One month to go

Wed 13 Sep 2023

With one month to go until Transform 23, we’re today announcing a series of new commissions, DJ sets and immersive encounters to deepen your experience of the festival.

Celebrating Leeds and the North’s buzzing scene of performers, artists and creatives, Transform 23 unites local talent with our international performance programme.

Find out more…

A silhouette of a person against a neon coloured background

Image courtesy Tyra Thomas

YOUNG CURATORS TAKEOVER: IF WALLS COULD TALK

Opening the festival alongside Ásrún Magnúsdóttir’s SECRETS, Transform’s Young Curators present IF WALLS COULD TALK. Experience a specially curated immersive audio exhibition pre and post show – featuring up-and-coming Leeds poets and spoken word artists exploring how secrets can become hidden monsters.

Find out more and book SECRETS tickets.

Roma Loudun will present Junius. Image: invisible, without bodies, 2021. Supported by CLAY and Axis Web. Photo: Matt Rogers

Nicky Murmann's micro-commission is titled Tell me of a complicated…animal. Image credit: C Covella

Mayawa on stage stretched in dance movement

Mayowa Ogunnaike presents Where are all the Gods? at Transform 23. Image credit: Jemima Yong.

Bakani Pick-up will perform TERRA. Image: Jamie Buchanan

PUMPITOPERA TRANSATLANTICA MICRO-COMMISSIONS

To celebrate the UK premiere of Pumpitopera Transatlantica by Brazilian artist collective MEXA, we’ve invited four of the Leeds based artists we’re most excited about to develop micro-commissions drawing on themes of protest, borders and self-revelation.

We’re thrilled to be working with Roma Loudun, Nicky Murmann, Mayowa Ogunnaike and Bakani Pick-up who will present short performances during the festival. Roma, Nicky and Mayowa’s works can be seen prior to the performances of Pumpitopera Transatlantica, and Bakani’s work can be experienced as part of final night party Club Odyssey.

Find out more about the micro-commissions here.

LUSCIOUS is animated, wearing a neon green tank top against a purple background

LUSCIOUS is a Leeds-based DJ joining us on Thursday 12 October

marjai looks at the camera against a draped background

Catch marjai's set at Left Bank alongside Desire Marea. Image: Sable Studios

DESIRE MAREA: DJ SETS

We’ve also just revealed that two incredible Leeds based DJs will be joining South African artist Desire Marea’s concert at Left Bank Leeds, a collaboration between Transform and Light Night.

LUSCIOUS serves relentless euphoria and breakneck percussion and marjai weaves global drum sonics with a DIY ethos. These two captivating sets will bookend Desire’s incredible and operatic performance.

Book Desire Marea tickets now.

Vee Dagger joins the line-up at CLUB ODYSSEY.

A self portrait of China – who's bringing dark disco to CLUB ODYSSEY

CLUB ODYSSEY

To close the festival, join us for an epic club experience at CLAY: Centre for Live Art Yorkshire – experience a collective odyssey and interact with myths and monsters from your deepest and darkest imaginings at our thumping finale.

Discover our incredible line up of performers and DJs:

having crawled out of a pit of Yorkshire dirt, dubious creature China will bring dark disco, undulating synths and an Odyssean nightmare
creating performance based in working class experience, queer masculinity and artistic libertarianism – POPPERFACE will craft masculine mythologies through dance and occultism
Leeds-based drag artist Vee Dagger draws on the aesthetics of Taiwanese opera and lesbian identity to explore the melodrama of overwhelming emotion
Choreographer and performer Bakani Pick-Up explores the limitations of borders, language and law, through energetic dance rallying in protest
with a MEXA takeover and DJ sets from Leeds-based queer club night Rat Party, and more to be announced, it’s set to be an explosive closing party.

Find out more and book CLUB ODYSSEY tickets now.