Creative Crawley presents
Right Here Festival
A celebration of the creativity and vibrancy of Crawley in a free festival of spoken word, dance, photography, film, DJing and a live talk with Grace Saif from13 Reasons Why
29th & 30th January 2021
Online and locations around Crawley
@CreativeCrawley | #RightHere | www.creativecrawley.com
Taking place in a shop in County Mall, the Museum, online and on the streets of Crawley, this two-day festival will showcase the talent and creativity of the town in more than 20 events.
From DJing on doorsteps to audio tours, to storytelling for toddlers and sing-a-long for people with dementia, from writing to photography to a light sculpture installation, the festival represents and caters to the diverse talents and tastes of the community, as well as curious audiences from elsewhere in the online programme.
Curated by Crawley born-and-raised Louise Blackwell and West Sussex artist Sinead Emery, the festival is split into four sections:
Happenings: events happening all over town, including 12 new light sculptures, a stunning visual art window display entirely made of donated objects, an audio tour with recorded stories about local people’s favourite walks, a history of the music of Crawley and live streamed poetry and music.
Workshops: interactive sessions for people of all ages, from storytelling for toddlers, creative writing for mums of young children and sing-a-longs for people with dementia
Talks & Film: young people including Crawley Community Youth Services and Manor Green College have created films to be shown online, and creatives of Crawley including actress Grace Saif (Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why) and drag queen Seb Livingstone will talk about what inspires them and how they got into a career in the arts.
In Your Home: live music streamed direct to your home from Songbirds Virtual Choir and Dormans Youth Arts Centre, and DJing taking place across at least ten different streets in the town. There will also be a recipe of the day to follow along with, and the Crawley Camera Club share their 2020 images.
Speaking about the festival, participating artist Sarah Maple said “Crawley has especially taken a hit during 2020 so I am really excited to have this festival as something to lift our spirits and get our creativity flowing. We have a lot of community spirit and talent here and I can’t wait to see it shine!”
Katie Gledhill, Principal Librarian – “We know that Crawley has been really hard hit by the pandemic and so the positive investment in the town, that Creative Crawley and the Right Here Festival represent, feels urgent, hopeful and very welcome.”
Vicki Illingworth, Principal, Crawley College and Creative Crawley advisory group member “The Right Here Festival is an exciting and innovative showcase of arts and culture across Crawley. There are so many creative, skilled and talented groups and individuals in our community, Creative Crawley is passionate about showcasing breadth and depth of artistry and opening imaginative opportunities to engage more people. The programme is vibrant and dynamic – we’re looking forward to January!”
Creative Crawley is a grouping of local stakeholders who aim to place creativity at the heart of Crawley. The town has faced significant challenges in 2020, in part because of its links to the fortunes of the airline industry; the festival will celebrate the spirit and resilience of its people, connecting local organisations such as libraries, youth groups and shops to benefit the wider community.
Listings information
29 – 30 Jan – all day
FREE
Online and various venues
Fully Booked: Recommended book of the day by Crawley Library 29 & 30 Jan, all day
TALK | Online
Tune in to hear a book recommendation from Crawley library.
People’s Pathways by LPK Learning, Sinéad Emery & Gaz Tomlinson 29& 30Jan, all day
HAPPENING | Audio trail, different locations in Crawley
Local people have recorded stories about their favourite walks in Crawley since March 2020. Download the stories and listen to them on your own walk, at your leisure.
Lockdown Looking Glass by LPK Learning, Crawley Museum & Rachel Cowell
29& 30Jan 10am – 7pm
HAPPENING | Art exhibition, County Mall shop
Local people have donated objects and visual artist Rachel Cowell has made them into a stunning visual art exhibition in a shop window to remember the things that remind us of lockdown.
Awakening by Same Sky 29& 30Jan 10am – 7pm
HAPPENING | Light sculpture exhibition, County Mall shop
Crawley favourites Same Sky commissioned artists to produce12 new light sculptures that represent their lives since March 2020 and they will be on display in a shop window.
Capturing Lockdown by LPK Learning, Woodard Photography, Crawley Museum and Sinead Emery 29& 30Jan, 3pm – 8pm
HAPPENING | Photography projections on buildings in Crawley
Photos taken by local people since March 2020 will appear on different buildings in Crawley – can you find them?
