Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH) EartH and Community Music announce crowdfunding initiative to raise funds to build onsite Community Music Studios - a new education hub for young people. EartH announces first European live music venue installation of revolutionary L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology from L-Acoustics.
Hopefully you will have heard this September sees the launch of an exciting new cultural venue in the heart of East London. The work-in-progress name to date has been Hackney Arts Centre and today sees the unveiling of the venue’s branding, design and official new name. Hackney Arts Centre will now be known as Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH).
Why Evolutionary Arts Hackney? Because art has the capacity to offer us ideas, progress and change. EartH will be curated to span art forms and a multitude of genres and voices encompassing an international live music programme, performance art, special talks and debates, comedy, and film.
The project has been brought to life by the team behind Shoreditch venue, Village Underground. EartH is part funded through the social investment community in support of the project’s ambitious arts and social impact work to serve the local community, giving space, resources and new opportunities, particularly to young people in Hackney.
Auro Foxcroft, Founder of EartH and Village Underground says: “From the random chance discovery of this buried treasure in plain sight to uncovering secret rooms and repeatedly evicting thousands of wily pigeons, it’s been a bizarre ride. And in a way that’s going to continue, we’re starting to programme increasingly mixed art forms and genres, artists and perspectives. We want to fill the place with the kind of performances that make you think twice and hopefully leave with that feeling of inspiration, possibility and change.”
EartH celebrates the diversity of London with equally diverse programmes. The Autumn programme showcases unique voices from around the world launching with an intimate show from Etho-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, and the formidable talent of Malian singer and songwriter Fatoumata Diawara. There’s heart-racing Chicago horn Jazz from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and a hybrid event of live sessions and DJ sets at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM 2nd birthday.
Poetry, talks and debate are presented in a series of events including 5x15, London’s finest literary cabaret and special one-off shows with Kate Tempest and Art Matters with Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell and Lauren Laverne. EartH will programme breakthrough acts and new sounds alongside established favourites including Neil Tennant In Conversation, a special performance by Lianne La Havas - her first headline show in the capital in two years, Stephen Malkmus and Erol Alkan. On the collaboration and experimental front, Nubya Garcia and Makaya Mcravan take the stage for London Jazz Festival and there will be more innovative sounds from Grouper, Colin Stetson, Jane Weaver and Leon Vynehall.
Community events will also feature - The Big London Flea, DIY art Market, Independent Ceramics Market and much more still to be announced for the Autumn season.
About the EartH space
The story behind EartH is extraordinary. On the busy streets of Dalston, faded into obscurity stood a huge, forgotten Art Deco cinema - the last movie, Scarface, played in 1984. After that, the building was broken up: part wedding venue, part snooker hall, while the main auditorium was locked up and left derelict for 40 years, until a chance discovery in 2015. The building is now being restored and reimagined, with many of its original art deco features returning to their former glory. The space is made up of three areas comprising two venues and a restaurant and social space.
The Theatre is the seated venue, which is undergoing a light touch refurbishment while the former stalls of the cinema are being transformed into a standing venue - The Concert Hall. Parts of the original cinema lobby makes way for a contemporary new restaurant and social space. The three spaces allow for a wide range of uses for a mixed audience, from day to night, week to weekend.
EartH partnership with Community Music - crowdfunding campaign
EartH aims to be a springboard for the next generation of creative talent. They have teamed up with London’s leading charity for music and young people - Community Music. Based within the venue, the two organisations will collaborate to engage with hundreds of young people – particularly those who are socially excluded - giving them new experiences and training in music, and providing positive learning opportunities to create routes into education and employment.
First on the agenda is a crowdfunding campaign to raise £50,000 to transform a 100 square metre basement space into a modern education hub - The Community Music Studios, to be kitted out with the latest music technology equipment. The campaign will launch on Wednesday, 29th August and run for five weeks until 3rd October.
EartH Sound
EartH will feature the first permanent installation in Europe of the breakthrough L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology. Developed by L-Acoustics, the world leader in professional sound systems, L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology is set to revolutionize the live concert experience.
Offering enhanced clarity, more natural sound, and a wider sound panorama, EartH audiences will experience a greater feeling of proximity and connection to the performances. Early adopters of L-ISA technology include world-renowned artists including Lorde, Bon Iver and deadmau5; and events such as the BBC Proms, the Classic BRIT Awards and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
EartH presents its latest Autumn programme
EartH opens its doors with a special programme of international live music, talks, comedy, poetry and community events in September ‘18 and will become a fully functioning 21st century arts centre by 2019. This first mission statement demonstrates EartH’s focus in its music programming and gives a taste of the lively mixed arts programme to come.
