Motiroti

motiroti is a London based arts organisation led by Artistic Director Ali Zaidi. For over ten years the company has made internationally acclaimed and award winning art that transforms relationships between people, communities and spaces. motiroti works at the forefront of ever-changing global social realities, challenging and teasing perceptions of artists, institutions and audiences alike. Aiming to cross geographical, linguistic, racial and religious divides their art whilst exploring difference, celebrates similarities – locally, nationally and internationally.

Working with a range of collaborators within visual and live art, new technology and socially engaged practice, motiroti makes public art with public being central to the making and shaping of the work, using technologies democratically so the work reflects multiple perspectives. The company fosters the development of a lifelong learning culture. Learning and art production are part of the same process, and offer equally potent opportunities to inspire and develop a dynamic exchange between artists and communities.^[1]

History

Co-founded by artists Ali Zaidi and Keith Khan motiroti was officially registered as a charity in 1996, although the pair had worked together since the late 1980s. Khan left the company in 2004 to become CEO of the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation^[2] while Zaidi continues to be the Artistic Director.^[1]

The company has presented works in many countries, at venues such as Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol;^[3] Barbican Centre, London;^[4] Bonn Biennale;^[5] Brooklyn Academy of Music;^[6] Edinburgh Festival; Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota;^[7] Greenwich Theatre; Harbour Front Centre, Toronto; Houston International Festival; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London;^[8] Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; It's Queer Up North,^[9] Manchester; Kannonhallen, Denmark; Krannert Center, Illinois;^[10] La Ferme du Buisson, France; Leeds Mela; London International Festival of Theatre; Lille 3000; Melbourne Festival;^[11] Midlands Arts Centre; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of London; National College of Arts, Lahore; National Gallery, Cape Town; National Theatre, Islamabad; Natural History Museum, London; New Art Gallery, Walsall; New Haven Festival of Arts and Ideas; Notting Hill Carnival; Oval House Theatre, London; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; REDCAT, Los Angeles;^[12] Romaeuropa Festival, Italy; Royal Albert Hall, London; Royal Court Theatre, London; Royal Festival Hall, London; Royal Geographical Society with IGB,^[13] London; Royal National Theatre, London; Science Museum,^[14] London; Serpentine Gallery, London;^[15] Sibikwa Theatre, Johannesburg; Singapore Arts Festival; Tamaseel Theatre, Lahore; Tate Liverpool; Tate Modern; Theatre Royal Stratford East; Tramway Theatre, Glasgow;^[16] V&A;^[17] Warwick Arts Centre;^[18] West Yorkshire Playhouse; Whitney Museum,^[19] New York.

Notable productions

• 360° (2007–2010) – Bringing to light a rounded contemporary picture of the cultural dynamics between Britain, India and Pakistan. The three year programme consists of 60x60 Secs, three international Arts Residency Labs and a new collaborative work.^[20]
• Alladeen (2002–2005) – A co-production with The Builders Association which weaved between the ancient legend of Aladdin from 1001 nights and identity-blurring phenomena found in the teeming metropolises of Bangalore, London and New York.^[21]
• Celebration Commonwealth (2002) – A parade highlighting the Commonwealth of Nations and its contribution of peoples and cultures to the United Kingdom for Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom's Golden Jubilee Weekend.^[22]
• One Night (1997) – A piece of visual theatre exploring the shifts between Indian courtesan culture, first-generation British Asians and contemporary student life in the United Kingdom.
• Wigs of Wonderment (1995–1999) – A performance installation challenging the notions of beauty, objectification and the 'exotic' in Western culture.^[23]
• Maa (1995) – An audacious mix of odd mythic creatures, melodrama, snatches of film, towering carnival costumes and scratch animation.
• The Seed The Root (1995) – A series of site-specific installations and performances exploring gender and cultural imbalances, created in collaboration with local businesses in Brick Lane and international and British artists.
• Moti Roti, Puttli Chunni (1993–1994) – The United Kingdom's first Bollywood musical. Winner of Time Out Performance Award
• Flying Costumes, Floating Tombs (1991) – An extravagant spectacle inspired by the Hosay Festival in Trinidad. Winner of Time Out Performance Award.

