Hamza Jahanzeb

Category: Art Exhibition Reviews

  • Dreamstate – Ministry of Stories launches interactive experience with children at the heart of the initiative

    Dreamstate – Ministry of Stories launches interactive experience with children at the heart of the initiative

     

    08 July 2025

    Hamza Jahanzeb

    London – The East  London  based  charity  Ministry  of  Stories,  co-founded  by  Nick  Hornby,  announces  DreamState  –  a  free  multi-sensory  experience  designed  to  immerse  visitors  in  a  world  of  imagination.  It  will  run  at  The  Ditch  at  Shoreditch  Town  Hall  between Monday 28th July and Saturday 2nd August.

    Well, what exactly is DreamState, I hear you ask?

    It is  a  pop-up  experience  that  invites  visitors  of  all  ages  to  discover  interactive  zones  exploring  themes  from  nostalgia  and  relaxation  to  celebration  and  creativity.  The  experience  brings  to  life  original  work  by  112  writers  –  all  of  whom  are  children  based  in the local Hackney area  aged  between  6  and  15  who  attend  Ministry  of  Stories  weekly  community  writing  labs.

    DreamState  features  eight  separate  rooms,  with  unique  worlds  tied  to  the  stories  written  at  the  Ministry  of  Stories  community  writing  labs.  The  space  will  include  a  banqueting  hall  featuring  the  written  word  as  the  meal;  a  serene  zone  to  help  visitors  relax;  a  nostalgia  filled  locker  room  that  evokes  childhood  memories;  a  celebration  room  filled  with  glitter  and  confetti  where  visitors  can  party  with  a  neon  leopard;  an  eerie  room  complete  with  a  scariness  scale  so  that  guests  can  choose  the  level  of  spooky  that  they  are  comfortable  with;  a  botanist  workshop  with  strange  new  plants  that  people  may  have  never  encountered;  the  control  room  where  the  ideas  stem  from;  and  finally  the  ‘dream  dream’  room,  which  will  ask  visitors what dream they would most like to have tonight.

    Who are Ministry of Stories?

    Ministry  of  Stories  was  co-founded  by  author  Nick  Hornby  in  2010  and  aims  to  champion  the  writer  in  every  child.  It  helps  young  people  in  East  London  discover  their  confidence,  imagination  and  potential  through  the  power  of  their  writing.  Working  primarily  with  young  children  in  Tower  Hamlets,  Hackney  and  Islington,  the  organisation  has  supported  over  20,000  young  people  in  the  local  community  since  its  launch  through  its  free  weekly  community writing labs.

    Ministry  of  Stories  is  partnering  with  architecture  and  design  studio  make:good  to  bring  to  life  DreamState.  The organisation works  closely  with  local  communities  to  shape  neighbourhood  change  and  support  communities  to  create  lasting  social  infrastructure.  They  have  also  partnered  with  Shoreditch  Town  Hall  who  will  be  hosting  the  experience  at  its  basement  venue,  The  Ditch.  Funding  partners  include  Hackney  Council,  funded  by  Cultural  Hackney,  Bridge Foundation, Arts Council England and Violence Reduction Unit, Mayor of London.

    Rob  Smith,  Director,  Ministry  of  Stories  said:  “Ministry  of  Stories  has  been  supporting  local  children  and  championing  their  writing  for  fifteen  years  and  we  are  honoured  to  be  presenting  their  work  to  the  world  in  our  most  ambitious  showcase  to  date.  The  children  who  take  part  in  our  community  writing  labs  are  imaginative,  fun  and  playful  so  there  is  no  better  way  to  show  you  their  work  than  with  DreamState.  It  will  bring  to  life  dreams,  memories  and  stories,  transporting  guests  to  a  world  beyond  their  imagination.  Stumble  into  a  dream  and  discover  strange  new  plants,  some  ghostly  shenanigans  or  a  glitter  party.  DreamState  will  be  an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.”

