Friday 4 July 2008

Late at Tate presents an evening of film, music and talks culminating with the spectacular vocal talents of Palestinian singer Reem Kelani described by Guardian as "a technical marvel".

General Information

Main pay bar in Room 9 on Level 2 18.00-21.30

Pay bar in the Manton Foyer on Level 1 18.00-21.30

Meze available in the Café on Level 1 18.00-21.30

Restaurant Tasting Menu for 19.30 sitting £60 per head

Main Shop Level 2 open until 21.40

Members Room open to all members until 21.30

Collection displays open 18.00-21.40

Half price entry to Lure of the East: British Orientalist Painting

Music

Baladi Blues Ensemble

Room 9, 18.00 - 19.00

Baladi, the street music of Egypt, emerged in the early twentieth Century through migration of rural musicians to the cities of Cairo & Alexandria. This 'cultural collision' exposed traditional folk musicians to a Western sensibility, creating a newly sophisticated hybrid genre.  Join the Baladi Blues Ensemble for some oriental dance music at its best.

U-cef

Room 9, 19.00 - 21.00

U-cef brings the freshest mixes from East and West to the dance floor with his own brand of 'halal' music based on the Moroccan sounds he was brought up on fused with contemporary electronic beats. A composer, producer and DJ, U-cef says 'I try musically to bring things together so they don't feel alien to each other - traditional music with urban beat London or New York hip-hop.'

The Dunya Ensemble with Hala Arsalan

North Duveens, 20.15 - 20.45

Directed by Kamran Rastegar, the Dunya Ensemble performs repertoire of various musical traditions including Persian, Arabic and Turkish music. Dunya ensemble is based in Edinburgh and has engaged with cross-cultural musical collaborations with players of other musical traditions. In this performance, Dunya Ensemble will be joined by the Syrian vocalist Hala Arsalan, a rising talent featured in television and radio appearances across the Arab world.

Reem Kelani

North Duveens, 21.00 - 21.30

One of the foremost researchers and performers of Palestinian and Arabic music, Reem Kelani will be singing songs from her acclaimed debut album "Sprinting Gazelle" and from her forthcoming project dedicated to the music of the great Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish (d. 1923). Encompassing classical Arabic music, folk and jazz, Kelani addresses stereotypes in western perceptions of the music and people of the Middle East.

Kelani will be accompanied on piano by the classical and jazz pianist Bruno Heinen, junior fellow of the Jazz Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Film

Persepolis

(2007, 95 minutes)

North Duveens, 18.30 - 20.00

Persepolis, the award-winning animated film based on Marjane's Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, tells the story of Marjane as she grows up in Iran against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution.

Artprojx and Matt's Gallery present The Last Silent Movie

Auditorium, 18.15, 20.40, 21.10

Susan Hiller's The Last Silent Movie (2007, 21 minutes) opens the unvisited, silent archives of extinct and endangered languages, creating a composition of voices and haunting sound recordings. The film releases ghosts and lets us hear the words of dead people, who sing, tell stories, recite lists and accuse us of injustice. Selected by David Gryn, Artprojx.

Please collect your free tickets from the Clore Information Desk from 18.00. Tickets are limited to one per person.

Talks

Cultural Questions

Auditorium, 19.00 - 20.00

Based on the format of the famous BBC TV series Question Time, Cultural Questions will mark the occasion of the Lure of the East: British Orientalist Painters exhibition at Tate Britain with a contextual debate about the role of culture and the arts in the future development of peace and security in the Middle East. Questions to be discussed include: Is cultural diplomacy a new form of 'soft' imperialism? What role do artists and intellectuals have to play in socio-political change in the region? Chaired by the BBC's Francine Stock (Front Row) the panel will include best-selling author Ahdaf Soueif, war correspondent Hugh Sykes, Middle East expert Robert Irwin, globe-trotting curator Hammad Nasar, and Manchester born Palestinian singer Reem Kelani.

Please collect your free tickets from the Clore Information Desk from 18.00

This event is organised in collaboration with the British Council.

Cultivate Garden Launch

Join us outside to celebrate the launch of Cultivate, Tate Britain's first community garden, filled with plants and vegetables from the Near and Middle East, and planted as part of an intergenerational project in the local community. Relax in the evening summer sun with a free Turkish coffee or bring your Middle-Eastern meze from the Café outside.

The Dunya Ensemble with Hala Arsalan

Clore Terrace, 18.30 - 19.15

Directed by Kamran Rastegar, the Dunya Ensemble performs repertoire of various musical traditions including Persian, Arabic and Turkish music. Dunya ensemble is based in Edinburgh and has engaged with cross-cultural musical collaborations with players of other musical traditions. In this performance, Dunya Ensemble will be joined by the Syrian vocalist Hala Arsalan, a rising talent featured in television and radio appearances across the Arab world.

Tree Listening

Sculpture Court, 18.00 - 21.30

The Tree Listening Installation by Alex Metcalf is an educational experience which engages the public with what happens inside a tree. Grab a pair of headphones and listen to water moving from the roots to the leaves.