Artist's CV and Further Information About Recent Projects
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Artist's CV
Biography
I am an artist and creative producer with significant experience of producing small and large scale installation, sculpture, performance, video, community led and family focused projects. My projects, exhibitions and performances range from small one-off performances to large scale, long term commissions. I have produced permanent sculpture, temporary installation and film work. I have composed pop, electronic and experimental music, as well as music for choirs, small vocal groups and solo voice.
Awards
2016 Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts Award (Visual arts, research and development)
2013 Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts Award (Music, touring)
Works and projects
2018
Porth Galar. Performance, song, electronic music composition, collaboration with visual artist Rebecca Hardy. Commissioned by STAMP.
Dialogues. Improvised studio practice, film, installation. Exhibited in London.
2017
Heartfelt Messages. Participatory, origami and spoken voice. Commissioned by the National Memorial Arboretum. Six month project involving 20,000 participants with budget of £40,000.
2016 - 2017
Move Me. Participatory, song, choral composition, movement, interactive events. Funded by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts and supported by HOME and Manchester Jazz Festival.
2016
What Would Billie Do? Relational, film and performance. Commissioned by HOME, Manchester
2016
SHELTER. Relational, photography and soundscape. Commissioned by Super Slow Way.
2016
A Familiar Place. Permanent sculpture and sound installation. Commissioned by Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
2015
Baby Chaos. Multi sensory installations. Commissioned by Brighter Sound.
2014
One Hundred Spoons and You. Semi permanent sound and sculpture installation for families. Commissioned by Tate Liverpool.
2014
Everything Was Beautiful. Multi sensory public space installation for families. Commissioned by FACT and Liverpool Biennial.
2014
Drawn to the Beat. Live performance for public music drawing event. Commissioned by Naomi Kendrick, artist.
2012
Fit Right Tour. North West tour of combined electronic music and classical music. Funded by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts.
2012
Artist in residence. Open rehearsals, composition and performance. Commissioned by FutureEverything Festival.
Discography
2016
Neko Neko Between Two Cities (album) Vocal writing production and performance on Waiting and Untitled.
2015
Jah Wobble ReDux (album). Vocal performance on Visions of You and Becoming More Like God. 2014
Beats and Pieces Big Ideas (album). Vocal performance on Broken.
2011
The Electronic Exchange Second Shift (album). Co writing and production.
2012
Najia Bagi Six Months (album). Writing production and performance of all instruments and vocals. 2012
The Electronic Exchange Tearful but Fearless (single). Co writing and production.
2010
The Electronic ExchangeThe Electronic Exchange (album). Co writing and production.
Selected tours and performances
The Battle of Bexley Square, group performance for Sounds from the other City 2015 Beats and Pieces Big Ideas. Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London and RNCM, Manchester The Electronic Exchange Fit Right Tour. Manchester, Liverpool, London
Workshops for children and families
2018
Sunday Spot family sessions, South London Gallery
2014 - 2016
Toddler Tuesdays, The Hepworth Wakefield
2012 - 2016
Baby Art Club. Manchester Art Gallery.
2014 - 2016
Flying Saucers, Royal Exchange Theatre
Further information about recent projects
Dialogues
Performance, film, installation, 2018
VIDEO LINK
In this creative project, which formed my final work at Goldsmiths College, I explored how listening and dialogue can provide an insight into our sense of self. I made connections between improvised embodied sound and movement and various other theories, philosophies and methods of research. Through these connections I came to understand the idea of identity as a multi-layered concept which needs to be found or recognised through practices of improvisation, embodied movement and sounding and auto-ethnography.
Porth Galar / Gate of Grief - I’r Môr
Performance, sound and visual installation, 2018
VIDEO LINK
Commissioned by I'r Môr contemporary art festival, Porth Galar / Gate of Grief was articulated as a sound and visual installation and performance. Movement, passing of precious material, walking and following, facing the wide expanse of sea and tide and singing to allow and stay and to expect return, to ourselves and to others.
