Nostalgia for the English countryside is common, but what of the English city? Urban Nostalgia is, for many, a desire for a city that once was.
Where could we locate the accounts of the cattails or arrowheads that sat beside the Pudding Mill River, or the trees that populated the Clay Lane Estate and the Eastway Cycle Circuit – places that were lost in the development of the Olympic Park? Whilst children play on the re-landscaped Eythorne Park, would they believe the stories of the hills that once stood where they play? In what ways can we approach the preservation of our cities and their green spaces?
Part II invites attendees to explore the etymology of the term and its validity today. With gentrification changing the soundscape and landscape of the city, Urban Nostalgia beckons for us in the city to remember sights, smells, tastes and noises that bring forth experiences of old.
Speakers
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Christopher Woodward
Christopher Woodward
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Dhelia Snoussi
Dhelia Snoussi
Dhelia Snoussi is a British-Algerian curator, researcher and organiser from West London. She is currently Curator (Contemporary London) at the London Museum. Dhelia’s background is in youth work with a focus on developing socially-engaged cultural and political education programmes. She has also worked in research and policy, authoring ‘We Are Ghosts: Race, Class and Institutional Prejudice’ for the Runnymede Trust and Centre for Labour and Social Studies in 2018. Dhelia is also a trustee at Granville Community Kitchen.
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Gabriel Dedji
Gabriel Dedji
Gabriel Dedji is an author, curator and musician from North London.
His precocious career was sparked at the age of 17 when he published his debut novel, ‘The Escape: A Tale of Change and Revolution’, which used fantasy and surrealism to reckon with London’s knife crime epidemic and propose solutions to it.
Having already been appointed a member of the UK Youth Parliament at the age of 14, he used his book to continue advocating for young people across the country. This included working roles with organisations like The Enfield Council, The Methodist Church, Scouts UK, The Labour Party and The Black Head Students’ Network.
Due to these initiatives, Gabriel was awarded a Soho House Fellowship in 2021, becoming one of its youngest beneficiaries at the time.
The resources and support he was offered through the fellowship allowed him to launch ‘Less Talking’, which is an arts and culture series curated to stimulate moments of togetherness and self-reflection. He often performs at these events with his improvised jazz outlet (Gabriel Dedji & Friends) and he DJs there too, spinning Funky House and Broken Beat. As a result, Gabriel Dedji & Friends have been booked to perform at venues like The National Portrait Gallery, 91 Living Room and CLF Arts Lounge. Gabriel has also DJ’d at White City House and Merky Book Festival.
To date, Less Talking has held events at The Roundhouse, Notting Hill Arts Club, 180 Strand’s Reference Point and numerous Soho House venues. Currently, Less Talking is sharing ‘The Optimism Sessions’, a creative wellbeing programme, with diverse communities across South London. This has been produced in collaboration with Royal Museums Greenwich, using historical archives and interactive activities to instil empathy and optimism in the public.
His creative career informs his journalism and blogging through which he has covered arts & culture for platforms like GUAP, Resident Advisor, Levile TV and others as well as his work with TheBooksDem, a creative agency showcasing black diasporic literature.
