Rassam
A new photographic exhibition exploring customs, ceremonies and celebrations.
This photographic exhibition is an exploration of dance, movement, and cultural traditions found within the South Asian diaspora. Dance forms, such as Bhangra and Giddha, have a rich history, and are celebrated by communities across the world. They have many layers of meaning and can be found at the heart of various joyous occasions. Weddings are a notable celebration that gives the opportunity to explore these dance practices and traditions, otherwise known as Rassams.
Project curated by Hardeep Singh Sahota
Photography by John Slemensek-Thorne of Studio Bokehgo
Additional Photography by Hardeep Singh Sahota
With kind support from: Arts Council England, Lawrence Batley Theatre, University of Huddersfield, Studio Bokehgo & Evoke Kirklees
Dates
Fri 13 September 2024 - Sat 18 Jan 2025
Space
The Bar
Duration
TBC
About The Rassam Project
Dance forms, such as Bhangra and Giddha, have a rich cultural tradition and many layers of meanings, story-telling and folk-history. Communities from the South Asian diaspora living here in Kirklees are now in their third and fourth generations. These dances are still being celebrated with gusto. Although the wealth of knowledge and deeper meanings of the movements and songs are being lost to time.
Through oral-history interviews from leading experts around the world, this project has delved into various Rassams (cultural traditions), that are shown through dance, poetry, songs, textiles and body art such as Henna.
The Rassam project has also utilised the prism of mental health and well-being to give new perspectives to these cultural traditions and dances.
You can hear some of the interviews here.
About The Curator
Hardeep Singh Sahota is a Huddersfield-based practitioner and specialist in Bhangra. He wrote the book Bhangra: Mystics, Music and Migration, which explores the origins of this folk song and dance from the Panjab in South Asia and its development into part of modern British culture in the hybrid soundscape of British Bhangra and beyond. This originated in academic research and the Heritage Lottery-funded Bhangra Renaissance project. Through ethnographic research, oral history interviews, performances, photography, story-telling and community activity it celebrates the past contribution of all those involved in Bhangra. This ground-breaking work provides an in-depth history of the spiritualism of performance and song, and an overview of the artists involved in influencing its development, as well as contemporaries leading the way of Bhangra’s renaissance amongst the South Asian diaspora in the UK and around the world. Hardeep is an Affiliate Fellow at the University of Huddersfield, in recognition of his research and work with the local community.
