Dream Space

Can a lack of control be freeing? In this episode of Dream Space, British-Iraqi writer, drag performer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi takes us on a journey through the cosmos where we become part of the universe.  Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Amrou imagines a euphoric rave inside a blanket of cosmic dust. There is no sense of time or urgency. Reflecting on queerness in his work, Amrou describes a space where everyone just is – people scream, cry and laugh like children without being judged.  Amrou Al-Kadhi's work focuses on queer identity, politics and storytelling. Their debut book Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything In Between won the Polari First Book Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. Their debut feature film Layla – a coming-of-age story set in London, about an Arab drag queen’s first love – premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raised in an East London home alive with creativity – a fashion designer mum and a furniture maker dad – Arsenal defender and Lioness Lotte Wubben-Moy has always felt the power of imagination. Yet as a professional footballer, the questions she’s asked are often focus on her routine: “What do you eat?” and “How do you train?”   In Dream Space, Lotte takes up the invitation to wander, dream and imagine something beyond the rigidity of sport. The result is a place without hierarchy, where the collective matters more than the individual. Rooted in her passion for grassroots football, her dream is to lift others up, creating a game – and a world – where freedom and community sit at the centre.   Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Lotte reflects on creativity, belonging and possibility. Her dream space isn’t just for footballers (though Ian Wright and her Arsenal teammates are invited – alongside the artist Olafur Eliasson) it’s for everyone who believes in the joy of building something bigger, together.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forest bathing. Climbing trees. Falling in love. Step inside writer Max Porter’s dream space where you find a deep connection to the living world and an incredible sense of peace.  Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Max Porter imagines a psychedelic forest where visitors gain a superpower that reveals the complex life cycle of each living thing – from the trees to fellow human beings.  Reflecting on the importance of freedom and activism in his work, Max Porter talks animism, empathy and pacifism as well as the radical potential of widening our roles as caregivers in our divided times.   Max Porter is an award-winning writer, who works across fiction, film and theatre. He rose to prominence for his outstanding debut Grief is a Thing with Feathers (2015). For MIF21, Max Porter worked with director Aoife McArdle on the film All of This Unreal Time, starring Cillian Murphy with music from Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner (of The National) and Jon Hopkins.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of season three, visionary performance artist Marina Abramović joins host Gemma Cairney to talk about the importance of dreaming throughout her 50-year career – from the recurring dreams of her childhood to interpreting her dreams to her creative process.  Reflecting on key works in career, including The Artist Is Present at MoMA and her seven-minute, silent intervention on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, Marina expands on her relationship with art, spirituality, old age and dreaming – imagining a space without ego or categories.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dream Space is back for a third season of dreams, visions and imaginary worlds – straight from the minds of our leading creative thinkers.  Join host Gemma Cairney in the dream space with guests including Marina Abramović, Max Porter, Nubya Garcia and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who are all fascinated by our capacity to dream.  Dream Space takes listeners on a journey through an imaginary, limitless space. Infinite resources. A blank canvas. The challenge? Create your dream artistic utopia.   What sights, sounds, tastes and conversations shape your experience? Which musicians, artists, film director or theatre practitioners feature in your dream? In each episode we get to know our guest, find out what makes them tick, what brings them joy and inspiration. Together we create a new vision, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and ask what kind of art the world needs today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of Dream Space series 2, Gemma Cairney leaves us in the capable hands (and mind) of Factory International’s Creative Director and natural dreamer Kee Hong Low. Join Kee Hong as he reflects on what it means to let go and embrace our dreams. Enter a vast space of calm, which transcends the limits of the everyday, and be guided by the unexpected – like the ability to smell through your skin! Plus, Gemma Cairney reflects on our series highlights and all the wonderful dream spaces we visited along the way.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British-born Ghanaian/Russian/German artist Afrodeutsche, aka Henrietta Smith-Rolla, invites us aboard her Love Plane in this week’s episode of Dream Space. No tickets are needed, and everyone is welcome to relax on this mystical long-haul flight where all the crew can rest. Known for her eclectic productions spanning techno, house, and classical orchestral music, Afrodeutsche is also the host of BBC Radio 6 Music’s People’s Party every Friday evening.Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi invites us on a journey in this week’s episode of Dream Space. We travel along ancient routes, filled with the scent of spices and the taste of fresh dates, toward infinite possibilities and knowledge in 12th-century Baghdad and the Library of Alexandria.Zuabi, the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company in Palestine, is also an Associate Director at the Young Vic Theatre and a member of United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement. His latest project, The Herds, follows life-size puppet animals as they journey from West Africa to Norway, escaping climate disaster.Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning artist Ryan Gander lets us into his mind in this episode of Dream Space, imagining a world where time slows down, and mindfulness reigns. Inspired by Japanese philosophy, Gander’s dream space is a minimalist, meditative world reminiscent of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where you can swap senses and choose solitude or company with the flip of a switch. In this world, the passing of time is savoured, and wandering without a goal becomes a form of meditation.Ryan Gander, based in Suffolk, is known for his expansive body of work spanning sculpture, writing, architecture, and performance. Describing himself as a “neo-conceptual no-style-style amateur philosopher,” Gander’s art explores themes of language, time, and knowledge. His accolades include an OBE in 2017, the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University in 2019, and becoming a Royal Academician in 2022. For MIF23, Gander created The Find, hiding thousands of collectable coins across Manchester.Hosted by Gemma Cairney, Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer and educator, Benji Reid takes us into a space of healing in his dreams.Life can feel overwhelming at times. Everything moves so fast, and there are never enough hours in the day. But in Benji's Dream Space, this will never be a problem. Instead, he imagines a world that exists when you’re ready to move at a pace that works for you. A space where time doesn’t exist – and there is a library of souls to be inspired by, lined with red trees and soft clouds to wade through.   Benji Reid first trained as a dancer before forming his hip hop theatre company Breaking Cycles which he has toured globally. Through his work, he explores the themes of the Black British experience, Black masculinity, and mental health. Benji's show at the 2023 edition of Manchester International Festival, Find Your Eyes, invited audiences to watch him craft his photography in real time – blending theatre and dance with photography.   Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.