Elephant and Castle

Elefest 2009

2 October 2009

Elefest, the Elephant and Castle’s annual festival will be held between 14th- 18th October 2009. All events are free and don’t require a ticket. Elefest was established in 2003 to celebrate the cultural and creative diversity of the area and has become a permanent fixture on the cultural map of London.
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Wednesday 14th October
2.30pm-5pm
The Rockingham Community Centre
Falmouth Road SE1 6PQ

Amader Bhobishot - Our Futures presents Bengali One
An event for people of different generations, share your experiences with young people so they can learn about Bengali history. Free with light refreshments
Please let us know if you are coming 020 74031504
Please bring old photographs of you or the area if you have any!
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Thursday 15th October
6.30-8.30pm
Rockingham Community Centre Falmouth Road SE1 6RQ

Somali Poetry and Music Cultural evening
An evening of Somali Poetry and Music hosted by Professor Martin Arling and Dr M Hassan, of the School of Oriental and African Studies presenting both traditional and contemporary Somali poetry dealing with the culture of Somalia and family life, read in Somali and English. Somali Cuisine will also feature
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Friday 16th October
7-9pm
Siobhan Davies Studios
85 St George's Road, London, SE1 6ER

A Ritual for Elephant & Castle – Film Screening and Talk
Siobhan Davies Studios are pleased to present an evening of film and conversation as part of Elefest 2009. A Ritual for Elephant & Castle is a new documentary film which explores the transitions currently taking place in the South London neighbourhood. The documentary follows artist/shaman Marcus Coates as he sets out on a ‘Vision Quest’ in the heart of this South London neighbourhood, to search out animal spirits to help guide the local community through a period of change.

Involving local residents from the iconic Heygate Estate, Southwark councillors and a psychedelic doom rock orchestra called Chrome Hoof, the community and artists embarked on a journey into the depths of the neighbourhood in search of alternative ways to find solutions to a shared problem. The findings from the ‘Vision Quest’ were presented to the community via a rock-disco-shamanic-ritual at the legendary Coronet Theatre in June this year. At this one-off event for Elefest Siobhan Davies Studios present preview screenings of the film and performance at the Coronet alongside a talk with Michael Smythe (producer for Nomad), Marcus Coates and the writer Will Hodgkinson.

Reservations required, T: 020-7091-965
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Saturday 17th October
Groovy Movie Picture House – The world’s first solar powered cinema
Elephant Road Park
Elephant Road
SE17 1LB

11am – 1pm Early Years Elefest Extravaganza
Drop-In Early Years Music Workshops
Roll up! Roll up! Come down to the Big Top and get involved in some Elephant inspired music and movement workshops! Join musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Early Years music specialist Michele Wolfson for Elephant inspired music, rhythm games, Elephant dancing and stomping and Elephant stories! Suitable for 0-5 year olds. Children must be supervised at all times by a parent or carer. Workshops are free and no tickets are required.
Parents and children are welcome to join us at any time between 11am and 1pm.
Workshops will be approx. 30 minutes. Craft activities will also be available.
For more information, contact education@lpo.org.uk or 020 7840 4200
Don’t forget to pack your trunk!

1.30 Trombone Poetry
World music wordplay, free verse fanfares, binge thinking, bad news blues: global jazz trombonist Paul Taylor riffs up the Elefest. Visit www.trombonepoetry.com
for more info.

2.30 The General (Buster Keaton) Live re-score
To accompany Keaton's best, and arguably the greatest screen comedy ever made, Sebastiano Genovese has composed an original new score. This will be performed live on classical guitar to complement the slapstick of
Keaton's masterpiece set against meticulously evoked civil war background.

4.30 Metropolis (Fritz Lang) Live re-score by Serum Electronique
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a saviour to mediate their differences. The soundtrack is composed by Paul Hines who was a founder member of Test Dept and is also an integral part of Serum Electronique.

