Artist Mohammed Ali created an immersive blend of film, performance and discussion, showcasing his recent work on faith while building new collaborations in Melbourne. The event explored how, in divided times, the arts could foster community for people of all faiths and none — offering a space to connect openly, without having to hide personal…
We’re Looking for production talent in the West Midlands We are seeking a highly organised, confident, proactive and creatively minded production manager/senior production coordinator, to support our Artistic Director in delivering an exciting programme of projects between January and July 2026. This is a key role at the heart of our creative output. The ideal…
Soul City Arts invites you to The People’s Circle, a new regular event, that has dialogue at its heart, where we invite you into the circle to speak your mind. This isn’t your usual event. There are no panellists. There is no stage. Instead, there is one circle, into which we invite a select audience…
Soul City Arts was proud to support and host Dervish Productions in bringing Punk Days to the stage — a raw, uncompromising journey into the heart of 1970s Britain. This vivid autobiographical story followed Hassan Mahamdallie, a poor mixed-race kid coming of age in a grim London plagued by racism, poverty and political turmoil. At…
On the 8th of November we screened Le Grand Voyage, a moving road film that follows, a young French-Moroccan man, as he reluctantly drives his elderly father from the south of France to Mecca for the pilgrimage. What begins as a journey of obligation slowly transforms into a powerful exploration of faith, family, and the…
We were pleased to host the finale of Spirit of Pakistan at Soul City Arts, concluding a week of celebrating Pakistan’s rich musical heritage and culture with an evening of Ghazal singing, spoken word, poetry, and storytelling. Nafeesa and Khazina brought their poetry to the stage, while Aqil shared stories that resonated with the audience.…
Bullring presents The Epic Story of Graffiti—an exhibition produced by Soul City Arts and Birmingham Hippodrome that celebrates one of the most misunderstood yet influential artforms of our time. At the heart of the exhibition is the work of legendary graffiti documentarian Henry Chalfant, whose lens captured thousands of spray-painted subway trains across New York…
Classical flautist performs in our Port Hope warehouse. Ustad Hanif Khan joins us from Pakistan for an intimate evening of Classical Hindustani music.
Eid in Kings Heath is our annual Eid vent, returning for a spectacular third year in 2025. Bringing street-food, live-art, and local vendors into the All Saints Square on June 14th 2025
In the Islamic month of Ramadan, inviting family and friends to your home for ‘Iftar’ to break the fast, share food and pray together is all part of the experience. We look forward to bringing the spirit of Ramadan back into our Port Hope warehouse for our annual iftar. Our resident Chef Munayam Khan of…
On Saturday, the 8th of March, during the month of Ramadan, the Listening Sessions invited guests to turn their ears inwards for a suspended moment of spiritual reflection. This exclusive edition of our regular session featured the iconic voice of Abdul Basit ‘Abd us-Samad, the renowned Egyptian qari, reciting the Surah Al-Kahf chapter of the…
This was an exciting cultural event that interlinked faith, culture, and community in celebration of the holy month of Ramadan. Working alongside partners and the team at Soul City Arts, Birmingham City Council was delighted to support the delivery of this event through the UK Government Community Recovery Small Grant Fund. This week-long programme of…
As a teenager in 1980s Harlem, Alaudin Ullah was swept up in the revolutionary energy of hip-hop. He rejected his working-class Bangladeshi parents and turned his back on everything South Asian and Muslim. Now, as an actor and playwright contending with the Islamophobia of post-9/11 Hollywood, Ullah wants to tell his parents’ stories – but…
We are proud to be supporting Worcester Film Festival this year and have two short films screening at the Odeon in Worcester as part of their South Asian stories season. https://wffschedule.worcesterfilmfestival.co.uk/schedule/66c21513434d1e002ca1c5c9
This is the latest project from Soul City Arts where the public were invited to enter an immersive arts installation, guided by a host. They experienced a cave setting along with soundscapes replicating the feeling of being isolated away from modern city life. Taking place at ‘Port Hope’ – an arts centre in the heart…
Halal Food Festival On the weekend of the 25th and 26th, we had a presence at the Halal Food Festival, at the NEC Birmingham. We took our classic Soul City style of retro future to the masses. We took this opportunity to spread the word of our mission of using art for social change. We…
Panjabi Tales of Willenhall Panjabi tales of Willenhall, a striking photographic exhibition curated by Mohammed Ali MBE of Soul City Arts. It was initiated by Sucha Mela, namely Manpreet Darroch, Ramitirth Uppal and Genesis media with photography by Safwan Chowdhury of Soul City Arts. This project shines a spotlight on the remarkable stories of the…
