Independent
Unlocked With Olivia Bright
Unlocked with Olivia Bright (2020) was a podcast exploring the most creative projects to come out of Covid-19.
Despite the grief, hardship, protest and boredom, 2020’s lockdowns - when travel and gatherings were restricted - were fertile ground for cultural experimentation. In each episode, I interviewed a creative practitioner whose work had radically innovated by adapting to lockdown restrictions. Resources were published online to aid accessibility and inspire others.
Episode 1 - Unlocking Sounds of the Forest (Festival Director Sarah Bird)
Episode 2 - Unlocking Club Quarantine (club night host Ceréna Sierra)
Episode 3 - Unlocking Made Up Kitchen (artist and chef Kiran Chahal)
Episode 4 - Unlocking Swan Lake Bath Ballet (choreographer Corey Baker)
Episode 5 - Unlocking Work.txt (Creative Director, Nathan Ellis, and Theatre Producer, Emily Davis)
Episode 6 - Unlocking Molasses Gallery (Curator Tanaka Saburi)
Episode 7 - Unlocking Exhibition for Chickens (Curator and animal lover Jared Schiller)
Episode 8 - Unlocking Stay Together (artist Steven Fraser)
Unpublished episodes featured interviews with Transmissions (artists Tai Shani, Hana Noorali and Anne Duffau) and Culture Rest (cultural strategists Claire Doherty MBE and David Micklem).
Unlocking Sounds of the Forest. Festival Director Sarah revealed how she adapted to lockdown by making Sounds of the Forest - a crowdsourced map of forest sounds from around the world. We discussed nature's significance during lockdown and the importance of staying positive.
Unlocking Club Quarnatine. Club Q is an online queer dance party that began in Toronto in Spring 2020. I learned how it came about and what it takes to sustain it. We discussed Ceréna's personal experience of transitioning during the pandemic, voting reform and her musical influences.
Unlocking Made Up Kitchen. I spoke with Kiran Chahal, the founder of Made Up Collective about their Covid-19 food response. We discussed the benefits of grassroots action, community empowerment and the hurdles she had to jump through to get funding.
Unlocking Swan Lake Bath Ballet. Corey revealed how he created his spectacular 3.5 minute adaptation of classical ballet Swan Lake. We discussed what keeps him inspired and why dance needs to get moving with the times.
Unlocking Work.txt. I chatted with Nathan and Emily about their critically acclaimed play 'Work.txt'. Part comedy, part existential nightmare, Work.txt is a zoom play with a philosophical difference. In our enjoyable conversation, Nathan and Emily unlocked behind-the-scenes insights, giggled over worst heckles and shared top tips for aspiring practitioners.
Unlocking Molasses Gallery. I interviewed Cultural Researcher and Curator Tanaka Saburi about billboard project Molasses Gallery, BLM and promoting black creativity. Birmingham born Saburi revealed how his previous career as a Tailor on Saville Row informs his curatorial practice.
Unlocking Exhibition for Chickens. I learned how Jared convinced a flock of high profile artists to produce work for his menagerie of farm animals. We discussed humour, exclusivity and the benefit of slowing down.
Unlocking Stay Together. Steven and I discussed the art sectors’ barriers to autistic audiences, his manifesto for change and the importance of self-care during the pandemic.
Unlocking Transmissions. Anne, Tai and Hana discussed the joys of unbounded collaboration and pirate radio.
Unlocking Culture Reset. Claire and David discussed their practical and rapid response to the pandemic, which aimed to inspire more relevant and impactful cultural organisations and practices.