Article by Katherine Moss, PR Campaigns Manager 

Adipat Virdi, who is studying a PhD at the University’s School of English, is bringing his exhibition “I Am, Other” to the Canterbury campus. What began as a immersive theatre production at the Edinburgh Fringe is now evolving into a bold cultural movement on campus; a journey of voices long unheard, stories long overlooked and empathy long overdue.

The exhibition uses performance artefacts, video installations, interactive audience reflections and 360° headset experiences to invite visitors into the uncomfortable, often invisible realities of systemic bias and racial injustice in everyday places and situations. It is currently open in the Templeman Library Archive Space between 9:30 – 21:00 daily and is free to attend.

There will also be a live BAME performance with an ensemble comprised of students, alumni and community voices on 22 May between 18:00 – 21:00 which is also free to attend. This. walk-through exhibition and an immersive theatre experience will start at the Colyer-Fergusson Hall and finish in the Templeman exhibition space itself. Structured as a guided experience, audience members are drawn into intimate moments of migration, microaggressions and intergenerational struggle.

Following next week’s event, Adipat will premier “I Am, Other: Sharaf’s Journey” – a companion immersive experience focused on the Syrian refugee experience and Britain’s asylum process. Rooted in real testimonies and framed through a participatory lens, Sharaf’s Journey continues Virdi’s groundbreaking approach: blending immersive theatre, academic research and community dialogue to tackle the complex nuances of identity, exclusion and resilience. These shows will take place on 4 and 5 July at 13:00 and 19:30. For prices and other details, visit The Gulbenkian website.

For younger audiences (and the young at heart), this summer also brings a touch of mystery and magic with The P.I. Chronicles: Kaia and the London Stone: The LARP, an immersive storytelling adventure designed for BOING! Festival. Set in and around the University’s historic buildings, this experience invites families to step into an alternate version of Kent’s past, where secrets are buried beneath stone and spectral clues hold the key to saving the future.

Blending local lore, interactive gameplay and a deep focus on curiosity and collaboration, the experience is a playful counterpoint to Virdi’s more hard-hitting work but no less powerful in how it engages empathy, critical thinking and a sense of shared discovery. The key focus being how to get children in touch with their inner superpowers.

Talking about his work, Adipat Virdi explains: ‘We didn’t want to create something that simply performs oppression. We wanted to create something that transforms it. These experiences aren’t just about watching, they’re about witnessing and about recognising that the lived experiences of bi-racial children, BAME students in academia, Syrian Refugees and children getting in touch with their emotions are not exceptions; they are the rule. This isn’t theatre that ends with applause. It ends with questions. With reflection and, for many, with action.’