An arts organisation with real purpose Soul City Arts (SCA) is committed to developing innovative work with a vision of ‘transforming society through creativity’. We create high quality programmes that bring people together to explore commonalities and shared narratives. Our work is characterised by deep visual spectacles often set within an immersive environment. Founder of…
Ensemble Safaa UK performance at the IKON gallery Birmingham The Birmingham Qur’an manuscript is said to be one of the oldest in the world, held at the Cadbury Research Library, part of the University of Birmingham. Soul City Arts has previously worked with University in bringing out the manuscript for various exhibitions and installations. We…
BOYCOTTS | STREET PROTEST | EDUCATION | CAMPUS TAKEOVER | GRAFFITI On the 11th of May 2024, amidst the rise of resistance around the world. We gathered to discuss the concept of ‘Resistance’ that exists today, in particularly in reference to the crisis in Gaza. We convened at Port Hope for a dialogue and discussion,…
We at Soul City Arts wanted to work some magic. Opening a portal, a window into the lives of others. As if distance was no object. Working with our US collaborator Asad Ali Jafri (Space Shift Collective), as well as Mohammed Ali (Soul City Arts) and James Hodkinson (Warwick University), we brought together two communities…
This years event was in support of the Gaza emergency appeal, with the help of Islamic Relief. In response to the current situation we showcased a live art performance by Street Artist Mohammed Ali. On stage before breaking the fast, Ali created a painting inspired by the current situation within the middle east, paired with…
What is Nomad Nomad is a space for refuge and an escape from the daily grind. The public are guided through a series of thought-provoking questions surrounding ‘faith’. People’s prayers are a personal and sacred thing, but we bring them into a very visual and public form, providing a fascinating insight into the minds of…
Sounds of an Empire – The Roots & Power of Qawwali Capturing the essence of a unique sound, as never done before. Told through live performance, visually captivating stories and the music of an icon that has impacted generations across the globe, ‘Sounds of an Empire’ is a multidisciplinary work in progress piece that explores…
from a second year University of Birmingham student
Soul Fire Sundays is our signature live-art, food and music event. For each of these regular events, three guest visual artists from across the UK and beyond, are brought together and invited to paint on bespoke stages against a backdrop of DJ’d soundscapes and food from guest caterers. The venue, a former-industrial unit…
Birmingham street-artist and curator Mohammed Ali tells the story of the city, celebrating the graft that is embedded in its DNA. Ali says, ‘Birmingham is no Paris, Tokyo or Milan, it is gritty, but it has soul and that’s how we like it’. Digital visuals are presented alongside performances from celebrated storyteller and author Polarbear…
Soul City Arts’ warehouse space is multifunctional; from hosting school students, film crews to immersive dining events and workshops. Our Port Hope warehouse is a 4000 sqft industrial space in the heart of Sparkbrook that has been described as an ‘Oasis of Creativity’. We recently reimagined the space by transforming it into a unique cinema…
Hip hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, and in 2024, breakdancing – officially named ‘breaking’ – will be at the Olympics for the first time at the Summer Games in Paris. To mark this moment, Bboy Bobak Champion is brought Birmingham-based Muslim young men together to develop their breaking skills and showcase their skills. Salaam ‘O’…
As part of the University of Birmingham’s Culture Forward initiative, Soul City Arts created an installation entitled ‘NOMAD’ for Festival ’23. The event took place on Thursday 3rd August 2023 from 11-4pm at the Exchange Building in Birmingham, Artistic Director Mohammed Ali brought a specially made ‘nomadic reflection booth’ for the public to step inside…
Thousands turn out for #EidinKingsHeath ‘Eid in Kings Heath’ was an unprecedented celebration event for everyone of all faiths and backgrounds. Thousands joined throughout the day to join in with the Islamic festival of Eid that took place at All Saints Square on Sunday 2nd July 2023 between 12pm-6pm. Neighbours and residents gathered to experienced…
On Tuesday 30 May 2023 on Hwyl Stage at the Hay Festival performers and directors from two ground-breaking acclaimed productions, Peaceophobia and Waswasa – which explore faith, systemic racism and the lived experience of young Muslim men in Bradford and Birmingham – discussed why the arts are so secular and if audiences are scared of…
Millions of Muslims around the world begin fasting as the holy month of Ramadan starts. During this time, the spirit of community and togetherness is at the core of every Iftar, the opening of the fast, bringing blessings. In this spirit, Soul City Arts invited people from all communities whether they fast or not, to…
Our show Waswasa was drawn to a close in September to packed audiences at the Birmingham Hippodrome. We are now inviting you to join us in the new home of Soul City Arts – a 4000 square-foot warehouse space in the heart of Sparkbrook, Birmingham.We are hosting a special Waswasa Reflection & Sharing event on…
