Acting as an integral part of our wider programme, LIFT the City will enliven spaces and buildings throughout this historic part of London via performance and participatory work, connect communities and encourage footfall back into the City following the pandemic.
"We are thrilled to be playing a key role in revitalising the City of London and inspiring its residents, workers, and visitors."— Kris Nelson, LIFT Artistic Director and CEO
To launch LIFT the City in September 2023, we presented Cuckoo by South-Korean performance artist Jaha Koo at the Bridewell Theatre – an intimate space just beyond Blackfriars Station. A bittersweet and humorous dialogue, Cuckoo examines the catastrophic market crash of 1997 and subsequent national phenomena, including unemployment, depression, and suicide which followed amongst young people in Korea.
With LIFT 2024 launching this June, the City of London will take centre stage with two incredible performances by acclaimed, global artists, as well as a participatory project focusing on workplace wellbeing. Keep reading to find out more about our exciting plans for the City of London and what’s coming up in 2024.
Workplace and Community Boosts with Coney, May – July 2024
LIFT has commissioned BAFTA award-winning interactive arts company Coney to design and deliver a series of powerful and playful workshops for workers and residents in the City of London.
This summer, we are offering ‘Workplace Boosts’ to office workers of the finance and business sectors and the fundamental workforce within the City to London. These workshops are designed to inject fun and creativity into the workplace, improving wellbeing through participation and play, encourage a sense of purpose and offer an imaginative break from the day-to-day.
If you live or work in the City of London and would like to participate in one of these free workshops, please contact our LIFT the City Audience Connector Laura Ratling at laura@liftfestival.com
LIFT 2024 | Democracy From Where I Stand, The Dutch Church, Saturday 8th June. In partnership with the Financial Times.
LIFT and the Financial Times come together for an evening crackling with discussion and connection, join us for provocations, poetry, live performance, and music by leading women from around the world who offer a collection of diverse voices and ideas around democracy, government, representation, rights, and freedom.
In a year where 62 countries vote in national elections (49% of the world’s population), we reflect on what democracy means from varying positions in the City of London, the world’s longest-running municipal democracy.
Democracy From Where I Stand is inspired by the Financial Times digital film series by Margaret Atwood (Toronto), Elif Shafak (London/Istanbul), Aditi Mittal (Mumbai) and Lola Shoneyin (Lagos).
Book your tickets here!
LIFT 2024 | L’Animale by Chiara Bersani (Milan), The Old Bailey Grand Hall (Central Criminal Court of England and Wales), Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd June
Following Chiara’s sold-out performance of Seeking Unicorns at The National Gallery for Dance Umbrella 2022, Chiara Bersani brings L’Animale to the Square Mile for its UK premiere. Set against the historic backdrop of the The Old Bailey, she will revisit The Dying Swan (a ballet originally choreographed by Michel Fokine for Anna Pavlova in 1905), to create an intimate presentation celebrating diversity. disability, environment, and inclusion.
Through evocative vocals and soundscape, Bersani will create a performance that is both unique and unrepeatable each time, guided by the on-looking audience. What remains is a ghostly poetic demonstration in one of the City’s most iconic buildings.
Chiara Bersani is one of the world’s leading stage artists and influential figure in Italian performance. With a reputation of pushing the boundaries of dance, Bersani uses her body to draw on universal themes such as loneliness and mortality.
Book your tickets here!
In Spring and Summer 2025, we will increase our programming activity in the Square Mile and will put on an array of public participatory work to bring Londoners together in outdoor spaces which respond to the unique built landscape of the Square Mile in unusual, yet exciting ways.
Please keep an eye on this page or sign up to our newsletter here for future LIFT the City announcements!
