A stellar line-up of authors, artists, entertainers and campaigners are coming to De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) to appear in a week-long celebration of arts and culture, organised and run by students.
Author, comedian and TV presenter David Baddiel, journalist and transgender rights activist Paris Lees, legendary Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, award-winning playwright Willy Russell, best-selling crime writer Mark Billingham and the stars of Channel 4 documentary Educating Yorkshire are just some of the top names who will be appearing at DMU’s Cultural eXchanges 2016 – the 15th year the festival has been run.
CREATIVE: The students behind Cultural eXchanges 2016
A number of DMU’s leading academics in history, arts and humanities will be delivering workshops and lectures for the week long celebration, which was announced today, alongside discussions by experts covering everything from football and philosophy to poetry and dance.
A total of 44 different events will take place over five days, between Monday 29 February and Friday 4 March, many of which are free of charge and held in venues around the DMU campus, as well as at Curve, The Phoenix and Leicester College’s Sue Townsend Theatre. They are all open to the public and tickets for all shows, including those that are free, should be booked by visiting the online box office or calling 0116 250 6229. The box office is open from 1pm today.
Cultural Exchanges 2016 is being organised and run by third year students on the BA (Hons) Arts and Festivals Management course at DMU.
CAMPAIGNER: Transgender rights activist Paris Lees (Neil Dawson/Attitude Magazine)
Festival publicist and student Helen Ainsley said: “We believe this year’s Cultural eXchanges could be our biggest year yet and our 15th anniversary line-up the most exciting line-up so far.
“We can’t wait to get going and put on a brilliant week of festivities celebrating the best in arts and culture.”
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Tony Graves, Head of Subject, Arts and Festivals Management and Director of Cultural eXchanges Festival, paid tribute to his students saying: “Producing our annual Cultural eXchanges Festival, as part of their degree course, is an enormous challenge for our students but every time they excel.
LEGEND: Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett
“This year they have put together an exceptional programme to celebrate the 15th year of the festival and they should be very proud of their efforts.”
Other highlights at Cultural Exchanges 2016 include a Fine Art Auction, giving people an opportunity to bid for original artwork by DMU students to raise funds for the annual degree show, a History of Leicester Cinema-going, a workshop on how to write a novel, a discussion about the world record-breaking Rock in Rio festival, a Q&A with BBC chief football correspondent John Murray and a lecture by John Gray, who writer Will Self has called “the most important living philosopher”.
Posted on Monday 25 January 2016