Amelia Dimoldenberg, Ash Sarkar, and Olly Alexander Will Lead LETTERS TO THE FUTURE Weekend at Southbank Centre

The Southbank Centre has announced a new youth-powered weekender ‘Letters To The Future' (18–20 September) spotlighting the cultural leaders of the next generation. 

Internationally renowned creators, writers, activists, thinkers and multi-hyphenate stars Amelia Dimoldenberg, Olly Alexander, Mya-Rose Craig and Rebecca F. Kuang curate panel discussions tackling the biggest issues of the moment, whilst lecturer, broadcaster and bestselling author Ash Sarkar delivers the inaugural Southbank Centre Annual Lecture. Complementing these events is a rich interdisciplinary programme including talks, performances, free gigs, DJs sets, and spoken word.

Inspired by the embrace of culture and innovation as a “tonic for the nation” during the 1951 Festival of Britain – the catalyst for the building of the Royal Festival Hall and ultimately the birth of the Southbank Centre itself – ‘Letters To The Future' champions the creativity and perspective of young people. The weekend foregrounds the voices of the generation who will inherit our society and steer it through its next 75 years; a generation disproportionately affected by the decisions of those who came before them. Across a series of creative, cross-arts events, emerging talents and cultural leaders will take to the stage to confront and construct their visions of the future.  

The pinnacle of the weekend is the first in an annual series of Southbank Centre Lectures, in which a leading public figure will address the urgent issues of our time through the lens of art and culture. For its inaugural edition, journalist and activist Ash Sarkar will present ‘The Future of Relationships' (20 Sep) exploring how our complex web of interpersonal connections will continue to shift and change as we move deeper into the digital age. 

Ash Sarkar, journalist and activist said: "What has happened since we allowed Silicon Valley to turn love into a commodity? The apps promised us endless possibilities for connection – and they delivered loneliness, ghosting, and disenchantment. We can't live without food, water, and shelter; but we have no future as a species without love. I'm delighted to join the Letters To The Future programme, and celebrate the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary. The Southbank Centre has been the beating heart of cultural life in London, integral in bringing the avant garde to the mainstream, and I'm honoured to be a part of it."

Also taking place across the weekend will be four panel discussions put together by our guest curators and tackling some of the most significant issues of our time. Amelia Dimoldenberg explores The Future of Digital Media (18 Sep); Olly Alexander considers The Future of Queer Storytelling (19 Sep), Rebecca F. Kuang interrogates The Future of Education (19 Sep), and Mya-Rose Craig asks us to look Beyond the Climate Crisis (20 Sep). Each curator will convene and participate in a panel discussion with peers, experts and collaborators to unpick some of the knottiest questions facing society today in what promises to be an invigorating and uplifting series. 

Amelia Dimoldenberg: The Future of Digital Media (18 Sep), said: “I've spent my career navigating the world of digital media (and chicken shops) and I couldn't be more excited to bring this panel together! The digital space is constantly evolving, and there are so many incredible ways for young people to create something fantastic, on their own terms. I am excited to delve into how to create meaningful work, and how to stand out in a field that's getting louder every minute.”

Olly Alexander: The Future of Queer Storytelling (19 Sep), said: “I'm really looking forward to being a part of Letters To The Future and exploring the journey queer storytelling has taken and where it might go next. I'm interested in what it means to tell queer stories and how our culture's shifting attitudes affect them. From the stories we tell ourselves, to the stories we grow up surrounded by, I believe story telling shapes all of us. I've been coming to the Southbank Centre since I was 15 years old so to be hosting a panel here feels very special.”

Rebecca F. Kuang: The Future of Education (19 Sep), said: “As my dark academia novels might suggest, I've spent nearly half my life involved in higher education – and I've been hearing, throughout that time, that the university is under existential threat. I'm a graduate student transitioning to a role as professor at the same time that institutions are under pressure from Large Language Models, political censorship, funding cuts, and tuition costs. But I'm not interested in just writing dystopias! I want to reimagine what a university should look like, and bring together some thinkers already doing the work to reform higher education into something that truly serves those who need it the most.” 

Mya-Rose Craig: Beyond the Climate Crisis (20 Sep), said: "We're standing at a cultural crossroads where the focus must shift from merely surviving the climate crisis to consciously designing what comes next. I am honoured to curate this panel of peers, friends, and experts to explore the architecture of a post-crisis world, one built on equity and a radical realignment with nature. We will ask what work needs to be done to ensure we never return to the brink, and how to dismantle our existing behaviours and transform our core values. There are lots of reasons to be hopeful as we figure out how to build a better future for everyone.” 

Other highlights of the ‘Letters To The Future' weekend include:

• Responding to the themes of the four curated panels, up-and-coming artists and DJs will take to the stage in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer for special ‘Letters To The Future' editions of futuretense, the Southbank Centre's bimonthly platform for the best and brightest talent in new music (18, 19 and 20 Sep).
   
• In the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Inua Ellams will host a special future-focused edition of his Rhythm and Poetry Party (RAP Party) in collaboration with Out-Spoken, asking how our concerns for the future might be cast in verse and easing existential anxiety with a dose of house-party chill (18 Sep).
   
• Southbank Centre Presents deliver two galvanising talks asking big questions about the future. Architects, community organisers and artists reimagine the home and explore alternative models of living in Reimagining Shared Spaces: The Future of Housing (Purcell Room, 19 Sep), while leading thinkers, artists and theorists dig deep into the power and politics of the visual image in The Future of Images in a Post-Truth Era (Purcell Room, 20 Sep).
   
• Celebrating its 70th birthday this year, the National Youth Theatre asks what you might say to a different version of you with Letters to My Younger/Future Self, a powerful showcase from the future stars of stage and screen (Royal Festival Hall, 20 Feb). 

Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, says: “The Southbank Centre is committed to being an arts centre of the future, placing young people and their immense potential at the heart of all we do. As such, it feels fitting to dedicate this weekend to spotlighting their perspectives on some of the most pressing issues of our time. We can't wait to welcome four cultural trailblazers from the next generation, who have worked with us to shape the weekend and bring together a series of panels that put a youthful perspective firmly at the heart of our programme”.

Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature & Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre, says: “At its heart, Letters To The Future is about giving space to the creators who are deeply attuned to the aspirations of young people today. We've invited these cultural leaders to look past the horizon and, through their fierce imaginative power, help us project a vision of what's next—from the digital landscape to our most intimate connections. With a host of DJs, live spoken word, and major collaborations from Out-Spoken x RAP Party to the National Youth Theatre, the weekend promises to be a hopeful, empowering, and insightful celebration of youth culture today and tomorrow.”

'Letters To The Future' and the Summer Literature programme announcement follows hot on the heels of the news that Dua Lipa will curate the London Literature Festival this autumn.