Notable collaborators

Mina Anwar,^[24] Christophe Berthonneau, Sonia Boyce,^[25] dbox,^[26] Shahram Entekhabi,^[27] Guillermo Gomez-Pena,^[28] Shobna Gulati,^[29] Pen Hadow,^[30] Indira Joshi,^[31] Isaac Julien, Akram Khan (Dancer),^[29] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,^[32] Jamila Massey,^[33] Robin Rimbaud,^[34] Sunetra Sarker,^[35] Shri (musician),^[36] Jasmine Simhalan,^[37] Talvin Singh,^[38] Nina Wadia,^[24] Benjamin Zephaniah.Nila Madhab Panda,^[39] Shalalae Jamil,^[39] Daniel Saul.^[40]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} motiroti's website. Motiroti.com. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
2. ^ Biography of Keith Khan on Live Art Development Agency website. Thisisliveart.co.uk (13 April 2007). Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
3. ^ reference to Flying Costumes, Floating Tombs on Bristol University website
4. ^ Barbican Centre Annual Report 2003/04
5. ^ http://www.netzeitung.de/feuilleton/kulturnews/290555.html Article about Alladeen from Netzeitung
6. ^ http://www.villagevoice.com/theater/0350,sellar,49306,11.html Review of Alladeen from the Village Voice
7. ^ http://www.teatroenmiami.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=448&mode=&order=0&thold=0 Article about Alladeen from Teatro Mundial
8. ^ Reference to ''Wigs of Wonderment'' season at the ICA. Newaudiences.org.uk. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
9. ^ Description of the exhibition Fluid at It's Queer Up North on [http://www.motiroti.com/ motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
10. ^ http://www.news.uiuc.edu/NEWS/05/0415calendar.html Reference to Alladeen season on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign website
11. ^ http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com/2004/10/miaf-alladeen-and-failing-kansas.html Review of Alladeen from Theatre Notes blog
12. ^ REDCAT website^{[dead link]}
13. ^ Information about ''Priceless'' exhibition on Culture24. Culture24.org.uk (11 August 2006). Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
14. ^ http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/lon/acv/bku/2006/en1355567.htm Information about Priceless exhibition on Goethe-Institut website
15. ^ http://www.timeout.com/london/park_night/3189/motiroti.html Time Out website
16. ^ http://www.edinburghguide.com/aande/theatre/reviews/a/alladeen_motirotibuildersassoc.shtmlReview of Alladeen from EdinburghGuide.com
17. ^ http://www.vam.ac.uk/files/file_upload/30737_file.doc Department for Culture, Media and Sport/V&A funding agreement 2005/06 – 2007/08 referencing the Priceless exhibition with motiroti
18. ^ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/news/ne100000008680/ Information about Alladeen at the Warwick Arts Centre from University of Warwick website
19. ^ http://whitney.domanidev.com/exhibition/americaneffect.shtml Information about The American Effect exhibition from Whitney Museum's website
20. ^ http://www.360degrees.tv/ 360° website
21. ^ Article about Alladeen from [[the. New York Times (30 November 2003). Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
22. ^ http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Press_notices/archive_2006/dcms016_06.htm Biography of Keith Khan on Department for Culture, Media and Sport website referencing Celebration Commonwealth
23. ^ ''Performing Identity in the Digital Age'' by Rhiannon Armstrong from [http://www.csa.com/ CSA website. Csa.com. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
24. ^ ^{a b} Cast list for Moti Roti, Puttli Chunni from [http://www.motiroti.com/ motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
25. ^ Information about the ''Plain Magic'' project from New Audiences website. Newaudiences.org.uk. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
26. ^ http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/events/1456 Article about screening of motiroti/dbox collaboration cutout II from Asians In Media website
27. ^ Description of ''Fresh Azan'', a collaboration between Shahram Entekhabi and motiroti from Entekhabi's website. Entekhabi.org. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
28. ^ http://213.161.73.222/news/news074 Information on masterclass with Guillermo Gomez-Pena on inIVA website
29. ^ ^{a b} Information about The Seed, The Root from [http://www.motiroti.com motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
30. ^ Testimonial from Pen Hadow's website^{[dead link]}
31. ^ Cast list for One Night from [http://www.motiroti.com motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
32. ^ Information on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert from [http://www.motiroti.com/ motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
33. ^ Cast list for Moti Roti, Puttli Chunni^{[dead link]}
34. ^ Information about ''Plain Magic'' project from New Audiences website. Newaudiences.org.uk. Retrieved on 19 October 2011.
35. ^ Cast list for One Night from [http://www.motiroti.com/ motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
36. ^ http://www.wexarts.org/info/press/db/119_nr-alladeen_elec.pdf Press release for Alladeen from Wexner Center for the Arts website
37. ^ http://redcat.org/about/press/2.12.04alladeen.html Press release for Alladeen from REDCAT website
38. ^ Information about the Anokha project from [http://www.motiroti.com/ motiroti.com^{[dead link]}
39. ^ ^{a b} [1]^{[dead link]}
40. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}

External links

• Motiroti's website
• Alladeen website
• 360° website