Alternative Roots Festival 2025 at a glance
On 8 November 2025, 18 artists and collectives from the East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) diaspora gathered at Hoxton Hall for Alternative Roots: Festival of ESEA Performances and Communities. Curated by Ming Strike in partnership with Kakilang, the day unfolded across multiple rooms, with audiences moving freely between live performance, film, sound works, workshops, conversation and a bustling marketplace.
The programme brought together experimental and process-led practices — from intimate performances to moving-image works and participatory sessions — creating a space where artists could test ideas in front of a community that understood their context.
Food stalls and social areas encouraged people to stay, talk and return to works, shaping an atmosphere closer to a gathering than a showcase.
Across nine hours, the festival became a temporary meeting point for artists, cultural workers and audiences to encounter new work, reconnect with peers and expand what ESEA-led contemporary practice can look and feel like in the UK.
“A powerful testament to the vitality and future of ESEA diaspora arts... Creating spaces for experimental arts created by the ESEA diaspora.” — A Young(ish) Perspective
“A refreshing celebration of ESEA identity and being.” — Diverse Dance
Alternative Roots 2025 is curated by Ming Strike, and is made possible thanks to:
Co-production partner: Kakilang
Venue partner: Hoxton Hall
Project coordinator: Katrina Man
Technical support: Ghost Chan
Poster design: Runxuan Yang
Documentation: Joy Chao
Alternative Roots 2025 has hosted works by the following artists and collectives (in alphabetical order)
Bunga Yuridespita
Clare Chun-yu Liu
Er Gao
Flo Yuting Zhu
Funa Ye
Jan-Ming Lee
Jade Johnson
Jessica Wan Yu Lin
Kassy Fang
Lanyun Huang (Finch)
Runxuan Yang
Sam Reynolds
Shuyi Gao & Savannah Theis
Sook Kuan Tang
X&J
Yulin Huang
Burong Zeng
多多 Duoduo (YUNA阿尘 & Tongktongktong)
