SELFestival starts today and runs until 12 July, promising another two weeks of creativity and innovation, curated by ICCE’s Siân Prime and Adrian De La Court, with support from Goldsmiths Design Department. The opening week brings a packed line-up of a diverse range of entrepreneurs from the worlds of fashion, music, theatre, craft, design, tech and finance. They’ll be sharing their unique insights into teamwork, how they manage change, antifragility and optimism.
All sessions are free to attend and tickets can be booked via the links below.
Monday 1 July
11am – Rudo Nonda
A creative entrepreneurship consultant working at developing entrepreneurship networks within creative communities in sub- Saharan Africa. Rudo has contributed to the Circular Design for Fashion book by the Ellen McArthur Foundation. Rudo is Managing Director at Fashion Revolution CIC and Fashion Revolution Zimbabwe. Her interests lie in building networks for community development through creative practice.
2pm – Letaru Dralega
Letaru Dralega is the director of Afrofuturists, a group interested in exploring the cultural aesthetics, philosophies of science and history that are borne of the developing intersection of African/Africana diaspora culture with technology. A ‘Co-Arts’ space for artists, researchers, thinkers, experimenters, developers & doers, providing space and community for any and all explorers of African futures.
Tuesday 2 July
11am – Ginny Kim
Managing Director and Producer Theatre Bridge International, South Korea and Founder/CEO of RESTAURANT EVETT. Ginny Kim is a distinguished theatre producer and promoter with a profound expertise in cross-cultural collaborations between Korea and the UK. Renowned for her role as an associate producer for musicals such as “Dear Evan Hansen” “SIX” and “Hadestown” in Korea, Ginny Kim’s visionary contributions continue to shape the landscape of international theatrical endeavors, introducing innovative projects to diverse territories.
2pm – Jim Pope
CEO and Artistic director of Playing ON, a theatre that transforms the lives of disenfranchised people using practice and performance. The company translates their authentic voices and real-life stories into high quality writing, dialogues, and transformational workshops. Playing ON engages and inspires a wide range of audiences through its urgent and truthful portrayal of life in contemporary Britain.
Wednesday 3 July
11am – Daniel Carpenter
As Executive Director at Heritage Crafts, a Trustee at Arts & Heritage and the Ambassador at the Fathom Trust, Daniel has extensive experience in the heritage and arts sector and is passionate about preserving and promoting traditional craft skills as a vital part of the UK’s cultural heritage and a source of wellbeing and creativity. As the Executive Director of Heritage Crafts, the national charity and UNESCO-accredited NGO for Intangible Cultural Heritage, he leads on strategic development, fundraising and advocacy for the organisation, working with a diverse range of stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries. Daniel is also a judge for the Global Eco Artisan Awards.
2pm – Rose Kue
Staff UX Researcher at Honor, leading mixed methods research to enhance digital products and care services. My mission is to bridge user needs with business goals, ensuring that customer/client insights drive innovation and growth while always centring the humanity of the people who receive and those who deliver care. Leadership experience within the Clarity Pillar at Asana, providing strategic direction across multiple key areas, has honed my ability to lead with clarity and foresight, ensuring that every project is aligned with our overarching vision for user experience. Rose started her career as an opera singer. She is also a Death Doula providing end-of-life support and vigil for humans and animal companions.
Thursday 4 July
11am – Rezia Wahid MBE
Rezia Wahid is a master weaver with a practice spanning over two decades. Her work is a demonstration of the breath and combination of ideologies, sensual and visual resources on which she draws the development of her personal aesthetic. The development of her work is born chiefly out of the creative interplay of memories, travel, literature, nature, old masters, the art of weaving, and concrete experiences of Britain, Islam and motherhood.
Her work is unique in that it celebrates traditional weaving of Bangladesh with innovation in hand dyeing and weaving. She specialises in weaving with fine natural fibres: cotton, linen, silk and wool. Whilst fibres such as Organzine, spun silk, filament and gummed silks are her main choices of yarn, as through her dedicated research she has found that they are the best fibres to capture light and air. She combines her love of weaving with creative participatory community textiles work. She was awarded an MBE in June 2005 for her services to the Arts in London.
2pm – Norma Banton
Former lecturer in Business, Jewellery designer and philanthropist Norma has been based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter since 2004. She is creative director at The Silver Fish Jewellery Co., founded by her in 2004. She is also founder at MasterPeace Academy and Treasured Foundation. She has achieved much accolade for her faith-based jewellery, being featured several times on BBC TV Songs of Praise. Norma has recently set up the Black Jewellery Quarter Guild (Black JQGuild) with the aim of preserving, protecting, celebrating, and promoting the legacy of African Caribbean culture in the British Jewellery Trade. Norma is the founder of MasterPeace Academy (2021) a culturally relevant jewellery academy based in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter U.K
Friday 5 July
11am Anna Meredith MBE
Scottish composer and performer of electronic and acoustic music. She is former composer in residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and former PRS/RPS Composer in the House with Sinfonia ViVA. She is Mercury Prize shortlisted. Her debut album won 2016’s Scottish Album of the Year Award, she was featured in the 2018 First Night of the Proms, collaborating with 59 Productions for Five Telegrams. She created music for dodgems at Somerset House and has created soundtracks for Eight Grade, Living With Yourself and The End We Start From.
2pm – Amir Rizwan
Currently director for the London Social Venture Fund project, where he is responsible for leading a consortium of ten universities and eight private sector partners to deliver a social venture fund for London. He also serves as fractional investment director for Daring Capital, connecting socially-led entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds with capital. Amir holds several trustee and non-executive director positions supporting a range of third-sector causes, including the Pathway Fund – which supports opportunities for black and ethnically minoritised communities across the UK – and the Clothworkers Foundation, an organisation delivering impact through grantmaking. Previous roles include social investment manager at Macmillan Cancer Services, investor relations director at Big Society Capital, senior advisor for social investment innovation at Comic Relief and investment manager at community housing fund CAF Venturesome.