Minding the Gap

The Topolski Century worked with the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn on the “Minding the Gap” project with young immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in North London.

Its aim, through engagement, was to improve confidence, self-esteem and language skills through this exciting collaboration. Following the success of the project in 2009, in January 2010 over one hundred 12-18 year olds visited Topolski Century to explore the Feliks Topolski’s paintings and how they could be voiced in different artforms. The participants made investigative sketches of the characters within the Topolski Century paintings. Participants often chose characters representative of the countries they themselves come from. In March 2009 the students returned to Topolski Century and worked on their dramatic response to Topolski’s art. They staged short improvised shows with the Topolski Century paintings as a backdrop. The performances were accessible to the public and performed during opening hours. The “Minding the Gap” artwork was exhibited at Topolski Century and was met with positive feedback from visitors.

The project was documented in a film which can be viewed by appointment. Images documenting the project have been included on this page.