Our work Our creative programme Adam Reynolds Award Online premiere: Djofray Makumbu's The Voice As part of our 2023 Adam Reynolds Award Shortlist programme, we commissioned three artists - Djofray Makumbu, Tilly PM, and Ernie Maltby - to create new animated films under the title Paradise, Lost. Over the coming month, we will be premiering these films for the first time. The mind is its own place, and in it self Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n… John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667 The three animations in Paradise, Lost - using claymation, stop motion, and digital techniques - respond creatively to the theme of ‘failed utopias’. Confronting the tension between expectation and reality, these compelling new works offer raw takes on the stories handed down to us by society, remodelling ‘paradise’ to make sense of a changing world. All films are captioned and audio described. Please note, you will only be able to watch the films (in any format) once they have been premiered. The Voice - Djofray Makumbu Premiering Friday 31 January 2025 About the film "I’m a artist. I can do this. Is that what you tell yourself?" Moody lo-fi music, puppetry and clay modelling combine in a personal and touching story of a talented young artist with imposter syndrome. Dwelling on the implications for his mental health, the artist records his struggle to contain the pressure of competing inner voices, whilst striving for a pathway out of drudgery and oppression. Djofray Makumbu Djofray Makumbu is a British Congolese artist born and based in East London. His work draws on his own personal experiences and those of the people close to him, and he often collaborates with friends and family. Recent projects have focused on the shame and stigma of mental health difficulties and disability, the pressures and violence of inner-city life from the perspective of young people and the joy of music and dancing. Booking for this event has now closed. Manage Cookie Preferences