Dulani Kulasinghe and the Chattri Writing Group
Hear and read new writing that brings Brighton Dome's colonial and performance heritage into the present
'In December 2021 an intergenerational group of women of South Asian heritage – raised all over the world and now East Sussex-based – met on the Downs. We walked to the Chattri Memorial then read letters written by Indian soldiers during the First World War. Later that day we visited the Royal Pavilion estate and wrote about what we had seen and felt, immersed in the history of the Indian soldiers. Afterwards we periodically met online to keep exploring the mix that makes us. We started calling ourselves the Chattri Writing Group. The name stuck.
The REVEAL project gave us a chance to meet again in person and to focus on our connections to Brighton Dome’s heritage over a day-long residency. After walking around the Pavilion estate, talking to staff about the buildings and scouring piles of archival material on Brighton Dome’s architectural, social and performance history, we settled around a table in Anita’s Room to talk, reflect and write.
The creative responses that you can hear and read here were written and recorded between December 2023 and January 2025. Though few of us were used to taking space in this way, it felt particularly important to record our work in our own voices. Artist Jill Carpin – whose family heritage includes South Asia by way of Mauritius – created this stunning poster, inspired by our words and Brighton Dome’s many-faceted history.
I hope our work gives you a new lens for looking at this strange and beautiful symbol of our city. And when you’re out and about, look for Jill’s poster, signposting new readers to these reflections.'
Dulani Kulasinghe
