A SpACE TO BE

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

Filmmaker Souvid Datta was commissioned by the British Museum and SDA to create a 90-min live performance film with musician, composer and television presenter Soumik Datta for an evening of performances inspired by Edmund de Waal's installation 'library of exile'.

Designed by de Waal as a 'space to sit and read and be', the library of exile serves as the inspiration for original musical responses created by Datta, singer-songwriter Amahla, UK-born rubab virtuoso Saphwat Simab and Tanzanian-British saxophonist Yasmin Ogilvie.

The event includes readings from Edmund de Waal and other acclaimed guest writers who have participated in the programme of online discussions inspired by the library throughout 2020.

With the installation now closed to the public, the books within the library will travel to their final home in Iraq, at the University of Mosul, with the kind participation of Book Aid International.

This event is supported by the AKO Foundation and presented in collaboration with English PEN, Soumik Datta Arts and the United Nations Regional Information Centre.