On Thursday 25th August 2022, our new show Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer opened its doors at the Patrick Studio of the Birmingham Hippodrome to a packed audience. In our first major production since the pandemic, droves of the community, including those who have never visited a theatre before, joined us in our truly immersive show.…
On Thursday 25th August 2022, our new show Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer opened its doors at the Patrick Studio of the Birmingham Hippodrome to a packed audience. In our first major production since the pandemic, droves of the community, including those who have never visited a theatre before, joined us as we began our 9-day…
As we geared up towards our biggest show yet, Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, a number of media outlets featured the show and undertook interviews with our Artistic Director Mohammed Ali and the Soul City Arts team. Waswasa: Whispers in Prayers ran from Thu 25 Aug – Sat 3…
What first connected you to creativity? Since a child, I’ve always been into art. Many Asian families would encourage their children to become Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, I knew early on that I was destined for the creative sector. I’ve tried my best to shake it out of my system but it never worked. Here I…
We are excited to announce our two performers for Waswasa, Hamza Ali, and Mustafa Chaudhry, both physical theatre and movement-based performers who have joined our team. The two actors are currently filming many of the film sequences that will be featured in Waswasa, our biggest and most ambitious theatre show to date as part of…
Mohammed Ali has been working with Guidhall Live Events on our latest theatrical production entitled “Waswasa” that will be presented at the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Filming was led by Mohammed who directed the Guidhall Live Events team and Guildhall students to record film sequences shot against an extended reality (XR) set for use as part…
With the fight to get our new space now won late in May 2022, the SCA Team had to move quickly to transform a functional warehouse into a hybrid working and arts space. The new premises had to serve as a making space for us to build the set for Waswasa over the coming summer.…
On June 30th 2022, we welcomed creatives from across the country to our new project base and the new home of Soul City Arts. It was an epic moment of gathering and sharing for a major new commission called ‘Waswasa’ part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival for the Commonwealth Games. It has been quite a…
PRESS RELEASE Unique multi-disciplinary theatrical experience from awarding winning Birmingham artist Mohammed Ali – Waswasa his biggest production to-date Cutting edge and authentic exploration of Islamic Faith Part of Birmingham 2022 Festival of the Commonwealth Games At the Birmingham Hippodrome, 25 August- 03 September 2022 CELEBRATING CREATIVITY IN BIRMINGHAM AS PART OF…
Stories of white working-class women who crossed the colour line to marry men of the Windrush generation. Julie McNamara and Hassan Mahamdallie’s extensive research gives voice to the stories of these unsung women, who faced hostility, battled discrimination and showed courage in the face of racism, class and gender prejudice and, who lay the foundations…
Soul City Arts delivered the regular Soul Fire Sundays where visual artists were hosted to paint along with food being served. We created this series of films where we ask them all the same question: ‘What is the value of art in their lives and the world today”. Through these films we wish to strip…
An international celebration of the joys and struggles of the immigrant experience. 4 Short Films. 4 Independent Filmmakers. 1 Night Only DREAMER directed by Vergi Rodriguez THE JOURNEY directed by Ben Briand THE POWER OF LEGACY directed by Mohammed Ali A-N-D-R-E-A directed by Armando Valdes-Kennedy Talking about the event Mohammed Ali said, The…
The idea of being caught in between two lands and the duality as an immigrant generation is explored in this mural ‘Mateer Tan’ (Land is calling) now complete on Brick Lane. Too often street-art murals fail to engage and resonate with the people that live amongst those walls. It’s always baffled me. This community steeped…
Soul City Arts is delivering a compelling immersive theatrical show, that explores the Muslim experience of prayer and how it is perceived in British society. The ‘Waswasa’ show is part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and takes place in August at the Birmingham Hippodrome. We are building towards the show by capturing thoughts and prayers…
An immersive performance which blends film screening and viewing, ambient sound, live digital art and artist-audience conversation. This immersive, multi-media event, blends film screening and viewing, live digital art and bespoke soundtracks with interactive conversation. Drawing on Mohammed Ali’s projects of recent years, and his collaboration with Warwick’s Dr James Hodkinson, it showcases how this…
