Image: Timeless by Joli Vyanna, showing at Ensemble Festival, 23 July.

Ensemble Festival is returning once again to one of London's latest destinations, Royal Docks (Saturday 23 July, 12-7pm). Cultural producer Certain Blacks, in association with Without Walls are presenting the annual outdoor arts festival - a one-day event for culture lovers and families alike.

You can expect a vibrant ensemble of innovative performances from international and local talent including acrobatics inside an oversized hourglass, drag disco on a bike, dance skills combined with pottery and an audio experience paying homage to those lost during the pandemic - and a whole load more. We spoke with Clive Lyttle, Artistic Director of Certain Blacks, to quiz him about the festival line-up, what the legacy of the COVID pandemic might mean to the arts, and championing the huge rewards of working with the local community.

Naz: Tell us a little bit about Ensemble Festival.
Clive Lyttle: Ensemble Festival is Certain Blacks annual outdoor arts festival. It takes place in Royal Victoria Docks, Newham and was started in 2019 as part of the Join The Docks Festival. It has now become an independent event.
    
Naz: As the title suggests, there is a fantastic array of artists and performers. How did you curate this line up?
Clive: The festival is produced in partnership with Without Walls which is a national network that commissions new circus, arts and outdoor performance. Certain Blacks has commissioned three new pieces of work: Lives of Clay from the Clay Connection, Final Farewell from Tara Theatre and No Man’s Land from Collictif and Them. Certain Blacks aims to support new, diverse artists - so these commissions have been incredibly important to us. The festival also includes Big Gay Disco Bike from Fatt Projects, Look Mum No Hands from Daryl Beeton Productions and Mimbre and the fantastic Timeless from Joli Vyann.


Image: Clive Lyttle, Artistic Director of Certain Blacks, producers of Ensemble Festival.

Naz: You’ve put together really big entertaining numbers alongside thought provoking pieces. Is striking the right balance an important part of the festival?
Clive: Having a balance of shows is very important to the festival but even the big entertainment shows tell important stories. For example, Timeless which sees dancers and circus performers in a gigantic hourglass asks questions about the passing of time within our lives and how precious time is to us all. This is important given the recent times we have all been through.

Naz: Tara Theatre’s Final Farewell will pay respect and commemorate the lives of those who were lost during the COVID pandemic. Do you think that arts will incorporate what has happened during and post pandemic for many more years to come?
Clive: Final Farewell was first developed as a theatre show in 2021 when the pandemic was at its height and it’s fantastic to be able to bring this new version to the streets of London. It was important to us to commemorate these times as they had a big impact on Newham. The Royal Docks are home to the Excel Centre, which was the first Nightingale Hospital in the UK. I think the future will see more work which reflects upon these times and the impact it has had on society. This period has changed the way we work, socialise and communicate. Who would have thought that we would spend so much time in Zoom meetings 5-years ago? We have also seen the passing of many people, many from diverse backgrounds so I think there'll be many stories to tell and pass on to the next generation.

Naz: The festival also includes a community training programme - a kind of 'levelling up' - in partnership with Westfield East Bank Creative Futures. Could you tell us a little more about it, and the importance for you of introducing a wide range of communities into the arts?
Clive: The training programme is aimed at people who live in the old Olympic boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The programme will give people a chance to learn about running a festival and have a taster of what is involved in festival production. What's more, the participants get a chance to work on the festival day - not as volunteers, but as paid members of the crew. It’s important that local people get to participate in arts projects and learn new skills. Also, it was important for us to pay people who take part and work with us rather than have volunteers. Many people can’t afford to take part in volunteer programmes so it’s been great to offer these opportunities.

Naz: You’ve returned to Victoria Docks several times with different projects. What is it about the location that makes you want to return?
Clive: I live in the Royal Docks so it’s been a privilege to be able to make and present work in the area. Royal Docks is London’s only economic development location which is a partnership between The GLA (Greater London Authority) and London Borough of Newham. It has its own culture team who are outstanding and have played a huge part in supporting our work here.

Naz: Do you think audiences are hungry to get back into the world and experience the arts in person or will there be a hybrid element in the future through our screens as well?
Clive: I think people are really excited to be getting back to real life events. I mentioned before that many of us now spend our lives online with our day-to-day work and it’s fantastic to be able to present shows in the real world to real audience. Our festival will feature a 7-meter high hourglass for Timeless and a 7-meter high circus rig for No Man’s Land - these need to be seen and experienced in real life. This is our second (Certain Blacks) festival of 2022 and it's exciting to present new work to a live audience.

Naz: What's up next for Certain Blacks?
Clive: Ensemble Festival is part of our current Heroes project which tells stories of local and national heroes and may include partnerships with former musicians from Art Ensemble of Chicago who produced the jazz album after which Certain Blacks is named but this has yet to be confirmed. We would also like to develop our work nationally and internationally but, like many arts organisations, this depends on further funding and support but we are always hungry for new ideas, artists and opportunities...

Certain Blacks Present
Ensemble Festival
Saturday July 23, 12-7pm.
Western Gateway, Victoria Docks, London E16
certainblacks.com


Image: Big Gay Disco Bike by Fatt Projects

Image: No Man’s Land by Collectif and Them


Image: Final Farewell by Tara Theatre