Streatham Hill is host to ASC studios, home to more than 40 artists and a hot bed of talent. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the artists there and enjoying what they have to offer on Friday. Never one to miss the opportunity to promote what Streatham, Balham, Brixton, Clapham and Tulse Hill have to offer, I have posted a selection of photos from the Open Studios event held there over the weekend below.

The works of Ann Pownall, the photographer - www.annpownall.com.

Chatting with Urban Art top honcho, Tim Sutton in his studio, surrounded by his paintings of the patrons and staff of the Streatham Bingo Hall - www.timothysutton.com.

Admiring the work of Shiroma Ratne - www.shiromaratne.com.

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Last Sunday Chuka spoke at Love Difference, a festival that took place at the Cargo music venue in East London that involved discussions, film and live music, aimed at promoting relations between, in particular, recent migrants to London from those states which joined the European Union in 2004 (including Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, and others) and the more settled populations.  The Festival also explored the political and artistic issues surrounding immigration and cultural exchange. 

The London leg of the festival is part of a one-off series of exceptional and unique all day long mini-festivals in London, Northampton and Bristol, organised with European Alternatives to mark the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Chuka was asked to speak in part because Streatham is one of the most multicultural constituencies in the country, but also because of his own diverse background. In Streatham, 35.7% of the population is non white and 22.6% of the population is African and/or Caribbean. There are also long established Polish, Portuguese and Hispanic communities, in addition to newer, growing East African communities.  You can view photos of the London festival event here: Love Difference, Cargo.

You can  watch the accompanying video for the Festival below.

The Streatham Artists Summer Open Studios 2008 gives you the rare opportunity to buy work direct from the best of local up-and-coming contemporary artists.  Work on show at 47c Streatham Hill will include paintings, photographs, print making and sculpture.

Streatham Artists Open Studios are always eagerly anticipated, and this summer there is a whole weekend of opportunity to see this diverse range of contemporary creativity.

Chuka Umunna is proud to support this exciting local event and will be attending the preview, to which everyone is welcome, on Friday evening between 6 and 8:30pm.  If you can’t make it then, don’t worry - the studios are also open this Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

With all kinds of artwork included, from the pretty to the provocative and from landscapes to strange shapes, there is definitely something for everyone in the heart of Streatham Hill.  For more information visit the Streatham Artists website.  So see you there!

Gareth Williams

Last weekend, Tooting Bec Common played venue to the first annual Carnival of the local areas, Balham, Streatham and Tooting. The carnival was a complete charity fundraiser for 4 chosen charities - Re-Play Music (Merton Abbey Mills), Raw Material Music and Media (Brixton), and the Friends of the Neo Natal Unit at St. George’s Hospital (Tooting) - all with a focus on improving the lives of children in South London. The event certainly proved to be a family crowd puller. As Saturday’s sunshine rays scorched the grass beneath them, revelers bathed in the heat while listening to live acts, eating Carribbean jerk chicken, sipping rum punch and evidently enjoying the community vibe.

Two stages continuously hosted more than 40 live bands and DJs, both locally bred and from the international circuit. One group helping to give community support to up and coming talent were given the opportunity to showcase their members on the smaller of the two stages. What started as a few pre-positioned bystanders soon became a significant audience, giving welcomed appreciation to the young acts.

Despite the downpour on Sunday morning, the carnival did not fail in producing some phenomenal soul vocals, punk beats and, amongst others, the eagerly awaited acoustic wonder of Rodney Branigan – ‘a sensational instrumentalist and singer-songwriter who… [has a] show-stopping ability to play two guitars simultaneously to awe-inspiring standards’ (www.CroydonGuardian.co.uk)

Besides the kids’ area, fully equipped with fun fair, music and art workshops, and nearby face painting, a small collection of local businesses and charities offered their festival wares and services to the carnival punters. Bargain fashion sunglasses and Bikram Yoga were amongst some of the delights on offer. A great mix of organic, halal and exotic food stalls also added to the true communal representation of diversity within the locality.

