Cover illustration © Matt Littler CONTENTS Forewords Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, & Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council 04 Brent’s 5-Year Programme of Change 06 Metrolanding Lois Stonock, Artistic Director of Brent 2020 08 Brent 2020 in Numbers 12 The Metrolanding Framework 14 Being Brent Ekow Eshun 18 The Programme in Review 26 RISE 28 Blueprint Collective 30 Brent Biennial 34 2020 Culture Fund and Support for Local Artists 38 VENT 42 No Bass Like Home 44 Brent Locked In 46 Seen and Heard 48 Brent 2020 Education Programme 50 The Agency 52 Brent Anthem 53 The Legacy of Brent 2020 Carolyn Downs, Chief Executive of Brent Council 54 Thanks 56 2 Metrolanding: Brent’s Year as London Borough of Culture 3 RISE © Ava Romero © Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture FOREWORD FOREWORD Sadiq Khan Councillor Muhammed Butt Mayor of London Leader of Brent Council My administration created the London Borough of Culture Brent 2020’s clear focus on young people was its driving We built Brent 2020, the London Borough of Cultures, And together, we projected the story of Brent to the world in programme to expand access to culture; put it at the force and will be a defining part of its legacy. The 163 young with our community – those that live here, grew up here or front of Wembley Stadium. With 8,000 young people and the heart of local communities; and give creative talent at people that made up the Blueprint Collective were at the heart were shaped by our borough. Despite a global pandemic, help of Zoom, we made an anthem for the borough. We put the grassroots level the chance to shine and thrive. of the programme and its success. They helped shape the uncertainty and fear unprecedented in the borough’s art on the streets and Brent’s heroes on our screens, not least It was designed to use the power of culture to bring fantastic online activity including the Brent Locked In video history, they worked together to make it all happen, giving with a reggae festival that travelled from Brent to Jamaica to people together, create positive opportunities for young series and over 100 VENT podcasts, as well as developing their energy, heart when we most needed it. They came Florida and back. Brent’s year as the official London Borough people and inspire our communities – and I’m proud that a new charter for the future of public space in the city and with the ideas, the people, the stories and the histories, of Culture was a reminder of who we are as a community – Brent has managed to do exactly that in the face of what establishing an independent organisation to support young and they reminded us of Brent’s spirit of resilience, care and that together, we are stronger. We remain the London has been an extraordinarily tough and challenging year. people’s creativity for the future. and rebellion. At a time when we weren’t able to come Borough of Cultures. together, they kept us together. We could never have anticipated the difficulties our city In total, more than 1,000 artists and arts organisations were Along with the people of Brent, we want to thank the funders would face when we came together last January for RISE, commissioned to create work, over 250 volunteers gave their There were the 256 volunteers, 335 educators, the countless who helped us to make Brent 2020 happen, working with the opening show of Brent 2020. It was a spectacular way to time to help and nearly all the schools across the borough library staff who brought their time, energy and commitment us as we adapted the programme to the new parameters of start the year that saw the history and stories of the borough were involved – a true community effort. And I’m pleased to to make the year happen. There were the 41 Community 2020. They are The Mayor of London and the Greater London performed by a community cast of hundreds, against the say there will be more to come this year, with a number of Advisors, 9 engagement boards, and 163 members of Authority, Quintain, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts backdrop of the iconic Wembley Stadium. events supported by the Culture Fund still to take place. the Blueprint Collective who worked with the Brent 2020 Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, St George, Infosys, team to shape the character and tone of the programme. Wates, John Lyon’s Charity, Network Homes and Art Fund. The months of lockdown that followed meant that events had Brent 2020 has underlined the importance of the arts in And, perhaps most importantly of all, there