7pm Zero Le Crèche
Zero Le Crèche return to their former stomping ground and play their first live gig for 25 years. The 1980’s single ‘Last Year’s Wife’ remains one of the 50 top gothic rock tracks of all time and the original record highly collectable. The band split after several years but international interest led to the release of their 1st album, last year. Music critic Mick Mercer said ‘they could have taken over where Bauhaus left off. They had that same distinct and rare quality.’

8pm Don Letts presents: Carnival!
Grammy Award-winning director Don Letts returns to Elefest with his new film with a post screening Q&A. Carnival! documents the colourful history of Europe’s biggest street party, cutting together interviews with rare and unseen archive footage. Surprisingly it is the first definitive film about carnival in Notting Hill. Interviewed in the Independent on Sunday Don Letts says: “It felt like the right time to make this film – especially if you look at the cultural climate of today. The initial messages and motives from the instigation of the carnival are as important now, if not even more important.” Don Letts is credited with introducing Reggae to Punk. While admitting the early punks often did not know how to play their own instruments Letts sums up the raw creative energy value of the punk attitude in the interview below; “A good idea poorly executed is better than a bad idea perfected.” There is also rare footage of The Sex Pistols, The Slits and Bob Marley
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Sunday 18th October
Groovy Movie Picture House – The world’s first solar powered cinema
Elephant Road Park
Elephant Road
SE17 1LB

1 – 2pm B3 Media and Southwark Playhouse Present 60 SECONDS – Mobile Phone Film Festival and Open Mic Session
This summer, young interns at Southwark Playhouse and B3 Media ran a mobile phone film festival for 16 to 25 year-olds from the local area. Catch the award-winning short films created on the project at this extra Elefest screening.In case this isn’t enough entertainment for you, we’ll also be offering a 60 second open mic session for local performers. Get yourself down to the Groovy Movie Cinema Tent on Sunday afternoon if you’re a poet, a musician, a dancer, or you just have something (short) to say. All performers get a prize!

2.30 New Elephant Varieties
The New Elephant Variety show featuring Mishka and her fabulous belly dancing troupe, hilarious left field comedy from Ant the Rant, Kwali the snake charmer and many more hosted by Tony England aka green man.

5.00 Nigel of Bermondsey
Nigel walks the streets of Bermondsey finding inspiration wherever he goes, be it the Zeppelin raids over Burgess Park, or kids pulling wheelies on the Old Kent Road. His first album sold 30 copies and he is hoping to do even better with his second album (released in 2010) Nominated for best newcomer 2009 Xfm
"An absorbing and intriguing debut."Independent4/5
"A wide-eyed wonderment" – Clash Magazine

6.00 Charlie’s Return
The Kitchen Collective presents the premier of a multi-media film and live score event featuring Charlie Chaplin’s ghost, he returns to East Street at dawn to observe the ever changing environs and landscape of Walworth, Elephant & Castle and other parts of Southwark.

7.00 Cage and Aviary
Part man, part machine, part cockatiel, Cage & Aviary take flights of fancy whenever they can. Jamie Paton is a DJ, a one-finger keyboardist, and a pot-tickler. Nigel of Bermondsey is a musician, South London’s finest oscillator, and a dedicated dabbler. Together they are winners of the cosmic lottery.

8.30 Top Cats
Originally formed in south east London march ‘98 playing SKA *Rocksteady & Reggae with original material the T.C.s have brought a Dynamic Ska show into the C21st. Over the years T.Cs have played numerous Festivals & events including Glastonbury, Womad, Southbank, Coin Street, Respect & Notting hill as well as taking their original sound all around the globe.

Elefest closing party hosted by Corsica Studios:

FURTHER presents
TURZI
THE OSCILLATION
WHITE NOISE SOUND

Sunday October 18th
7.30 pm till late

Corsica Studios
5 Elephant Road
London
SE17 1LB

FURTHER is a new night brought to you by Corsica Studios and Vernal Fulcrum. It is an off shoot of our Baba Yaga’s Hut live music program and will focus solely on the more psychedelic, acid-drenched side of music and electronica. For more info visit www.corsicastudios.com or call 0207 703 4760