DASH CAFÉS

Since 2010, our Dash Cafés have brought together over 700 artists, academics and activists in vigorous debate and conversation, laced with live music, film, performance and more, to audiences of over 13,000.

Dash Cafés are a cross-disciplinary exploration of the extraordinary and often lesser-known ideas, artistic voices and movements from around the world that emerge through Dash Arts’ international research with experts in their fields, along with the diaspora communities in the UK. We ask difficult questions, confront generalisation and search for new insights through leading artists and open conversation with audiences. 

We Are Free To Change The World is Dash Arts' ongoing series of live conversations, performances and podcasts, bringing together artists and activists to think and act playfully in urgent times.

Inspired by Hannah Arendt's belief that freedom is found in action, and that every act of beginning something new is itself a political act, the series asks how artists and creative activists respond to the times we're living through. Each event brings performance, film and conversation together with making sessions, singing and shared craft, turning an evening of talk into something made collectively in the room.

You can find out More HERE

pAST CAFÉS

Since 2010, Dash Cafés have featured over 700 speakers, to audiences of over 13,000.

Disco and Atomic War
Wed 12 May 2021 | Zoom event

Inspired by the iconic 2009 Estonian documentary Disco and Atomic War, we hosted an evening of live conversation, exploring borders, propaganda and censorship. Speakers included Estonian TV journalist and Disco and Atomic War co-producer and co-screenwriter Kiur Aarma; Soviet-born British journalist and author Peter Pomerantsev; former ambassador of Finland to Estonia Kirsti Narinen; and political analyst and Counterpoint director Catherine Fieschi.

Playful and provocative documentary Disco and Atomic War (Winner of Best Documentary at Warsaw International Film Festival) by Jaak Kilmi recounts the Soviet Union's repressive grip of Estonia in the 80s. Much of Soviet power derived from its ability to censor cultural life. Rock and roll was but a rumour and the only television shows on the air were dreary propaganda – until one day, a few miles across the border in Finland, a huge television antenna was built broadcasting Western signals into the heart of Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

With support from the Embassy of Estonia in London and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland. Part of Dash Arts' EUTOPIA series, investigating what it means to be European.

This café is now available as a podcast. Listen here

Digital Dash Café - EUROPEANS: ARVO PÄRT
28 October 2020 | Zoom event

On 28 October 2020 we hosted our first ever Digital Dash Café. Continuing our EUTOPIA series, Europeans: Arvo Pärt featured a mini-concert performed by British pianist Sophia Rahman and Estonian violinist Andres Kaljuste at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia, interwoven with a conversation with both musicians and Michael Pärt, son of the composer and Chairman of the Arvo Pärt Centre, hosted by Dash Arts Artistic Director Josephine Burton.

With much gratitude to The Estonian Embassy in London for their generous support, the Arvo Pärdi Keskus / Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia for hosting the physical event and filmed performances, all the wonderful speakers and performers, and to Tammo Sumera for the filming and editing.

We were humbled to be joined by a fantastic audience from around the globe, from over 23 different countries from Martinique to Australia, via Estonia, Romania, and Kyrgyzstan to name but a few!

Audience feedback:
“Thanks for a wonderful evening. Full of insights, a great panel and exceptional music.”…

“Majestic!!!”

This café is now available as a podcast. Listen here

ART VS ARTIVISM
11 March 2020 | Warwick Arts Centre

When art sets out to make a social or environmental impact – are we ticking boxes or are we changing the world?

In February 2020 we were joined by theatre director and Dash Arts Associate Artist Sophie Austin, Dr Michele Aaron (Screening Rights Film Festival) and Co-founders of Birmingham-based collective MAIA Group, Amahra Spence and Amber Caldwell at Warwick Arts Centre, to delve into the challenges of activism through art, and look at the tension between art for art’s sake and art as a means to an end.

This event was also accompanied by music from Ukrainian singer-songwriter Iryna Muha, who you can listen to here

Find and listen to the podcast here