Why curator Anoushka is in tune with art event’s New Dawn theme

GRAMMY-nominated musician Anoushka Shankar has spoken of being inspired by the theme of a ‘New Dawn’ for the Brighton Festival, which was inaugurated last Saturday (3).

The event is the largest annual curated multi-arts event in England, and Shankar is its guest director this year.

“In a world fraught with division, this festival exists as a beacon of unity. These gatherings ultimately uplift us all, creating pockets of harmony in our increasingly fractured world,” Shankar told Eastern Eye. “The theme – New Dawn – is deeply embedded throughout the festival.

Nadine Shah

“The phrase was the name of one of the songs on my three-album cycle I’ve been releasing right now, so it’s very much part of the themes I’ve been working on. It’s about what kind of new beginning we need for the world – what we need to let go of, and what we need to bring more of in.”

In addition to local talent, artists from India, the US, Australia, Peru and Italy will perform in some 120 events across music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film and literature, among others.

Shankar invited creatives including Arooj Aftab and Nadine Shah to take part in the festival. Other participants include Rebecca Solnit, Martin Parr, Max Cooper and Hofesh Shechter.

Arooj Aftab

She added, “When they asked me to curate, I felt it was a really timely and natural theme for a festival, because all the other artists can respond to that in their own ways.

“It’s about trying to create a festival of hope, new ideas and positivity as much as possible.

“For years now there have been many reasons to worry, to lose hope. But we have the power within us to create an alternate future.

“That’s what the Brighton Festival is about – let’s come together to reflect, lift each other up and act. This is a festival for everyone to participate in, to connect with, to feel part of. I can’t wait.”

She said, “There’s truly an incredible array of art forms. For anyone attending, there’s going to be something they love, or something they don’t know about yet that they will love. There’s enough to explore and be adventurous with, and enough that you know you’ll love.

“But also, I think the Brighton Festival has really done an amazing job of working with me on that theme, and it seems to have meaning. A lot of the work is about hope or new ideas or positivity and change. I think there’s a lot there for us.”

Shankar, 43 and a mother of two, was born in London and spent her childhood in the city as well as in New Delhi, India. She is the daughter of the late Indian sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Sukanya Rajan. Norah Jones, the American singer-songwriter, is her half-sister.

She will perform her album Chapter III: We Return to Light and co-host Brown Girl In The Ring with founder Sweety Kapoor. It showcases female talent with participants including Mona Arshi, Nikita Gill, Asha Puthli, Meera Syal and Indira Varma.

Shankar said, “The curator of Brown Girl in the Ring is a dear friend of mine, and I’ve been to most of their events. They usually centre around one brown female artist and their current work, and then use that to pick a theme and have lots of other artists come together. It’s always in a boxing ring and has a particular atmosphere that’s really fun and intimate.

“I wanted to see what would happen if we took that and elevated it into the stage space. She went into a much higher scale for this, and the line-up for this one evening is staggering.

“To have so many other artists taking part in one evening – I think it’s going to be really fun.”

Talking about community participation, Shankar said, “We have events for children and others where people can participate. There are some exhibitions where people can only see [the displays] if they are riding on the top deck of a bus, for example, as they are painted along the tops of surfaces.

“There’s a meditation walk early in the morning – where people literally go at dawn to be reflective.

“And of course, the How Dark It Is Before Dawn exhibition, which is going to have thousands of drawings by the public put together into one giant exhibition.

“All of that makes people feel a different sense of ownership of the art that they are watching or taking in. It makes it less removed and more about everybody.”

She added, “We’re doing community parties and some late-night dance events where people can really come together and dance and hang out. There are lots of outdoor events where people can be together. I think all of this creates a sense of community and togetherness in a way that’s really important.”

The Indian musician said more must be done to improve black and minority representation in the arts sector.

She said, “I think anything that’s done for black and minority ethnic representation is important. But, we’re a few years into these discussions, and we can see that in some places, institutions and situations, it feels a bit more like a box-tick, or it’s a little bit surface-level or tokenistic. And then there are some who are going deeper, who are really choosing to create truly inclusive spaces, or really open people’s eyes and minds to different perspectives and worlds, and that is exciting. When it’s the latter, it’s really exciting. I think there could be more.”

Shankar said she will perform all three of her albums during the festival. “Chapter one was about an initial difficulty, or a moment of pain, and how to be within that. Chapter two went a bit deeper into how you heal from that and how you move through that. That’s actually called How Dark It Is Before Dawn. Finally, chapter three is about returning to the light, like you’ve been through that night of difficulty and healing, and now you’re in a place of strength, power and joy. It’s about coming through that cycle. Whether that’s a personal thing or a global situation, it’s about coming into that space.”

With 30 years of performances and 11 Grammy nominations, Shankar has had a long and illustrious career. So how does she see the future of her music journey?

She said, “The music I make doesn’t really qualify within one genre. It’s hard to talk about it in terms of genre, because it’s so many things. But I can’t speak to the future. I think we have a very strong present. There are a lot of incredible artists making incredible work, whether it’s in preserving and bringing forward our traditions or in innovating and pushing further with the traditions. I think we’re in a good place, and I can’t wait to see what happens.”

She started curating events in 2021 with a festival in Hamburg, Germany, and now wants to take up more such roles, including in India.

“I think curation is almost like an extension of what I do in my own work – thinking of things that work well together, thinking of contrasts, trying new things.

“But it’s bigger than me – it goes beyond me into showcasing and platforming other artists. I really have enjoyed it, so my team knew I wanted to do more of it. And this is obviously on a whole different scale, as it’s a three-and-a-half week festival,” Shankar said.

The Brighton Festival, which opened on May 3, runs until May 26