In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name.

This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism.

This first episode brings together artist Rashaad Newsome, whose works featured in In the Black Fantastic include Isolation (2020) and Ansista (2019), and producer, composer and DJ, The Twilite Tone.

This podcast series is hosted and co-produced by Chrystal Genesis, produced by Jaja Muhammad, researched by Zara Martin, mixed by Carmela DiClemente, and was conceived by Glen Wilson.

In the Black Fantastic, the exhibition, is at Hayward Gallery, London until 18 September 2022. Find out more about the exhibition at southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

In the Black Fantastic: Rashaad Newsome x The Twilite Tone

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name.

This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism.

This second episode brings together artist Lina Iris Viktor whose works featured in In the Black Fantastic include a number from her 2017-2018 portrait series ’A Haven. A Hell. A Dream Deferred’, and poet and essayist Salena Godden.

This podcast series is hosted and executive produced by Chrystal Genesis, produced by Jaja Muhammad, researched by Zara Martin, mixed by Carmela DiClemente, and was conceived by Glen Wilson.

In the Black Fantastic, the exhibition, is at Hayward Gallery, London until 18 September 2022. Find out more about the exhibition at southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

In the Black Fantastic: Lina Iris Viktor x Salena Godden

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name.

This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism.

This third episode brings together interdisciplinary filmmaker Cauleen Smith, whose works featured in In the Black Fantastic include the drawings BLK FMNNST Loaner Library 1989–2019 (2019) and the installation Epistrophy (2018), and composer and cellist Ayann Witter-Johnson.

This podcast series is hosted and executive produced by Chrystal Genesis, produced by Jaja Muhammad, researched by Zara Martin, mixed by Carmela DiClemente, and was conceived by Glen Wilson.

In the Black Fantastic, the exhibition, is at Hayward Gallery, London until 18 September 2022. Find out more about the exhibition at southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

In the Black Fantastic: Cauleen Smith x Ayanna Witter-Johnson

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name.

This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism.

This fourth and final episode brings together sculptor and visual artist Hew Locke, and sculptor and performance artist Nick Cave, both of whom have work featured in the exhibition. Locke’s works in In the Black Fantastic include portraits from his series ‘How Do You Want Me?’ (2007) and a number of his sculptural statues, whilst the work of Cave on display includes a trio of his famous Soundsuits, and Chain Reaction (2022), a sculpture of interlocking hands.

This podcast series is hosted and executive produced by Chrystal Genesis, produced by Jaja Muhammad, researched by Zara Martin, mixed by Carmela DiClemente, and was conceived by Glen Wilson.

In the Black Fantastic, the exhibition, is at Hayward Gallery, London until 18 September 2022. Find out more about the exhibition at southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

In the Black Fantastic: Hew Locke x Nick Cave

Out of the Kiln: From Technique to Concept presents Aaron Angell and Serena Korda - two artists who featured in the Hayward Gallery exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art - in conversation with exhibition curator Cliff Lauson and Isabella Smith, Deputy Editor at Crafts. They discuss working with ceramics, and explore how their clays, glazes and firing techniques give form to their creative vision.

Recorded on 26 November 2022, this talk was presented in partnership with Crafts magazine and was edited by Shivani Dave.

Image Credit: Aaron Angell, Pie #1, 2020 © Aaron Angell. Courtesy of Rob Tufnell, London/Venice. Photo: Andy Keate.

Strange Clay – Out of the Kiln: From Technique to Concept

On 15 September 2023, the Southbank Centre hosted a cross-cultural takeover by the fashion designer Nicholas Daley.

Renowned for his intricate, colourful knitwork and interplay with music and culture, Daley has used fashion as a means to explore ideas around identity, heritage, and memory, intertwined with wider Black British and diasporic themes.

Nicholas Daley Presents Woven Rhythms saw a number of events curated by Daley take place across the Southbank Centre, beginning with this panel discussion. Intersecting reggae, punk and alternative soundscapes, four trailblazing and rule-breaking musicians from two generations came together for a conversation about music, DIY culture, politics and identity.

In conversation were Pauline Black, lead singer of iconic two-tone band The Selecter, DJ and dub master Dennis Bovell, South London musician and producer Wu Lu, and Delilah Holliday of alternative punk band Skinny Girl Diet.

The conversation is introduced, and hosted, by BBC broadcaster and NTS Radio host, Zakia Sewell.

Woven Rhythms: a discussion

Journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera traces the legacies of the British empire around the world, drawing on his book Empireland: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, in conversation with Colin Grant.

