Kala Sangam Commissions Artists to Create Heritage Inspired Artworks for Bradford Arts Centre.
As part of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Kala Sangam’s arts centre, the company can today reveal three commissions it has made for new artwork to hang throughout the redeveloped Bradford Arts Centre.
Commissioned thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, these new works, by some of the most exciting artists in the region, will be inspired by the heritage and history of both Kala Sangam and St Peter’s House.
Bradford-based Visual Artist Razwan Al-Huq has been working with Kala Sangam staff to develop a new piece of calligraphy that will use tinctures made from the very bricks of the building itself.
Turbynes (Rosie Freeman and Marf Kean) are developing a new soundscape that incorporates materials from Kala Sangam’s 30-year archive and reflections on the life of St Peter’s House.
The third commission will see Kala Sangam partnering with Bradford College to award a first professional commission to a final year student on their Level 6 BA (Hons) Art and Design course. After initial shortlisting, three candidates will be selected to develop their concept before pitching to a panel led by secondary school students from Carlton Bolling Academy’s Arts Council.
St Peter’s House, which served as Bradford’s General Post Office until the 1960s, has been home to Kala Sangam since 2008. The building is currently undergoing major works to create a new theatre space, five new rehearsal studios and a home for BCB Radio. The redevelopment will also address significant access issues, with two new lifts and an easy to find main entrance and foyer. It will reopen, as Bradford Arts Centre, in Summer 2025 as a milestone event in the City of Culture programme.
Alex Croft, Creative Director of Kala Sangam said, ‘Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have been able to commission three incredible artists. As we look forward to an exciting future, I’m glad that the rich pasts of both Kala Sangam and our beautiful Grade II listed building are going to be so prominently on display throughout the building.’
‘As well as working with established artists Razwan Ul-Haq and Rosie Freeman and Marf Kean from Turbynes, we’re all looking forward to working with Bradford College to commission one of their final year students. As these commissions celebrate our history, this piece also puts the voices of Bradford’s future front and centre.’
Sara Sutton from Bradford College said, ‘We are thrilled to collaborate with Kala Sangam on this exciting commission, which offers our Higher Education Art and Design students a remarkable opportunity to showcase their creativity and skills. This project not only allows our students to engage with a professional panel, gaining invaluable industry experience, but also challenges them to present their art in a competitive, real-world context. Being part of the selection process and potentially having their work featured in Kala Sangam’s new building provides a unique platform for our students. This exposure is instrumental for their artistic careers and personal growth. We eagerly anticipate the innovative designs our students will propose, reflecting the dynamic and diverse nature of our art school community.’
Rosie Freeman said, ‘As Bradford’s General Post Office and as a multi-cultural arts centre, St Peter’s house has long been a site of communication and process. We’re inspired to develop work which explores the personal, local and global stories which have and continue to flow through the building.’
Razwan said, ‘I feel very privileged and excited to be able to create a piece of Art for the new centre; I’ve already done quite a bit of work on it and have been fortunate enough to meet staff of Kala Sangam for an Arabic Workshop which we all enjoyed. What I particularly like about this commission is the artistic freedom I have been given.’
