent theatrical installations. The project offers a deeper insight into familiar settings, presenting local people and architecture as part of one cityscape. As an ongoing project, Moving Cities seeks to meld together community, artists and architecture, and to redefine and humanise transient spaces. Iterations of the project have been created in cities around the world including Hong Kong, Barcelona, Dallas, Yerevan, and Paris.

Credits
Writer & Creator Jevan Chowdhury
Film Direction by Jevan Chowdhury & Produced by Rosie Wells
Narrated by Nadine Marshall
Choreographer Assistant: Kai Tomioka
Sound Engineer: Andrew Hughes
Colourist: Hatice Özbayır
DOP Charlie Herranz
Camera Assistant: Sonia Rodriguez
Sound Recordist: Daniel Jaramillo
Production Driver: Jamie De’ath Music by Danny Odom

Dancers
Laura Croom
Megan Pay
Brittanie Dillon
Grace Jabbari
David Gellura
Bronte Levine
Courtney George
Gareth Mole
Megan Griffiths
Emma Farnell Watson
Tom and Jill
Donncha Kearney
Emily Smith
Mari Ishida
Saleh El Brogy
Christina Koulouma
Desiree Ballantyne
Bryony Harrison
Shaun Mendum
Stephanie Tam
Omari Carter
Bun Kobayashi
Ellie Fergusan
Emily Tanaka
Sau Ching Wong
Pepa Yepes

Special Thanks
Lottie Coombes, English National Ballet
Ruby Wolk, English National Ballet
Carol Been, English National Ballet
Sophie Winnard, Central School of Ballet
Grace Campbell, Rambert School of Ballet
Christopher Webster, Tate Modern
Claudia Conway, Shakespeare’s Globe
Matthew Couper, Southwark Council
Richard Scantlebury and Gary Foulds, Bermondsey Square
Miranda Housden , İnstitution of Civil Engineers
Jan De Schynkel, Arts Council England
Beth Cinamon, Tavaziva
Hannah O’Sullivan, Hamilton Hodell
Goldsmiths Pub, Southwark
Port of London Authority
More London Authority
More London Estates
Camera Works
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