     Trejean, aged 14 said:  “Ministry of Stories: Best.  Experience. Ever.”

     Raniya, aged 8 said:  “I have learnt to just believe  in myself.”

    DreamState will be  open  from  Monday 28 th    July  to  Saturday  2nd August  at  The  Ditch,  at  Shoreditch  Town  Hall  with  time  slots  available  throughout  the  day.  The  entire  experience  will  last around 45 minutes and tickets are now available to purchase via: https://shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on/dreamstate .

  • REVIEW: Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️?Royal Academy of Arts

    Thornton Dial, Stars of Everything, 2004. Mixed media, 248.9 x 257.8 x 52.1 cm. Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta. © 2022 Estate of Thornton Dial / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London 2022. Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio

    When given the chance to review the Souls Grown Deep Like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South exhibition, I leapt at the opportunity. For me, an institution like the Royal Academy of Arts – or referred to as the RA – is somewhere I’d not necessarily see myself reflected, but this exhibition was pleasantly surprising. Located on Piccadilly, the courtyard you enter through to get to the main building is stunning. There’s a cafe outside, with parasols to shade you from the scorching sun (in this recent spate of weather, it’s a lovely addition – not quite Ibiza, but still!).

    Greeted by a cheery staff member of the RA, I was informed that the exhibition was located towards the opposite side to the entrance I’d come in thorough and off I went with my friend inside this grandoise building to find the art displays. As a side note, having completed an undergraduate degree in English and American Literature, I’m very much interested in American art and culture (Tennessee Williams’ works are some of my favourite) and in the American South.

    Joe Light, Blue River Mountain, 1988. Enamel on wood, 81.3 x 121.9 cm. Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta. © ARS, NY and DACS, London 2022. Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio

    Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South showcases unique African American artistic traditions and methods of visual storytelling. The distinctive creativity of the artists in this exhibition has brought about artworks whose subjects and materials often reverberate with the American South’s painful history – the inhuman practice of enslavement, the cruel segregationist policies of the Jim Crow era, institutionalised racism as well as the Civil Rights Movement.

    Lonnie Holley, Keeping a Record of It (Harmful Music), 1986. Salvaged phonograph top, phonograph record, animal skull, 34.9 x 40 cm. Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta. © 2023 Lonnie Holley / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London. Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio

    In this exhibition, you can view 64 works by 34 artists from 1950s right up to present day. What really drew me to these were the modes of portraying the artist’s idea included: sculptures, paintaings, reliefs and even pencil drawings. Based in Atlanta (Georgia), these were all mostly drawn at the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. The name is borrowed from the famous poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by American writer Langston Hughes. These artists are no twell known, but the celebrated quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend some arts and crafts folk may have heard of; ultimately, it allows for us to envisage the pain, as well as the joy of what it was like for the artists at the time. The motif of suffrage is still pertinent to the issues of the 2020s as we saw with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. The inspiration is via lived experience, and the modes of outward artistic skill goes far beyond a pencil and paintbrush. Some of my favourite pieces (as included in this blog post) are of the ways we can envisage how paint buckets are used to create a sea of grey but retain colour. the commentary on the injustice is prevalent, and loneliness as well as struggles portray often bleaks motifs.

    For anyone who wants to learn, this exhibition is an insightful – and carefully crafted space. Though it does feel a little sparse at times, there are no complaints of the quality of the works on offer and their non-traditional modes of production.

    Dates and Opening Hours

    Dates: Friday 17 March – Sunday 18 June 2023 10am – 6pm Tuesday to Sunday

    10am – 9pm Friday

    Admission

    From £13; concessions available; under 16s go free (T&Cs apply); Friends of the RA go free. 25 & Under: 16 to 25 year olds can access a half-price ticket (T&Cs apply).

    Tickets

    Advance booking with pre-booked timed tickets is recommended for everyone, including Friends of the RA. Tickets can be booked in advance online (royalacademy.org.uk) or over the phone (0207 300 8090).