This conversation was recorded live in our Queen Elizabeth Hall on Sunday 14 July 2024, as part of You Belong Here, our summer programme of events inspired by the unsung stories and forgotten trailblazers celebrated in our Hayward Gallery exhibition Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere.

Sathnam Sanghera is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Empireland: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, memoir The Boy With The Topknot, and novel Marriage Material.

Colin Grant’s books include Bageye at the Wheel, shortlisted for the Pen Ackerley Prize, and Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation, a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. His latest book is I’m Black So You Don’t Have to Be. Grant is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and director of WritersMosaic, an online magazine and division of the Royal Literary Fund.

Sathnam Sanghera: Empireworld

Historian and filmmaker David Olusoga joins journalist Nesrine Malik in conversation to chart the story of Black British history, bringing to light overlooked narratives.

From well-known figures to individual lives consigned to the margins of history, how do the lived experiences of Black British people through time influence questions of belonging and identity?

This conversation was recorded live in our Royal Festival Hall on 11 July 2024 as part of You Belong Here, or summer series of events that draw on the themes of our Hayward Gallery exhibition, Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere.

The talk sees Olusoga draw on his acclaimed documentaries including ‘Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners’ and his groundbreaking ‘Black and British: A Forgotten History’.

David Olusoga: Black British History and Belonging

On 10 October 2024 South Korean author Han Kang was awarded with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.

In April 2023 we were lucky enough to welcome Han Kang to the Southbank Centre to celebrate the launch of 'Greek Lessons', her powerful novel of the saving grace of language and human connection. 

Han Kang appeared in conversation with the writer and broadcaster Octavia Bright and you can enjoy that conversation in full, here, with live translation from Seh Hyun Rho.

Han Kang: Greek Lessons

Hear the unabridged Moby-Dick by Herman Melville being read aloud over four days at the Southbank Centre in London as part of the London Literature Festival.

The epic work is being performed by writers, actors, comedians, members of the public – and Herman Melville’s great-great-great-granddaughter.

This live reading also includes newly commissioned work from illustrators, artists and musicians, providing surprising contributions every day.

Chapter 32 - Cetology

Two world-renowned authors: Nobel prize winning Kazuo Ishiguro and novelist, David Mitchell appear together for the first time in an intimate exploration of the writing process.

Kazuo Ishiguro with David Mitchell

This is an interview from WOW - Women Of The World Festival, 2017, at London's Southbank Centre. 

Angela Davis is known internationally for her ongoing work to combat all forms of oppression in the USA and beyond. A writer, scholar, teacher and activist/organiser, Davis is a living witness to the historical struggles of the contemporary era. She is the author of many books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography; Women, Race, and Class; and Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday.

In this podcast, Angela talks to Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director, an founder of the WOW Festival, Jude Kelly about women, race and class in the post-Trump era.

Angela Davis: women, race and class in the post-Trump era

This podcast is one of a series from the WOW - Women Of The World Festival, 2017, at London's Southbank Centre.

In this podcast, Hannah Azieb Pool talks to journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge about the frustrations, discomfort and social implications of talking about race.

Reni explores whose responsibility is it to upturn racism, and presents an exclusive extract from her forthcoming book, “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race”…

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race.

This podcast is one of a series from the WOW - Women Of The World Festival, 2017, at London's Southbank Centre.

From the best-selling author of 'Americanah' and 'We Should All Be Feminists' comes a powerful new statement about feminism today. A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear childhood friend, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. 
In her new work, Dear Ijeawele, Adichie outlines 15 compelling, direct and wryly funny suggestions for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman.

From encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about clothes, makeup and sexuality; debunking the myth that women are somehow biologically arranged to be in the kitchen and that men can ‘allow’ women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the 21st century, to start a new and urgently needed conversation.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Conversation

To mark the 70th anniversary of the publication, on 30 April 2017 A.L. Kennedy and Philippe Sands led a live reading of Primo Levi’s powerful account of survival at Auschwitz, If This Is A Man at Southbank Centre.

A remarkable insight into one of history's darkest chapters, Levi's book offers an unflinching portrait of life, death and survival in a concentration camp.

