Manifesto in Verse
In 2018, to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of some women in Britain getting the right to vote, the government set up the Centenary Cities fund. And it was out of this fund that Manifesto in Verse was born.
Taking inspiration from Leeds Libraries collections, and under the expert guidance of poet and activist Khadijah Ibrahim, Manifesto in Verse brought together a group of young women from diverse cultural backgrounds to find ways to express themselves. Working with Studio12, they created an immersive exhibition of poetry, performance, audio and visual art linked to the topic of women’s suffrage and women’s place in modern society. Their work was then captured through film and photography and transformed into virtual reality.
To celebrate the project Studio12 ran a social media campaign to showcase the spoken word films in an online exhibition during UK Parliament Week. Additionally, Studio12 were invited to a celebration event at the House of Lords and attended with Rheima Robinson (leader of The Sunday Practise) and Khadijah Ibrahiim. Rheima performed spoken word on the main stage in front of MPs and Good Things Foundation staff. Khadijah participated in the Speakers Corner, where she spoke about the writing workshops she led and shared one of her poems.
We also had the opportunity to be part of the Voicebox Cafes, which enabled us to form a diverse collective of influential young female poets and artists in Leeds who were keen to continue working with us. We further showcased the work at Leeds LitFest which celebrates the vibrant and thriving Leeds literature scene by involving local writers, performers and artists to display their talent alongside those from across the UK and internationally. The event was filmed using a 360-degree camera and live streamed as part of an international Borderlines showcase day. We also broadcast live via Chapel FM’s Writing On Air Festival, reaching local and international audiences.
If you are interested in being involved in similar events in the future, please email us: studio12@leeds.gov.uk