Past Event
Access requirements
Whitechapel Gallery is committed to making all of our events as accessible as possible for every audience member. Please contact access@whitechapelgallery.org if you would like to discuss a particular request and we will gladly discuss with you the best way to accommodate it.
Information about access on site at the gallery is available here https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/visit/access/
This includes information about Lift access; Borrowing wheelchairs & seating; Assistance Animals; Parking;
Toilets and baby care facilities; Blind & Partially Sighted Visitors; Subtitles and transcripts; British Sign Language (BSL) and hearing induction loops; Deaf Messaging Service (DMS).
About This Event
This event takes place in the Fierce and Fearless installation in Gallery 5 at Whitechapel Gallery, located on floor 1A and is accessible via stairs and lift.
This event lasts approximately 2 hours. Attendees are encouraged to take as many breaks as they need during the event.
You must book a ticket to attend the event.
We are unable to provide British Sign Language interpretation for this event
We are unable to provide live closed captioning or CART for this event.
Transport
To the best of our knowledge, there are no planned disruptions to local transport on the date of the event.
Our nearest train station – Aldgate East Underground (1 min) is not wheelchair accessible. The closest wheelchair accessible stations are Whitechapel (15 min), Shoreditch High Street (15 min) or Liverpool Street (15 min).
Free parking for Blue Badge holders is available at the top of Osborn Street in the pay and display booths for an unlimited period. Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis.
This event is now fully booked. Please contact infodesk@whitechapelgallery.org or call +44 (0)20 7522 7888 to be added to the waitlist.
Inspired by the tales of fearless female protagonists emblazoned on Joy Gregory’s Fierce and Fearless installation, the British Bilingual Poetry Collective present a family-friendly storytelling and drawing session, centring on trailblazing Bengali writer, educator, and social reformer Begum Rokeya.
In this session led by poets and storytellers Shamim Azad and Farah Naz, they will weave together oral histories and stories in English, Sylheti and Bengali to embody the spirit of Rokeya’s work, including her famous celebrated feminist science fiction tale, Sultana’s Dream.
Written in 1905, Sultana’s Dream imagines a scientifically advanced utopia, where women are free from structural oppression and patriarchal norms. Rokeya’s championship of women’s empowerment and education at a time when women’s rights were restricted was crucial in contributing towards a wider narrative shift towards social equality.
In the session, visitors of all ages will be immersed in the world of Rokeya through stories, poetry and drawing activities.
This is a family-friendly and intergenerational storytelling event – people of all ages are welcome to come along!
This event accompanies our current exhibition Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey and takes place within Gregory’s Fierce and Fearless textile installation.
BBPC (British Bilingual Poetry Collective) is made of poets and poetry lovers, with a focus on multilingual sharing of poetry for the purpose of mental wellbeing and community building. We use poetry as a tool alongside very accessible English to expand on intergenerational connections, explore and celebrate the multicultural heritage of the London-wide community. Our work involves performance, writing, translation and publication. We are a Community Interest Company based in East London.
Shamim Azad is a bilingual author, poet and storyteller. She has performed at venues ranging from the Covent Garden Poetry Café to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She worked for the Cultural Olympiad 2012 as a storyteller for House Mill Museum and Bromley by Bow Centre. She has published 37 books in English and Bengali, has received many recognitions including a residency with A Poet’s Agora in Athens and Community Award by National Lottery 2020 UK.
Farah Naz is a bilingual poet/writer, storyteller, translator and Teacher. She also is a performing member of the acclaimed storytelling group ‘EAST’ and the Deputy Director of the British Bilingual Poetry Collective (BBPC).