Cultural Kitchen: Recipe of the Day by Diverse Crawley 29& 30Jan, all day
IN YOUR HOME | Online (recorded)
Join local residents as they share their cultural recipes with you online including recipes from Poland, Nigeria, Portugal and England.
2020 Photography by Crawley Camera Club 29& 30Jan, all day
IN YOUR HOME | Online (recorded)
An online exhibition of images taken and individually selected by members of Crawley Camera Club in 2020.
Songbirds Virtual Choir 29& 30Jan, all day
IN YOUR HOME | Online (recorded)
Songbirds all female choir haven’t been able to meet in person for a while, but since March they have worked together online. Tune in to listen to their songs.
Music in Crawley & Crawley Writers’ Circle 29& 30Jan, 10.30am – 4pm
HAPPENING | Exhibition, Crawley Museum
An exhibition celebrating the history of music in Crawleyplus a 24 page booklet of prose and poetry written by members of Crawley Writer’s Circle in 2020.
29th January
Creative Café by Culture Shift & Crawley College 29Jan, 9.30am
WORKSHOP | Online (live)
A workshop for Crawley College students about how to enter the creative industries featuring local successful creative professionals.
Baby Rhyme Time by Crawley Library 29Jan, 10.30am
WORKSHOP | Online (recorded)
Sing a long workshop for babies, toddlers and their parents from Crawley library.
Story Magic: What Am I? by Crawley Library 29Jan, 11am
WORKSHOP | Online (recorded)
Aimed at children with additional needs, this is a sensory Storytime from Crawley library.
We Are Manor Green College by Manor Green College and Carousel 29Jan, 1.45pm
FILM | Online (recorded and live)
A short film showcasing life in a special school during an extraordinary year celebrating the talent and abilities of the students.
Crawley Creatives talk by Annie Bowden from The Posh Club 29Jan, 4pm
TALK | Online (live)
Annie is co-founder of The Posh Club which was invented in Crawley for her Mum who was in her 80s and feeling a bit lonely
Crawley Creatives talk by Sebastian Livingstone 29Jan, 4.30pm
TALK | Online (live)
Sebastian, or as he’s known around Crawley – Sebrina is a twenty three year old drag queen who has resided in Crawley for twenty two years. He’s been dressing and performing as a drag queen for three years. Crawley has a small, but rich and vibrant queer scene which he hopes to draw more attention to. It’s an important part of his art, and of his character… and who doesn’t love a sickening pair of heels?
Crawley Creatives talk by Grace Saif 29 Jan, 5pm
TALK / online (live)
Grace Saif is an actress, best known for her role as Ani Achola in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, She was born and raised in Crawley. Trained at RADA she’s tipped as a rising star.
No Need to Hug to Share the Love by CCYS 29Jan, 6pm
FILM | Online
A film sharing the creativity of young people who work with Crawley Community Youth Services.
Doorstep DJs, by Tons of Sound & local DJs 29Jan, 7pm
IN YOUR HOME | Music, ten streets in Crawley
A 20 minute DJ set on your doorstep in ten streets around Crawley.
30th January
Melody for the Mind by Crawley Library 30Jan, 11am
WORKSHOP | Online (recorded)
Sing-a-long with Crawley library for those living with dementia.
Writing around the kids by Anna Jefferson and New Writing South 30Jan, 11am
WORKSHOP | Online (live)
A creative writing workshop for mothers with young children.
Dance Hub TV Watch Party, local dance schools and Dance Hub TV 30Jan, 4pm
FILM | Online (recorded and live)
Tune in to witness short films made by local dance schools since March 2020.
Lockdown Made Me…by Woodzy and Sinead Emery 30Jan, throughout the day
HAPPENING | Performance, venue TBC
Teenagers have written spoken word poetry about their experience of lockdown with professional spoken word poet Woodzy which will be performed in a location in Crawley passersby.
Festival Finale: Live Bands from Dormans Youth Arts Centre 30Jan, 7.30pm
IN YOUR HOME | Music, online (live)
A live streamed gig showcasing local pop and rock bands. Spoken word poetry and world music from young people and adults from Crawley.
Funded by Arts Council England, Crawley Festival, Sussex Community Foundation, Crawley Town Centre BID, Crawley Borough Council