Heartbreak
Short film, 2016
Part of a long term participatory project commissioned by HOME, Manchester, this film was produced following a “heartbreak amnesty” where participants donated objects from past relationships that they no longer wanted. Following this, an open call brought in participants who spoke about their experiences of love and loss.
Please contact for link to watch film.
Heartfelt Messages
National Memorial Arboretum
July 2017 - present (finishing 10th November 2017)
This six month participatory arts project is inspired by the communication sent to and from the Front Line during World War One and is part of the UK Passchendaele commemorations. The project utilises archives from the Museum of Passchendaele as well as contemporary messages to loved ones by the visitors to the Arboretum, schools and other local groups. 20,000 origami hearts and three sound pieces will be presented in the War Widow’s Wood on 10th November. During this project I have achieved:
- Collaboration with a visual artist
- Devising and delivering a long term, large scale project involving thousands of visitors, hundreds
of volunteers, and staff at the NMA - Management of a £40,000 budget
- Liaison with manufacturers and technicians to produce the paper and frame
- Developed skills in AV technology and implementation
Move Me
Arts Council Grants of the Arts
August 2016 - July 2017
I delivered a £15,000 project to develop my artistic practice in performance and installation, which focused on the metamorphosis of the self through being single. I began this project by agreeing with three people to receive regular letters from them over a period of 4 months. I then developed this work by visiting places that the participants wanted to “re-gain” after ended relationships and taking photographs, and by writing choral music for the Sacred Sounds Women’s Choir (the multi faith choir formed and managed by Manchester International Festival). I presented the choir, along with audio visual pieces as part of a performance installation at HOME on 3 March 2017. Following this I held a participatory session at Manchester Central Library inviting the general public to reply to the letters. You can see images of this project and listen to music made here: http:// www.najiabagi.com/commissions.html
What Would Billie Do?
HOME, Manchester
January 2016 - August 2016
This project explored the concept of metamorphosis through heartbreak, loss and gain of self through Love. Through this role I achieved:
- Management of a £5,000 budget, liaising with HOME and other artists
- Design of “prescriptive” music players installed at HOME
- Production of Heartbreak Amnesty, a happening to collect and process objects no longer
wanted from previous relationships - Composition of three choral pieces for three voices
- Production and co-direction of a participatory short film, which has since been shown on
cinema screens - Production of a live performance for three voices, which was shown alongside the short film
in an installation
You can see images of this project and listen to music made here: http://www.najiabagi.com/ commissions.html
SHELTER
Super Slow Way
September 2015 - July 2016
Nightsafe is a charity in Lancashire which offers accommodation and support for young people who are homeless. Through this project we explored our lives using various artistic processes as a tool. Through the role I achieved:
- Management of a £8,000 budget working with other artists
- Engagement of the young people at Nightsafe, staff and other organisations
- Group exploration of music, photography, body painting and soundscapes
You can read a blog post I wrote about this project here: http://superslowway.org.uk/blog/shelter-a- reflection-by-najia-bagi/
See it! Say it! Do it!
Let’s Go, Manchester
January - December 2015
I managed the See it! Say it! Do it! project, working city wide to nurture creativity in people across a variety of communities, connecting the city centre arts offer to these communities. Through this role I achieved:
- Managing a £100,000 budget and finding match funding and in kind support, and managing partnerships to add value to the project budget
- Working with over 5,000 participants to delivery over 30 projects, connecting 10 city centre arts organisations with surrounding communities
- Production of a month long exhibition, employing a Curator and devising and delivering a programme of family and other events to increase accessibility
A Familiar Place
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
2015 - 2016
I was commissioned by the hospital to produce a permanent installation designed to comfort and inspire families utilising the neonatal unit of the hospital. Through this project I have achieved:
- Management of a £12,000 budget to include devising an idea, design, manufacture, testing and installation of a sculpture which plays a composition made from the sounds of over 30 homes, the sounds being triggered by movement to encourage play.
- Working with the young peoples’ art group, the hospital management, a private donor and technical and design support to deliver the project.