Where Do You Go? with Jasmine Kahlia
The artist and performer on Brutalist thinking spots, north London sunsets and great Eritrean food
Every now and again we like to ask people for their personal take on London. We get them to tell us the places in the city that they turn to for different reasons: the spots that excite them, inspire them, make them feel calm, happy or just make them want to spend money. We call it ‘Where do you go?’.
For February’s WDYG? we spoke to the artist and performer Jasmine Kahlia (above). Jasmine’s work tends to explore issues of gender fluidity, queer identity and ethnic heritage and their experiences with road culture, crime, and music in inner London.
Because Jasmine’s work spans multiple mediums (including - but not limited to - music, theatre, photography, video and zines) we thought we’d present their WDYG? answers in a multi-media format. So, as well as reading Jasmine’s answers you can also listen to an audio snippet of each one.
Who are you?
Hello, I’m Jasmine Kahlia. I’m a multidisciplinary artist and international performer. Normally I work within filmmaking, live performance, sound design and looping. But I also have a number of written works including the acclaimed Everything is Temporary, which is currently archived across a few different UK libraries and cultural institutions.
And why should we trust you?
The reason why you should trust me is because I’m a true Londoner, born and bred.
I was born in London; I’ve grown up in London and I’ve also lived across different areas of London. I grew up mainly in Archway and in Camden, but I’ve lived in East London in Isle of Dogs and I also used to live in South London near Peckham. So, I’ve got a big knowledge of all of the different regions.
Let’s get into the questions!
Where do you go to have a great time?
I really like to go to South Kensington. If I’ve got a weekend free, it’s really nice to have a look through the different museums. Depending on how I’m feeling, I will either go to the Science Museum or the V&A, just because they're really cool places to go.
I really like the V&A cafe, and it’s got a really nice collection there. Also, just the little cafes and stuff in that road leading up to the museums is really fly. So, yeah, it’s a really great place to go out for the day.
Where do you go that can never close down because you might cry?
I might cry if Emba Soira closed down. They are a gorgeous Eritrean restaurant. They’re based in Crouch Hill and they just do really fresh, really amazing Eritrean food.
I know that a lot of people are familiar with Ethiopian food, which is really great because it’s vegan. Eritrean food is really similar. In Emba Soira they’ve got some really gorgeous paintings. I think the owner of the restaurant actually hand painted some of the decorations that you see when you go in the restaurant, and it’s also got loads of really gorgeous tapestries and artifacts from Eritrea.
If you’re ever in north London definitely check them out!
Where do you go to get inspired?
Definitely Brick Lane, and in particular I really like going to the Rich Mix. It’s a really great building. They always have great events on and it reflects the community and the diverse cultures of east London.
So yeah, for me Brick Lane for the graffiti and Rich Mix for just the culture. They’re just the best.
Where do you go to be alone?
Interestingly enough, I really like to go to the Barbican, which I know to go alone is kind of strange, because normally people usually go in groups or with their friends. But for me it’s just a really great thinking spot because it was one of the first places that I drew inspiration from, when I made one of my first interdisciplinary pieces, which was called Pirates Live in 2016, which was supported by the Arts Council.
I used the Barbican estate, not just the cultural centre, but I began some elements of my photography and filmmaking in that area and then kind of interpreted it through my work.
And I just really like the cinemas in there. The theatres are really cool as well and it’s just a vibe in the Barbican.
Where do you and always end up spending too much money?
It would probably be Westfield. Either the one in West London or the one in Stratford. It’s just one of those places that you get into and then you’re never able to find the exit, so then you just end up going to more shops and spending money.
But for me it’s really fun just kind of discovering the new shops. Especially in Stratford, they’ve got some slots for up-and-coming businesses as well as commercial ones. So that’s really cool.
Where do you go to impress someone?
For me, the winner has to be Alexandra Palace (above). I just think if you catch it at the right time of day when there’s a sunset it’s really gorgeous, because you get the view of north east London, which is really nice. And also, the Palace itself is just really, really beautiful.
It’s one of the places for me, that’s got a special meaning because I shot one of my first music videos there. This was when I was about 18 years old, and it was just really interesting to use that location in a creative way to kind of bring my work to life. So yeah, loads of inspiration from Alexandra Palace.
Where do you go when you can afford it?
Definitely Greenwich. That’s basically because of all of the different components that it takes to facilitate a Greenwich trip, and if I was to go to Greenwich, I would go all out! I would go from Waterloo, take the boat, probably do the cable cars in north Greenwich and then have a look around the Maritime Museum and the gardens, and then probably do a really cool restaurant in Greenwich.
If you’re going on a date with someone, it’s the best place to just blow their socks off, basically. It’s got a really interesting history because it’s got the Meridian line up there and, for me, it’s just really picturesque. So that’s definitely top of the list.
You can buy Jasmine’s zines and other work via their online store.
Jasmine doesn’t use social media but there’s a mailing list you can sign up to here.
You can discover more of Jasmine’s work on Tumblr and Bandcamp.
Coming up on Wednesday 🏺
Palaeontologist and licensed mudlark, Alessio Checconi, on why increasing numbers of people are taking to the muddy banks of the Thames to search for ancient artefacts.
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5 little bits
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