{"id":24292,"date":"2023-11-27T08:41:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T08:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=24292"},"modified":"2023-11-27T08:41:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T08:41:30","slug":"behind-the-scenes-ou-bbc-co-production-with-performance-artist-kae-tempest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/around-ou\/tv-radio\/behind-the-scenes-ou-bbc-co-production-with-performance-artist-kae-tempest\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes OU\/BBC co-production with performance artist Kae Tempest"},"content":{"rendered":"

English literature academic Professor Nicola J Watson has worked behind the scenes on an Open University\/BBC co-production about the acclaimed rapper, poet, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest.<\/p>\n

She brought her knowledge of the history of performance poetry to the programme, \u201cBeing Kae Tempest\u201d, which will be aired on BBC Two at 9pm on Wednesday 29 November.<\/p>\n

Kae, who uses the pronouns \u2018they\/them\u2019, is thought of as one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in Britain today.<\/p>\n

Their accolades include being the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Ted Hughes Award and they have been nominated for both Brit and Mercury music\u202fawards.<\/p>\n

Nicola says the tradition of performance poetry stretches from ancient bardic traditions through 19th<\/sup> century improvisation and recitation and deep into modern poetic culture.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cMaking the programme has been an exciting chance to engage with cutting-edge performance poets and the ways that they draw both on a long tradition of protest poetry and on rap culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cKae Tempest, and contemporaries, prove that their performances can draw and engage huge audiences. Anyone who still believes that poetry is too difficult should sample the accompanying materials and then buy themselves a ticket to one of the many live poetry festivals springing up all round the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tempest has always found support and respect within the queer art scenes close to their heart since, in\u202fJuly\u202f2020, they came out as non-binary,\u202fannouncing they would publish and perform under the\u202fname Kae.<\/p>\n

This unique Arena film\u202fdelves deep into their creative process and gains rare, intimate insights into Kae\u2019s life\u202fthroughout\u202fa period of profound personal and artistic change.<\/p>\n

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships<\/a> and is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,<\/em> with particular relevance to Q66 BA (Honours) English Literature<\/a>, Q86 BA (Honours) English Literature and Creative Writing<\/a> and A112 Cultures<\/a><\/p>\n

Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast and Partnerships<\/strong><\/p>\n