were more than to be reimagined and moved online, but Brent nevertheless our society and the benefits culture can bring to our young 1,000 artists, musicians and performers who brought the Thank you. responded with creativity and resilience to deliver an people. It has shown why we must celebrate untold tales year to life. inspiring and uplifting programme. They were able to bring and unheard voices, and that even in the hardest of times, the community together as we stayed in our homes, with creativity can console, inspire and unite us. It will be this engaging videos, interviews and podcasts, while at the same spirit that will ultimately be the key to London’s recovery time continuing to support local artists and young people. and future success. Councillor Muhammed Butt Later in the year, we saw the launch of a critically acclaimed Tokyngton councillor public art programme, the Brent Biennial, which brought Leader of Brent Council 36 artworks to the streets, libraries and public spaces of the borough. And more than 70,000 people joined together virtually for the No Bass Like Home festival – an incredible Sadiq Khan celebration of reggae culture. Mayor of London 4 Metrolanding: Brent’s Year as London Borough of Culture 5 BRENT’S 5-YEAR PROGRAMME Launch of Brent 50th project Locked In, video OF CHANGE interview series funded by 2020 Culture Fund with well-known local people RISE, the Brent Metroland Cultures 2020 opening event, charity is formed features 230 Key multi-generational performers at Wembley Park Blueprint Collective gains 100th member Press announcement Launch of COVID-19 Fact-Checkers series for VENT Key moment 29 primary schools Launch of Metroland Cultures Fund, providing The Brent ABC, work with poets First VENT support to local artists Brent 2020’s education to make 168 songs podcast about life in Brent during the pandemic Programme resources, launched released Start of the first lockdown Yellow Charter, expressing young NO Kiln Theatre people’s desire for BA announces Zadie Smith’s SS The Wife of Willesden better public spaces, LIK launched VENT E H OM E ISE R ON PROGRAMM ATI E VENT podcast UC reaches 100 episodes Metroland Studio opens ED RD The Blueprint Collective EA writes its manifesto H CTIVE Brent Biennial open & LLE O No Bass Like EN C E T Home online festival S IN Second streamed to a live 2020 Culture Fund R B lockdown audience of 71,000 P R people worth £500k E D N E U J launched for local people O B L D F R N and organisations to S E Funding secured B N M N A T Royal Philharmonic for Local Cultural make cultural activities U A T F L Orchestra launches Education Partnership J M O B Anthem made with E J C I R J K E young people from U J E N across Brent M T 9 2 D N STRUC 0 A L 1 FRA TUR 2 Brent designated A 0 IN E I I S 0 N A U 2 S as London Borough LS M C IL O L of Culture M K THE V S E O M FEB 2018 METROLANDING J � F E E N N Bid developed with D FRAMEWORK Brent Council commit I T R local community S £1million to the legacy P D 2017 2021 of Brent 2020 6 Metrolanding: Brent’s Year as London Borough of Culture 7 METRO- © Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture LANDING Lois Stonock, Artistic Director of Brent 2020 The best-laid plans Our title for the year – the Borough of Cultures – was Brent 2020, the London developed with the people of Brent. It was both a nod and an acknowledgement that this is a borough of many stories, Borough of Cultures, set communities, peoples and histories – and we wanted to celebrate and elevate them all. It would, we hoped, be a out to be a stage for all our magical year of discovering an extraordinary place. communities. It was not limited But by the end of March, three months into our programme, to art but centred on a wider Brent had become the centre of a national crisis, the first place that was struck by the coronavirus. Northwick Park idea of culture: what it signifies, Hospital declared a critical incident on 20 March; a week later, Delroy Washington – Brent musician and reggae what it includes and what it legend – tragically died. We were confined to our homes means to be part of a place. while the NHS, care workers, delivery drivers and council officers became the front line. Brent 2020 became a year of This place. reorientating Brent at a time when life was to be profoundly disorientating. Brent is where the Grunwick strike happened – where migrant workers united to demand rights. It is where teachers Brent’s communities have been among the worst hit by campaigned for more inclusive practices and where the Irish COVID-19.