Dream Space

Award-winning Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi invites us on a journey in this week’s episode of Dream Space. We travel along ancient routes, filled with the scent of spices and the taste of fresh dates, toward infinite possibilities and knowledge in 12th-century Baghdad and the Library of Alexandria.Zuabi, the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company in Palestine, is also an Associate Director at the Young Vic Theatre and a member of United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement. His latest project, The Herds, follows life-size puppet animals as they journey from West Africa to Norway, escaping climate disaster.Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.

Award-winning artist Ryan Gander lets us into his mind in this episode of Dream Space, imagining a world where time slows down, and mindfulness reigns. Inspired by Japanese philosophy, Gander’s dream space is a minimalist, meditative world reminiscent of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where you can swap senses and choose solitude or company with the flip of a switch. In this world, the passing of time is savoured, and wandering without a goal becomes a form of meditation.Ryan Gander, based in Suffolk, is known for his expansive body of work spanning sculpture, writing, architecture, and performance. Describing himself as a “neo-conceptual no-style-style amateur philosopher,” Gander’s art explores themes of language, time, and knowledge. His accolades include an OBE in 2017, the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University in 2019, and becoming a Royal Academician in 2022. For MIF23, Gander created The Find, hiding thousands of collectable coins across Manchester.Hosted by Gemma Cairney, Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.

A pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer and educator, Benji Reid takes us into a space of healing in his dreams.Life can feel overwhelming at times. Everything moves so fast, and there are never enough hours in the day. But in Benji's Dream Space, this will never be a problem. Instead, he imagines a world that exists when you’re ready to move at a pace that works for you. A space where time doesn’t exist – and there is a library of souls to be inspired by, lined with red trees and soft clouds to wade through.   Benji Reid first trained as a dancer before forming his hip hop theatre company Breaking Cycles which he has toured globally. Through his work, he explores the themes of the Black British experience, Black masculinity, and mental health. Benji's show at the 2023 edition of Manchester International Festival, Find Your Eyes, invited audiences to watch him craft his photography in real time – blending theatre and dance with photography.   Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. 

Mancunian cabaret star, actor and visual artist David Hoyle takes on a trip to a new utopia in our latest episode of Dream Space. If you’re feeling oppressed, lonely and unmotivated in a capitalist world that is causing rising social inequalities and political polarisation then you are not the only one. And, great news, there’s an alternative waiting for you: Planet Infinity, the community-led, revolutionary Dream Space conjured up by David.    David is a bit of a Manchester icon. From performing as his infamous alter-ego ‘The Divine David’ on the stages of underground clubs to presenting his own show on Channel 4 in the '90s, over the past four decades David has never stopped developing his artistic practice, exploring the themes of gender, mental health, capitalism, revolution and more…  To celebrate over 40 years of his work, in Spring 2024, Factory International hosted Please Feel Free to Ignore My Work at the Aviva Studios, where David opened the door to his outrageous and moving world.  Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Silvia Malnati, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.  

Actor, writer, and director Zawe Ashton invites us into her dream world in this episode —a sensory landscape where nostalgia comes to life. Imagine the smell of Play-Doh and Ugandan food transporting you to a place where everyone speaks different languages but can understand one another. In Zawe's vast, sandy dreamscape, steam trains from various eras wind through pine trees and ancient pyramids, revealing cosmic potential and universal connections.Zawe Ashton, known for her roles in Marvel Studios' The Marvels, Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and her acclaimed performances in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, shares her unique vision of a world where memories and imagination intertwine.Hosted by Gemma Cairney, Dream Space is produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.

Enter the dreams of electronic music composer, producer, and artist Gazelle Twin as she imagines an endless summer’s evening where the scent of pine fills the air and insects are in charge of the soundtrack. An opportunity for escape and self-exploration, Gazelle Twin’s dream space offers a place of safety allowing us to process and heal. Gazelle Twin, aka Elizabeth Bernholz, is an artist whose work is radical, sometimes political, and almost always personal. 2023 saw her confront the ghosts of her past through her fourth solo studio album Black Dog, as well as write an original soundtrack for the Sky Max thriller series Then You Run featuring Vivian Oparah.   For Factory International, Gazelle Twin worked alongside Maxine Peake, Sarah Frankcom, Imogen Knight and Daisy Johnson on Robin/Red/Breast, a live performance that blurred the boundaries between theatre, art and music, and tackled complex issues around fertility, violence and power.  Dream Space is produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Nada Smiljanic, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt.

Legendary mixer and Haçienda resident DJ Paulette dances to the music of her dreams in this episode of Dream Space. Music and water collide, Manchester rain becomes a techno beat and waterfalls cascade on disco-ball umbrellas. Winner of the 2022 DJ Mag Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, DJ Paulette is an acclaimed DJ across UK and Europe, born, raised and based in Manchester. Over a thirty-year career, she has played some of the biggest clubs in the world and brought joy through her sets from The Hacienda in Manchester in the nineties – where she was one of two women to have a monthly residency – to London, Paris, Ibiza and beyond. Her debut book ‘Welcome To The Club: The Life and Lessons of a black Woman DJ’ was published in January 2024 by Manchester University Press.Dream Space is produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Tess Davidson, with sound design by Femi Oriogun-Williams, and theme music by Andrew PM Hunt. 

Dream Space is back for a second season. Hosted by the multi-talented, award-winning broadcaster Gemma Cairney, we ask some of the world’s most exciting artists to take listeners on a journey through an imaginary space where nothing is off limits. With infinite resources at their disposal and a blank canvas for their vision, Dream Space is an invitation to explore the question: what does art have the potential to do, when we allow ourselves to dream?.Featuring guests such as actor Zawe Ashton, artists Hetain Patel, Benji Reid, Ryan Gander and David Hoyle, musicians Gazelle Twin, Afrodeutsche and DJ Paulette and Director Amir Nizar Zuabi, listeners will encounter visions of the future dreamt up by some of the world’s leading creative minds.Open your mind, get relaxed, and let's get dreaming.