Artist Mohammed Ali celebrated the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh at the Bloomsbury Festival, bringing life to the frontages of Holy Cross Church and the British Library. Film projections told the stories of early Bangladeshi migrants, capturing their struggles, hardships, and joys as they built new lives in a foreign land. The interviews highlighted the journeys…
Reconnecting and Reactivating | A post-eid hybrid live stream We’ve had over a year of lockdown amidst the global pandemic. It’s also been a year since Congregate first began responding to that experience. Now, with the holy month of Ramadan just behind us, the Soul City Arts team invited guest artists from the UK and…
‘The Same Boat’ is an artistic response to the life of St Wulfram, inspired by the ‘Stations of the Cross’. Father Stuart has done a series of short films offering a reflection on each of the art installations for ‘The Same Boat’. Father Stuart said: “St Wulfram’s is so proud to be hosting this amazing…
Enhancing the foundations of a global arts organisation with Birmingham roots: Soul City Arts hires Executive Director Rajpal Pardesi As an arts organisation, Soul City Arts has a track record of delivering groundbreaking artistic programming on all continents of the world, from festivals in Malaysia to youth conferences in Sweden, a multi-artist led mural with…
Happy New Year 2021 We at Soul City Arts wish you a happy new year. 2020 was a tough year, a real test for us all. We want to remind our friends and supporters that it is through hardships that we grow stronger… Life will always throw obstacles at us, but it’s down to us…
xfcomments A live stream collaboration with the World Health Organization Friday, 13th November saw a multi-faceted live stream come to life as part of a Global Online Commemoration for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The event takes place on the third Sunday of every November to remember those lost on the…
A live stream collaboration on historical injustices Soul City Arts recently collaborated with the Sycamore Foundation and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. Global Summit: Genocide, We Said, Never Again Supported by the office of President Izetbegović of Bosnia, comes this timely international, digital summit exploring the atrocities of genocide. With a particular focus on the…
A live stream collaboration with the Zakat Foundation of America As the world evolves through an unprecedented time, in a global pandemic, we started to feel the void as we considered what Eid 2020 would look like. Knowing we had to serve our communities with love, inspiration and humor, we strategized with close friends and…
White Pariahs: Quiet Rebels brings to our stages stories of the white working-class women who crossed the colour line to marry the men of the Windrush generation who emigrated to Britain after WWII. Th development of this show took place during the lockdown period, so all rehearsals and performances had to be delivered online. Soul…
Soul City Arts were asked to curate a performance in response to the True To Life photographic exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Artists Mark Gonzales, Amerah Salah and Andy Mason responded to the exhibition on display and performed in the gallery space. Mohammed Ali curated the final performance.
Soul City Arts curates live-art performances: Three Artists respond to masterpieces from the collection at Barber Institute of Fine Arts. Barber on the Streets was first showcased during Birmingham Weekender 2017 festival. Artist & Curator Mohammed Ali MBE and co-curator Matt Reeves work together to design and construct a compelling street-structure for each artist to…
Mohammed Ali along with Tshaka Campbell and hang percussionist Daniel Waples is invited by the White Table Dinner to deliver at the Foreign Commonwealth Office in Westminster, London back in 2011. Tshaka Campbell is a highly accomplished performer, a Hollywood Slam Champion in 2007, with appearances from the legendary Apollo Theatre to the poetry Cafe…
Soul City Arts celebrates Elevate Grant with immersive Zoom session Just before COVID-19 hit the world, we at Soul City Arts had shared the news of our ‘Elevate’ award from the Arts Council England. Elevate focuses on organisational development and resilience and as recipients, will see Soul City Arts grow its oraganizational capacities. We were…
We are excited to share our new concept which explores the concept of prayer through visual-art, installation, performance and discussion. Over the coming 2 years we are developing this program which will dissect, demystify and decode the muslim prayer. We are supported by the University of Warwick and are currently exploring new partners to join…
Born in the dark days of lockdown, Congregate has evolved into a layered, immersive broadcast that reaches beyond conventional live streaming. It translates both the characteristic social engagement and the artistic feel of many of Soul City Arts other projects. We weave live and pre-recorded contributions from artists, musicians, academics and activists from around the…
Bus tours from the past10 years ago Soul City Arts was regularly delivering street-art tours in the Sparbbrook and Small Heath area. A range of people such as Interfaith leaders, school groups and professional leadership groups were taken on our unique guided tours on a bus. These groups wanted to learn about the actual people…
