We know that many of you are missing the sights and sounds of the Square Mile, which is why Brookfield Properties have joined up with Culture Mile and the London Symphony Orchestra to bring you two incredible short films celebrating the creative energy of the City.
Sit back, watch and enjoy.
The Spell & The Promise
Filmed at London Wall Place
‘The Spell & The Promise’ plays like a contemporary fairytale, where the flute casts its spell and leads us on a journey. The title of the film reflects the music in two parts: the slow, mysterious hypnotic sounds of the bass flute before giving way to the more hopeful and evocative sounds of the classic concert flute. The dancers respond to the melodies and the cycles of the loop pedal as they flow outwards into the City.
Cast & Crew
- Featuring Gareth Davies
- Music Composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman
- Dance Artist Faye Stoeser
- Dance Artist Salomé Pressac
- Director & Producer Lexi Kiddo
- Choreographer Harry Price
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Gareth Davies
Principal Flute, London Symphony Orchestra
Gareth Davies is one of the flautists of his generation. He joined the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra when he was 23 and since 2000 he has been principal flute in the London Symphony Orchestra. He has performed all over the world both in the orchestra and as a soloist and can be heard on the soundtrack of many Hollywood movies. He is in demand as a teacher and presenter appearing most recently on Classic FM and Radio 3. His book, The Show Must Go On was a book of the year in the FT and Classical Music Magazine. Gareth is a Wm S Haynes Artist.
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Jasmin Kent Rodgman
Music Composer
British-Malaysian Artist & Composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman brings together the contemporary classical, electronics and sound art worlds to create powerful soundscapes and musical identities. A regular collaborator across various art forms including dance, word, film and VR, her music explores otherness, memory, connection and plays with a sense of narrative.
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Faye Stoeser
Dance Artist
Faye Stoeser is a London based dance artist specialising in contemporary and Voguing. She trained at London Studio Centre and recently attained a distinction for her MA with Rambert 2. Alongside Faye’s career in contemporary dance, she participates in the Ballroom Scene where she specialises in New Way Voguing where she has gained international recognition, winning many prizes, teaching and judging around the world as well as receiving the title of Princess of the Iconic House of Revlon.
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Salomé Pressac
Dance Artist
Born and raised in South East London, Salomé trained at Rambert school, earning her Bachelor’s degree, then moved on to Rambert 2 company where she achieved her Masters in Dance. She is now dancing With Rambert Dance Company in Southbank, London. Salomé has been in a number of Music videos such as Freya Roy, Nina Nesbitt, Dua Lipa and Hope Tala, as well as commercial campaigns such as Reebok, Les Girls Les Boys, and Ellesse.
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Lexi Kiddo
Director & Producer
Lexi Kiddo is a Greek director & producer with a background in anthropology. He is based in London and works in the creative arts and advertising. His projects include two short films with the Barbican Centre and notable features on Vimeo Staff Picks, Nowness and the Guardian. He is currently working on his first narrative film project.
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Harry Price
Choreographer
Harry is a dance artist, filmmaker and choreographer from South London. During his 8-year career as a dancer (New Adventures 2013-2014 / BalletBoyz 2015-2020) he performed globally in a total of 12 countries and was involved in over 14 new creations for both stage and screen. He now creates his own work through Harry Price Projects, working collaboratively to bring dance and movement to screen.
Rising
Filmed at 100 Bishopsgate and Citypoint
‘Rising’ explores our longing for human connection alongside our relationship with space during a locked-down world. We find new ways to connect when the old ways are challenged. We adapt and reconsider our surroundings, forming new bonds with them. When the violinist picks up her instrument, she plays as if she were on a stage. The dancer responds to the music through the rhythm of her body. At the heart of it all lies the value of art. It connects people and communities and makes the seemingly impossible possible once again.
Cast & Crew
- Featuring Maxine Kwok
- Music Composer Darren Bloom
- Dance artist Marie Astrid Mence
- Director & Editor Antonia Luxem
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Maxine Kwok
First Violin, London Symphony Orchestra
Maxine successfully auditioned for a place on the London Symphony Orchestra string experience scheme whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music and became a permanent member of the 1st violins in 2001 after graduating with an ARAM and a 1st class honours degree. Maxine is now the 1st violin mentor for the scheme which gives students the chance to experience working in a professional orchestra. Maxine features on the LSO's YouTube channel in online masterclasses, two duo recitals filmed at LSO St. Luke’s, and on their “LSO Play” web app, and has written articles for and been interviewed by Classic FM, the Violin Channel, the Strad, Musical Orbit and Bachtrack. No stranger to the famous Abbey Road studios, Maxine has recorded with the LSO countless film and television soundtracks including many Oscar nominated and winning blockbusters.
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Darren Bloom
Music Composer
Described in The Times as ‘almost mystical... a genuine frisson’, Darren Bloom was an LSO Soundhub composer and was commissioned by the LSO to write his chamber symphony, Dr Glaser’s Experiment. He received the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize and a commission from the Cheltenham Festival for his string quartet Five Brief Lessons on Physics, and he recently composed New Eyes for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Darren studied with Edwin Roxburgh, Brian Elias and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge with Richard Causton. He co-founded and conducts the Ossian Ensemble, and has conducted LSO Soundhub concerts since 2014. Darren supervises composition and orchestration at the University of Cambridge and is Lead Tutor for Composition and Musicianship at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire Junior Department.
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Marie Astrid Mence
Senior Dance Artist, Ballet Black
Marie Astrid was born in Paris, France where she began dancing at a private dance school before continuing to the Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris. She joined Ballet Black in September 2014 and performed the lead role of Anna in the children’s ballet, Dogs Don’t Do Ballet (Christopher Marney, 2014), the re-staging of Will Tuckett’s 2009 ballet, Depouillement, and Second Coming, created by Mark Bruce. In February 2017, Marie was Dancer of the Month in the British dance magazine, Dancing Times. In 2019, she created roles in CLICK! by Sophie Laplane and Ingoma by Mthuthuzeli November.
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Antonia Luxem
Director & Editor
Antonia Luxem is a London-based artist, film director and producer. She creates experimental films, video installations, music videos and documentaries. She was a FLAMIN fellow in 2019/2020 and has collaborated with artists Elena Tonra (Ex:Re/Daughter), Night Works and Holy Moly & The Crackers, as well as Abbey Road Studios, the concert series Listenpony and Dazed digital.
Partners
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Brookfield Properties
Brookfield Properties is a fully-integrated, global real estate services company with over $540 billion in assets under management. Brookfield Properties develops and manages premier real estate with a focus on maximizing the tenant experience, Art is a key part of that. Our mission is to present free, world-class cultural experiences. The public spaces of Brookfield Properties are brought to life through concerts, dance, visual art, community events, and more.
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Culture Mile
Culture Mile is the City of London’s new cultural district, stretching from Farringdon to Moorgate. Led by the City of London Corporation, with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London, the five partners are together creating a vibrant, creative area in the north-west corner of the Square Mile. They are working with organisations from across the City to build a world-class hub of creativity, innovation and learning.
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London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is built on the belief that extraordinary music should be available to everyone, everywhere. Established in 1904, today the LSO is ranked among the world’s top orchestras, and is Resident at the Barbican. Through inspiring music, world-leading educational programmes (LSO Discovery) and technological innovations (LSO Live), the LSO’s reach extends far beyond the concert hall.