Artist Talk with Najia Bagi
Najia is an artist and musician who has been working with HOME since late 2015. Her work has spanned two projects – What Would Billie Do? which was a residency exploring heartbreak, and Move Me which is her current project exploring being single and looking for love.
Najia’s projects tend to be long term, participative and about love and relationships. For What Would Billie Do? Najia installed “prescriptive” music players at HOME. She also hosted the Heartbreak Amnesty, collecting unwanted objects from past relationships. She then co-directed a short film and presented this film alongside musical performances at HOME.
During her current Move Me project, Najia received letters from three single people for six months, connecting her to the transition that each person was experiencing. These letters were then brought to life through collaborations with a light artist, dancer, and the Sacred Sounds Women’s Choir. Following a performance which happened at HOME on 3rd March 2017, Najia will soon take up residence at Manchester Central Library on 7th and 8th April to offer visitors the opportunity to read and reply to these letters.
HOME and Najia would like to invite you to this talk, to find out more about how Najia works and what inspired her projects. You will have the opportunity to watch the Heartbreak film and see images from Najia’s past and present.
Move Me is funded by Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts and supported by HOME and Manchester Jazz Festival.