The performance was directed by Nina Brazier and the cast included Niklas Frank, son of Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor General of occupied Poland and lawyer of Adolf Hitler; actor Henry Goodman; Patrick Lawrence QC, grandson of Sir Geoffrey Lawrence who was the presiding judge at Nuremberg; actor Emma Pallant; broadcaster Robert Peston; survivor of the Omarska death camp Kemal Pervanic; survivor of Auschwitz, Susan Pollack; Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham Sir Martyn Poliakoff; former editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger; playwright Tom Stoppard; Rwandan Genocide survivor Liliane Umubyeyi; actor Samuel West; and featuring music by Bloch, Haas, Klein, Krasa, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Schubert, Laks, Puccini, Shostakovich, Liszt, Bartok, Ullman and Ben-Haim, under the direction of Tomo Keller, leader of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Performers
Raphael Wallfisch cello
Tomo Keller violin
Robert Smissen viola
Simon Wallfisch baritone, cello
Lada Valesova piano

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 01

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 02

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 03

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 04

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 05

In an exclusive London event, internationally acclaimed journalist, activist and bestselling author Naomi Klein, delivered a keynote talk on the surreal political upheavals of recent months and discussed the art of resistance in a time of Trump.

"This panopticon state; all seeing and all knowing, cannot see the most basic of human needs."
NAOMI KLEIN

Naomi Klein: No Is Not Enough

Zadie Smith: one of the most influential authors of the 21st century came to Southbank Centre to talk about her new novel 'Swing Time', the inspiration behind her characters and reflected on the thought process of being a writer.

"I think a certain amount of humiliation is a good thing: to accept that you can never be in this role of righteousness." 
ZADIE SMITH

Zadie Smith is in conversation with Ted Hodgkinson, Southbank Centre's Senior Programmer of Literature and Spoken Word.

Zadie Smith: Swing Time

Well known for novels such as Cat’s Eye, Alias Grace, the MaddAddam Trilogy, and the Booker Prize-winning The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood has been in the news recently due to the appearance of her international bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale as a television series – some say, just in time for the age of Trump.

In this one-time London appearance, Margaret Atwood reads from her work; then, in conversation with Gaby Wood, journalist and Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, she discusses not only her career, but the past, present and future of her best-known novel and the real world it reflects.


This podcast is part of London Literature Festival 2017 at Southbank Centre southbankcentre.co.uk/londonlitfest
For more of biggest and most influential names in modern literature southbankcentre.co.uk/literature

Margaret Atwood in Conversation with Gaby Wood

Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival presents Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman nominated for US president by a major party. 

In this candid interview with James Naughtie, she discusses her most personal memoir to date, What Happened, which depicts a tumultuous election that had the world on tenterhooks, filled with breathtaking highs and lows, stranger-than-fiction twists and allegations of sexism and Russian interference.

"It was an assault against fact.There is no such thing as an alternative fact..."
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

In her only London appearance, she talks about the rituals, relationships and reading that got her back on her feet, and what the experience has taught her about life.


This podcast is part of London Literature Festival 2017 at Southbank Centre southbankcentre.co.uk/londonlitfest
For more of biggest and most influential names in modern literature southbankcentre.co.uk/literature

Hillary Rodham Clinton: What Happened

Visionary and pioneering Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson performed for us recently and talked about Bach, Chopin and his rare condition called synesthesia which means he associates colours with pitch.

"I have this thing from when I was like five or six… I have perfect pitch or absolute hearing so when I would you know think about F minor that would be blue for me, I mean A major would be yellow, B major is purple."
VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON

If you missed our Vikingur Olafsson pre-concert talk watch here and to hear more from great pianists see our International Piano Series - https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/classical-season/international-piano-series

Vikingur Olafsson

*WARNING: This podcast contains references and language that some may find offensive.*

Hear Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talk to Reni Eddo-Lodge about today’s most pressing cultural issues.

"There's a sense that, when being asked to talk about race, after you've written a book, you're supposed to have the answers,  you're supposed to have the solution; and while you're having the solution, you're supposed to cater for the emotional needs of the people listening to you."
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

You can hear more talks, see photos and watch video from other events at this year's WOW at SouthbankCentre.co.uk/wow and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #WOWLDN
To hear more podcasts from us, search for Southbank Centre on SoundCloud or iTunes

WOW - Women of the World festival, London, is supported by Bloomberg.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Reni Eddo-Lodge in Conversation

*WARNING: This podcast contains references and language that some may find offensive.*

In this podcast, Ruby Wax talks about her book How to be Human: The Manual written with insights from a Monk and a neuroscientist, it’s a new and very original take on mindfulness.

