Saturday 18th February 2012, Rich Mix, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E1 6LA

East End-based Rich Mix continues Snapshots - a bite-sized festival in 13 parts celebrating East London in its Olympic year – with its eighth instalment, ‘Valentine’s: An East End Love Affair’

Snapshots continues in February 2012 with an all-day event that plays with, meditates on, and celebrates the theme of love. With an exhibition, film screenings, a guided walk, scratch theatre performances, live music, cabaret, burlesque, market stalls, family workshops, food, drink, and much more besides, this is a unique event for people of all ages and interests.

The exhibition OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE, in partnership with Magic Me and The Photographers Gallery, consists of wedding photographs from around the world and across generations. Launched on the day of the Royal Wedding last year, old and young alike are asked to work together to share their family wedding photographs and stories by adding them to an online public gallery. On the festival day visitors to our gallery will have the opportunity to contribute to uploading their very own wedding photographs and be part of this unique archive of photographs.

Throughout the day the main space will be transformed into a buzzing market filled to the brim with independent designers, craft experts, food connoisseurs, book stalls and artisans selling tidbits and trinkets to pull at your heart and your purse strings. On the mezzanine artist Murude Mehmet will keep the children entertained with a Valentine’s clay workshop followed by a crafty workshop with The Create Place who will teach you how to crochet your very own Valentines heart. Or if it all gets too much then sit back and relax as The Idea Store will be reading classic stories and tales. Using their interactive I Love London map, deep:black are inviting participants to share why they love London and what people do to help make the city a better place to live. A divine musical soundtrack will be supplied by Bethnal Green's very own DJ-ing vicars!

As part of our ongoing series of cultural walks, local historian John Eversley will lead a sideways look at Valentine’s Day, which will explore expressions of love and passion in Spitalfields from Queen Victoria’s wedding dress to the early manufacture of chocolate. Back at Rich Mix there will be a chance to catch photojournalist Phil Maxwell’s short film screenings, part of his lifelong love affair with the East End. 'Moon Love’ showcases dancer Mavin Khoo’s grooves and pirouettes, ‘Spinning Love' celebrates a series of stills taken in 1982 by Maxwell, and 'East End Lives 3' offers the reflections of some never boring and highly musical local residents. There will also be an international video art exhibition XTC ‘Time is Love’ curated by Kisito Assangni from an selection of artists on the theme of love in hard times.

Following on from the success of last year's Easter version of The Hunt around New Cross, Amy Lord has gone bigger, better and bolder for Rich Mix's Snapshots Festival. The Hunt 2012 is where Shoreditch will become your playground. Teams will need to outwit one another, be faster than the other players, you must want it the most. There will be prizes! Expect power ballads, silly challenges and probably some heart-breaking somewhere along the way.

Meanwhile Upstairs @ Rich Mix will showcase a number of new, exciting scratch performances. The first performance comes from MUJU’s community performance group exploring dating within the Muslim and Jewish communities. Finding love is hard enough, but what if your choice is limited by your beliefs, or those of the people around you? Later in the day award winning Look Left Look Right will present The Love Project. Based on verbatim interviews with individuals such as Cora and Bill who live on the Kingsland Road, this show interlinks personal love stories that unite the East London community. The third performance comes from Entries on Love who will investigate the meaning of love and the pressures we feel to find ‘the one’. Rounding up the last of the scratch pieces is SID Productions with Bloody Love, which tells the story of 15 year old Joe Davies and the people he left behind when he was murdered on Christmas Eve 2010. Life is about growing up and suddenly reality hits, it is bloody and it is love.

By the end of the day we guarantee you will be feeling either loved up or loved out! So grab a drink and indulge in a night of pure fun and entertainment with cabaret from The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club and award winning burlesque from gender bending Mr Mistress. Back by popular demand The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club returns from its sell-out run at The Old Vic Tunnels and is the place where any sassy or sad single can find “Love via Laughter”. Join love gurus Judy and Julian as they host a night of the hottest comedic and burlesque talent on the circuit – all giving their unique take on the baffling world of romance.

DIARY OF EVENTS
Part 8. Valentine’s: An East End Love Affair.

OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE 
Wed 8 – Sun 19 Feb. Free.
Exhibition
A selection of photographs and stories from the biggest wedding album in the world. In association with Magic Me and The Photographers Gallery.

