RPM (Rounds per Minute)

RPM Intro

Salt Arts presents RPM (Rounds per Minute) at the Alchemy Festival 2016, Southbank Centre, London, UK.
Curated and Produced by Salt Arts
20th May 2016 – 30th May 2016

Rounds per minute, is a digital exhibit presented as the centerpiece of Alchemy 2016, and was held at the Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall. Conceptually the exhibit is drawn from the charged urban environment and its poetic interpretation by Pakistani creatives; including musicians, bands, producers, designers, illustrators and journalists.

Special features at RPM included DHUN Cuban Jazz + Pakistani Folk, RUDOH Live in London and #RPMLIVE.

About the festival:

ALCHEMY 2016
Each year, Alchemy fills Southbank Centre with a vibrant array of performances, workshops and exhibitions – and a delicious food market. The festival celebrates the rich cultural relationship between the UK and the Indian subcontinent, and explores the creative influences generated by our shared history.

In 2016, the seventh Alchemy brings artists, performers and contributors from around the world together to collaborate, in order to showcase the best of dance, music, theatre, design, fashion, comedy and literature from the UK and South Asia.

Featured artists/collectives at Alchemy 2016 include: Ustaad Zakir Husain, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, National Academy Of Performing Arts (NAPA), Wild City, Jaipur Literature Festival.

Read More: Alchemy at Southbank Centre


DHUN - Cuban Jazz + Pakistani Folk

Salt Arts presents the global premiere for 'DHUN' at the Alchemy festival, Southbank Centre, London.

DHUN
Short Documentary
TRT: 20 Minutes
Producer: Mekaal Hasan
Director: Bilal Sami
Featured Artist: Ataullah Eesakhelvi & A3 (Ariel Jorge Perez Caballero, Ana Maria Oropesa, Alberto Batista Hernandez)
Musicians: Mohammad Ahsan Papu, Sabir Ali
Released by: Salt Arts

Dhun aims to experiment with and challenge the notion of 'musical collaboration' while portraying folk music and musicians in their most threadbare, undiluted and indigenous forms. Ataullah Esakhelvi's popular tunes (dhuns) are iconic folk pieces that sucher an old world aesthetic and narrative with modern day mass popularity. The idea of letting a folk tradition from the other side of the world reinterpret these dhuns is both risky and exciting. This idea extends beyond the music to the imagery and the visuals that form the backdrop for the piece. Shot on location – in and around rural and semi-urban locales of Pakistan, Dhun attempts to retain an aesthetic that is true to both the old world folk and the new age take on this music.


RUDOH - Live in London

Salt Arts presents RUDOH - Live in London, as part of the Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre!

About the artist:
Karachi-based producer Bilal Nasir Khan aka Rudoh is a wizard who applies his influences of hip-hop, LA beats, house, soul and jazz to spin lush soundscapes with “squelchy” bass lines and heavy polyrhythms.

Read More: Turn the Beat Around


#RPMLIVE

#RPMLIVE: Crowd-sourced Instagram + Twitter exhibit
Salt Arts presents RPM Live – a crowd-sourced digital exhibit powered by the internet and the will to share!
This exhibit will be projected live throughout the festival, and can be accessed online.
Artists can record and upload their interpretation of RPM to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag ‘#RPMLIVE’. Only public accounts will be featured.
Alchemy Festival 2016, at the Southbank Centre.
This is an open call to all!
Hashtag to use and follow: #rpmlive