"Wind and worry feel the same to me, so I don't know whether to call the police or go to the toilet."
RUBY WAX

You can hear more talks, see photos and watch video from other events at this year's WOW at SouthbankCentre.co.uk/wow and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #WOWLDN
To hear more podcasts from us, search for Southbank Centre on SoundCloud or iTunes

WOW - Women of the World festival, London, is supported by Bloomberg.

Ruby Wax: How to Be Human: The Manual

In January 2017, legendary physicist Stephen Hawking shared his thoughts about the most rewarding achievements of his career, in an exclusive broadcast, marking his 75th birthday for Southbank Centre.

He talked about some of his proudest accomplishments as a theoretical mathematician and physicist.

"Every new day became a bonus and I began to appreciate everything I had; where there is life, there is hope."
STEPHEN HAWKING

Broadcaster Michael Buerk hosted the evening, and he was joined by Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, to respond live to Professor Hawking's keynote.

Due to health reasons, Professor Stephen Hawking was unable to appear in person at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall; his keynote speech was pre-recorded from his home in Cambridge and broadcast for audience members.

Stephen Hawking: A Brief History of Time

Jess Atkinson and Chris McCabe, both from the National Poetry Library talk us through the new kids on the poetry block - instapoets. These guys have got millions of die-hard followers and many have got multiple book deals

Come along to view the world's first Instagram poetry exhibition, showcasing the best of over 1,000 Instapoetry submissions to the National Poetry Library.

The exhibition provides the perfect introduction to this emergent form of poetry.

Share your experience using #instapoetrylib.

What is an Instapoet?

Hear from two masters of the genre, Hilary Mantel and Pat Barker, as they discuss how historical fiction can shed a light on our present.


“We all have these moments in our lives, and the historian can’t do anything about them because it’s not recorded. It’s only a novelist that can do full justice to these memories.”
HILARY MANTEL


The award-winning authors discuss the form and examine the challenges of writing trilogies. They ask the question: can historical fiction reveal a greater truth than history itself?

How do you connect a personal story with the collective past? What can novelists reveal that eludes historians?

Chaired by radio and news presenter James Naughtie.

Hilary Mantel & Pat Barker: Rewriting the Past

For the first time ever, Kazuo Ishiguro and Michael Ondaatje appeared in an unchaired conversation about their creative processes and their inspirations growing up and how that shaped their fiction, as part of Man Booker 50 festival at Southbank Centre.

Drawing on the wide range of influences that have informed their work, especially cinema and music, their discussion was divided into three sections – ‘Envy of the Other Arts’, ‘Boyhood Thrillers’ and ‘Notebooks’ – and each section was introduced by a slideshow of photographs selected by the pair. Here in the recording, each slideshow has been replaced with a short musical interlude.

Kazuo Ishiguro & Michael Ondaatje

In this podcast, the painter George Shaw discusses some of the themes and influences behind his work with novelist Patrick Langley, in a conversation that ranges from post-war town planning, to punks, apocalyptic literature, woodlands and ‘the everydayness of the end of the world’.

Artist interview: George Shaw and Patrick Langley

Join poet Holly Corfield Carr, exploring human and non-human ways of looking at and listening to trees, in this podcast from Hayward Gallery's Among the Trees exhibition.

Holly considers artworks by Giuseppe Penone, Robert Smithson, Roxy Paine and Mariele Neudecker, and interweaves her own words with poems by Vahni Capildeo, Emily Dickinson, Sasha Dugdale and Alice Oswald.

A fly’s-eye-view of Among the Trees

In 2019, Jean Paul Gaultier brought his Fashion Freak Show – called a 'fabulous fiesta of fabric and flesh' by The Guardian – to the Southbank Centre. 

But before his extravaganza exploded onto the stage at Royal Festival Hall, the designer himself appeared here in conversation with TV presenter Anita Rani, reflecting on his decades in fashion.

Born in a Paris suburb in 1952, Gaultier started his career at Pierre Cardin at the age of just 18. He has gone on to rise to the top of the fashion world with his own label, ruffling industry feathers and dressing huge stars – including Madonna in the now-infamous bustier – along the way. 

Hear him discuss his childhood inspirations, his love of British eccentricity and his vision for the future of the fashion industry in our podcast.

Jean Paul Gaultier in conversation

Some of the biggest and most influential names in modern literature, art, music and performance share their stories, thoughts and ideas.

Listen to the people shaping arts and culture today in podcasts which reflect our richly diverse events, exhibitions and festivals programme from the Southbank Centre and Hayward Gallery.

Popular tracks by Southbank Centre