Motiroti

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motiroti is a London based arts organisation led by Artistic Director Ali Zaidi. For over ten years the company has made internationally acclaimed and award winning art that transforms relationships between people, communities and spaces. motiroti works at the forefront of ever-changing global social realities, challenging and teasing perceptions of artists, institutions and audiences alike. Aiming to cross geographical, linguistic, racial and religious divides their art whilst exploring difference, celebrates similarities – locally, nationally and internationally.

Working with a range of collaborators within visual and live art, new technology and socially engaged practice, motiroti makes public art with public being central to the making and shaping of the work, using technologies democratically so the work reflects multiple perspectives. The company fosters the development of a lifelong learning culture. Learning and art production are part of the same process, and offer equally potent opportunities to inspire and develop a dynamic exchange between artists and communities. .^[1]

1 History
2 Notable Productions
3 Notable Collaborators
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Co-founded by artists Ali Zaidi and Keith Khan motiroti was officially registered as a charity in 1996, although the pair had worked together since the late 1980s. Khan left the company in 2004 to become CEO of the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation^[2] while Zaidi continues to be the Artistic Director.^[3]

The company has presented works in many countries, at venues such as Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol;^[4] Barbican Centre, London;^[5] Bonn Biennale;^[6] Brooklyn Academy of Music;^[7] Edinburgh Festival; Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota;^[8] Greenwich Theatre; Harbour Front Centre, Toronto; Houston International Festival; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London;^[9] Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; It's Queer Up North,^[10] Manchester; Kannonhallen, Denmark; Krannert Center, Illinois;^[11] La Ferme du Buisson, France; Leeds Mela; London International Festival of Theatre; Lille 3000; Melbourne Festival;^[12] Midlands Arts Centre; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of London; National College of Arts, Lahore; National Gallery, Capetown; National Theatre, Islamabad; Natural History Museum, London; New Art Gallery, Walsall; New Haven Festival of Arts and Ideas; Notting Hill Carnival; Oval House Theatre, London; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; REDCAT, Los Angeles;^[13] Romaeuropa Festival, Italy; Royal Albert Hall, London; Royal Court Theatre, London; Royal Festival Hall, London; Royal Geographical Society with IGB,^[14] London; Royal National Theatre, London; Science Museum,^[15] London; Serpentine Gallery, London;^[16] Sibikwa Theatre, Johannesburg; Singapore Arts Festival; Tamaseel Theatre, Lahore; Tate Liverpool; Tate Modern; Theatre Royal Stratford East; Tramway Theatre, Glasgow;^[17] V&A;^[18] Warwick Arts Centre;^[19] West Yorkshire Playhouse; Whitney Museum,^[20] New York.

[edit] Notable Productions

Alladeen (2002-2005) - A co-production with The Builders Association which weaved between the ancient legend of Aladdin from 1001 nights and identity-blurring phenomena found in the teeming metropolises of Bangalore, London and New York.^[21]
Celebration Commonwealth (2002) - A parade highlighting the Commonwealth of Nations and its contribution of peoples and cultures to the United Kingdom for Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom's Golden Jubilee Weekend.^[22]
One Night (1997) - A piece of visual theatre exploring the shifts between Indian courtesan culture, first-generation British Asians and contemporary student life in the United Kingdom.
Wigs of Wonderment (1995-1999) - A performance installation challenging the notions of beauty, objectification and the 'exotic' in Western culture.^[23]
Maa (1995) - An audacious mix of odd mythic creatures, melodrama, snatches of film, towering carnival costumes and scratch animation.
The Seed The Root (1995) - A series of site-specific installations and performances exploring gender and cultural imbalances, created in collaboration with local businesses in Brick Lane and international and British artists.
Moti Roti, Puttli Chunni (1993-1994) - The United Kingdom's first Bollywood musical. Winner of Time Out Performance Award
Flying Costumes, Floating Tombs (1991) - An extravagant spectacle inspired by the Hosay Festival in Trinidad. Winner of Time Out Performance Award.