FESTIVAL DAY Sat 18 Feb. 12pm – Till Late. Free.
East End Market. 12pm – 5pm. Free. Market Place
Love Craft? Hate the high street? Then come to this pop-up market filled to the brim with independent designers, craft experts, food connoisseurs, books and artisans selling tit bits and trinkets to pull at your purse strings.

I Love London map with deep:black. 12pm – 5pm. Free. Workshop.
Share with us why you love London; what you do that helps to make it a city that other people love; and what you've seen other people do that really makes you love your city more.

Short films from Phil Maxwell. 12pm. Free. Films
A selection of short films from East London photographer and visual artist Phil Maxwell. All films have been specially selected from Maxwell’s archive to explore the theme ‘East End Love Affair’.

Guided Walk with John Eversley. 12pm. £8. Walk
Local historian, John Eversley, will lead this sideways look at Valentine’s Day looking at expressions of love and passion in Spitalfields from Queen Victoria’s wedding dress through to the early manufacture of chocolate.

XTC ‘Time is Love’. 1pm. Free. Exhibition
International video art exhibition curated by Kisito Assangni from an international selection of artists on the theme of love in hard times.

OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE. 1pm – 4pm. Exhibition
Do you have a cherished picture of your Great Grandmother’s marriage ceremony? A wonderful story from when your Uncle’s tied the knot? A precious photo of yourself in your wedding attire on your mantelpiece? This is your chance to scan your picture and add to what is intended to become the biggest wedding album in the world.

MUJU: Interfaith Love piece (15 mins). 1.30pm. Free. Scratch Theatre
Exploring dating within the Muslim and Jewish communities.

Free Family Workshop: Make Your Own Valentine Gift from Clay. 1pm – 3pm. Free. Workshop
Join artist Murude Mehmet to make your own homemade and handcrafted clay Valentine gift. Suitable for children aged 5 to 12 and their parents/carers.

Idea Store Storytelling. 2pm. Free. Storytelling
Come and listen to classic tales and exciting new stories, and explore the world of sound and rhyme through our interactive story time sessions. Let's bring to life the wonderful world of books through storytelling and music. Suitable for children aged 0-5 and their parents/carers.

Free Family Workshop: Crochet a Valentines Heart. 3pm – 5pm. Free. Workshop.
The Create Place invite you to join their fantastic workshop where you can learn the techniques to make you very own crochet valentines heart. Suitable for ages 8 upwards to adults.

The Love Project. 4.30pm. Free. Scratch Theatre
Based on verbatim interviews with individuals living on the Kingsland Road, this show interlinks the personal love stories that unite the East London community.

The Hunt 2012. 5pm – 8pm. Individuals £5 / EARLY BIRD OFFER - Group of 5 £15, Group of 10 £25. Workshop/Games
A treasure hunt and game around Shoreditch & Rich Mix. For lonely, broken or swollen hearts. Come play.

Entries on Love. 6pm. Free. Scratch Theatre
Explores how we define love and the pressure we feel to find “the one”.

Bloody Love. 8pm. Free. Scratch Theatre
The story of 15 year old Joe Davies and the people he left behind when he was murdered on Christmas eve 2010.

EVENING LINE-UP
The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club & Mr Mistress. 8pm. Free.
 Comedy, Cabaret, Burlesque
Join The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club & Mr Mistress for a night of cabaret featuring the hottest comedic and burlesque talent on the circuit.

Snapshots is a showcase of the flavours, feelings and fashions that make East London the place it is; a smattering of family-friendly, free exhibitions, workshops, performances and film; an arena for diversity, debate and disagreement; an opportunity to look back in time as well as a platform for the young and talented; a market-place, a melting pot, and a meeting-place.

Each month Snapshots will focus on a particular culture that makes up part of the fabric of the local area, giving people the opportunity to delve back into history as well as look forward to the future of East London. So from the Bengali to the Jewish communities; to the East End pub culture and the fashion/garment trades; to the Carnival celebrations, we will be capturing the spirit of these cultures and histories through a variety of commissioned theatre, music, art, dance, film, debate, family events and more.

Future Snapshot dates and themes
Saturday 24th March: “Bangladesh Community: Banglatown”
Saturday 21st April: “St George’s Day: My old man said follow the band”
Saturday 19th May: “Protest, power, struggle and strife: ¡No Pasarán!”
Saturday 23rd June: “Eastern Europe Community: The Eastern Bloc”
Saturday 21st July: “Snapshots Finale: Olympics Commences”