The carnival sponsors should be commended for their breadth of thought in securing such a wealth of volunteer support, which helped recycling and waste reduction throughout the weekend. The bank of fluorescent bibbed rubbish collectors added to the sense of wellbeing and sustainability.

A thorough success from the eyes of a debutant punter - the Balham and Tooting Carnival should be the start of something special, a South London special!

Chichi Umunna

Last week the fantastic “Urban Art” fair on Josephine Avenue took place and had its most successful year ever despite the credit crunch, Brixton tube station being closed all weekend and Herne Hill being closed on Sunday. Selected pictures of the event are below.

Locally based artist, Paul Anthony Smith, exhibits his paintings.  More information on his work can be found at www.pasartwork.com.

Enjoying the sun with one of the organisers.  We are standing near Priscilla Watkins work (not pictured), which particularly caught my eye - you can see her work at www.priscillawatkinsart.co.uk.  

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There are some great cultural events happening locally this weekend which I want to plug. Urban Art, the bustling art fair showcasing new and exciting work from over ninety UK artists (which I have already written about here), takes place on Josephine Avenue just off Brixton Hill from 10am tomorrow (Saturday).

There is also the annual Lambeth Country Show on Brockwell Park which this year is headlined by one of my favourite artists - Nu Soul legend, Omar. Who can forget Omar’s seminal first album, “There’s nothing like this”, released in 1990. Omar has been a huge influence on the soul music fraternity both here and in the US. Internationally acclaimed artists such as Eryka Badu, D’Angelo and others often cite him as one of their inspirations.

Anyone in doubt of the high esteem in which Omar is held need only look at some of those who collaborated on his latest album, “Sing”: Stevie Wonder, Estelle, Angie Stone and Common. To top it off, he’s a South London boy and is often seen around and about in Streatham. Omar will be appearing on the main stage at the Lambeth Country Show at 6pm on Saturday.

The fabulous Streatham Festival has started! In its sixth year, the Festival is full of music, comedy, drama, storytelling, film, dance and much more. I’m sure everyone in the area is tremendously grateful to Patricia Sauer, the Chair of the Streatham Festival Association, and her team for putting on this fantastic event.

As Patricia says, “Streatham was once full of great places to enjoy the theatre, music and comedy and was home to many world-class performers.
“The festival helps keep that spirit alive by nurturing new and emerging talent”.

I had the pleasure of being invited to a private showing of local artist, Tim Sutton’s “Bingo Girls” exhibition last night, which features in the Festival and which I thought really captured the spirit of this place – outgoing, eclectic and multicultural. “Bingo Girls” is a portrait exhibition celebrating the Streatham Bingo Hall and the people paying for it’s preservation (ie. the bingo players who frequent the building). I am pictured with one of the wonderful bingo ladies who features in the exhibition next to her picture.

For more info on Bingo Girls click here, and for more info on the Streatham Festival which carries on until next Sunday, click here.

I am a huge fan of the arts in general and made no secret of that fact during my campaign to become Labour’s parliamentary candidate in Streatham. Not only do I enjoy the arts myself but I also think they provide a fantastic outlet for the boundless energy of our young people in need of things to do outside of school time.

There are so many unsung heroes in the arts who have lived or still live in this parliamentary constituency. Our MP for Streatham, Keith Hill, even shared a flat here with the well known comedian and actor, Eddie Izzard a while back!  Another collection of unsung heroes in the arts are the organisers of Urban Art, led by Tim Sutton, which will be held on 19 and 20 July 2008 on Josephine Avenue, just off Brixton Hill, between 10am and 6pm.

As the residents of Josephine Avenue put it:
“For the seventh year running our sleepy, tree-lined, South London avenue will be transformed into a bustling art fair showcasing new and exciting work from over ninety UK artists. Exhibited pieces will include paintings, mixed-media, photographs and print-making with costs ranging from under £10 to over £1,000. It’s an art buyer’s dream.”
…and, unbelievably, the event is free!  It has my full support and I would highy recommend visiting it in just over a month’s time.