Border Crossings has announced the publication of a major new book celebrating three decades of its intercultural theatre practice.
CHECKPOINT: 30 Years of Border Crossings marks 30 years of live performance work across London and internationally, bringing together theatre, film, festivals and community projects that explore what it means to collaborate across cultures.
Founded in 1995, Border Crossings has worked with artists and communities from around the globe, including London’s Latin American and Māori communities, as well as partners in China, India, Ghana and beyond.
The book is deeply researched and lavishly illustrated, reflecting on the ethical, political and artistic questions that underpin intercultural collaboration.
The main narrative is written by Tongan New Zealander Jasmin ‘Ofamo’oni, whose writing offers a distinctive perspective on Border Crossings’ work through the concept of vā, a relational space connecting people, communities and environments.
The publication also features contributions from leading thinkers and practitioners including Helen Gilbert, Graham Harvey, İlke Şanlıer, Roshni Mooneeram and Border Crossings’ patron Peter Sellars.
It concludes with a candid conversation between Border Crossings’ Founder and Artistic Director Michael Walling and the company’s Chair and Tara Arts founder Jatinder Verma MBE, addressing the complexities and challenges of intercultural practice today.
Michael Walling said: “Working with Jasmin ʻOfamoʻoni on the CHECKPOINT book has been an extraordinary experience. I’ve been able to look back over 30 years of theatrical experiments and intercultural encounters, aided by her acute and critical eye. She’s helped us to make sense of what we have done, drawing out clear lines of narrative and development we hadn’t even known were there. The finished book is really something very precious to me.”
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the book will be launched at a celebratory event in London this June, bringing together past and present collaborators, contributors and members of the local community.
More information can be found here.
