Since 2009, Border Crossings has run the ORIGINS Festival: a space in London for the sharing of Indigenous cultures from around the world. Partners have included leading Indigenous artists and organisations from across the world, and a range of prestigious London venues, from the British Museum and British Library to Shakespeare's Globe and the Southbank Centre.
During 2021-22, we ran an extended ORIGINS Festival which focused on the themes of Covid, Climate Change and Colonialism. The pandemic prevented us from bringing large numbers of Indigenous artists to the UK for our usual two-week celebration, so instead we asked ourselves what our decade of Festivals has taught us - how we can learn from Indigenous cultures and incorporate their valuable principles into our own lives without appropriating. The Festival reached out into communities across the UK and beyond, developing new interfaces between online and physical activity, between Indigenous artists and British audiences.
Activities included:
- The journey of TOTEM LATAMAT to Cop26
- Our extensive Participation and Learning programme around plants and food: BOTANY BAY
- Jessie Lloyd's residency and installation, SONGSTREETS
- A ceremonial dance project for Birmingham 22: REMEMBRANCES
Explore the 2021-22 ORIGINS Festival Programme.
Going forward, ORIGINS events will include collaborations with Indigenous artists, educational and heritage work, commissions, dialogues and creative exchanges. THE MOUTH OF THE GODS represented a first example of this new approach in 2024.
