Eastside Projects

Huge thanks to Saheli and a packed bus crowd at last nights Sonic Sharing. It was such a joyous rich experience. This is the awesome end and taking a bow moment from the band. What a journey it has been! Wow. Next gig Liverpool with then Southend on Sea with X get on the bus!

Huge respect 🙌 .jnx .hutton 🙌

📣Here’s introducing SAHELI band member Lagnajita!!
And a little snippet from the Saheli videos in the show ✨

Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay () is a Bengali poet, musician, and anthropologist, and the author of the books this is our war and everything is always leaving and poetry album i don’t know anyone here (2020).
Lagnajita has been writing songs from the age of ten and has participated in multiple recording projects of both music and poetry. She is interested in many kinds of music and has worked extensively in jazz, punk and folk music in Western traditions, as well as having some vocal training in Indian and Western classical.

‼️Come see Lagnajita live on June’s Digbeth First Friday for the first public performance by Sahell, the q***r, women-led collective at the centre of Seema Mattu’s project LOCAL SUPERSTAR. 🌟

💥Saheli: Sonic Sharing
💥Friday, 5 June
💥Performance: 7-7:30 pm
(Gallery opens 6-8pm as part of Digbeth First Friday)

Set within the exhibition space expect an evening of sonic expression and collective musical experimentation. 💭🥁

Saheli is Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, Mani JNX, Ushara Dilrukshan, Zahrah Hutton and Seemg Mattu

✨🐦‍🔥Here’s introducing SAHELI band member Ushara!! And a little snippet from the Saheli videos in the show👀

Ushara Dilrukshan ( )is a Sri Lankan multimedia performance artist, soprano, cellist, DJ, and composer, currently based in London. Her work explores cultural identity, womanhood and trauma explored through narratives, in formats such as mutated operatics, sonic theatre, installation, and performance.

‼️Come see Ushara live on June’s Digbeth First Friday for the first public performance by Sahell, the q***r, women-led collective at the centre of Seema Mattu’s project LOCAL SUPERSTAR. ⭐️

💥 Saheli: Sonic Sharing
💥 Friday, 5 June
💥Performance: 7-7:30 pm
(Gallery opens 6-8pm as part of Digbeth First Friday)

Set within the exhibition space expect an evening of sonic expression and collective musical experimentation. 🎶

Saheli is Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, Mani JNX, Ushara Dilrukshan, Zahrah Hutton and Seema Mattu.

⚡️✨ Here’s introducing SAHELI band member Mani!! And a little snippet from the Saheli videos in the show👀

MANI JNX (.jnx) is a British-Punjabi DIY musician based in Birmingham who focuses on fusing electronic or digital sound with real-world instrumentation to create unique & intentional soundscapes, layered under lyrics that tell stories of all facets of human experience, including those considered off-limits or taboo. Her culture and religion as a Punjabi Sikh woman are core to her music.

‼️Come see Mani live on June’s Digbeth First Friday for the first public performance by Saheli, the q***r, women-led collective at the centre of Seema Mattu’s project LOCAL SUPERSTAR.🌟

💥 Saheli: Sonic Sharing
💥Friday, 5 June
💥 Performance: 7-7:30 pm
(Gallery opens 6-8pm as part of Digbeth First Friday)

Set within the exhibition space expect an evening of sonic expression and collective musical experimentation. 🌷

Saheli is Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, Mani JNX, Ushara Dilrukshan, Zahrah Hutton and Seema Mattu.

⚡️✨ Here’s introducing SAHELI band member Zahrah!! ✨⚡️

Zahrah Hutton (.hutton) is a British-Pakistani guitarist, artist, and composer from London, based in Birmingham. In both her compositional and visual practices, her work explores repetition and balance within structures, the arrangement of forms, and the relationship between form and sound.
She joined Saheli to work with other South Asian artists and develop stronger connections to the music, art, and culture of her heritage.

‼️Come see Zahrah live on June’s Digbeth First Friday for the first public performance by Saheli, the q***r, women-led collective at the centre of Seema Mattu’s project LOCAL SUPERSTAR.🌟

💥 Saheli: Sonic Sharing
💥Friday, 5 June
💥 Performance: 7-7:30 pm
(Gallery opens 6-8pm as part of Digbeth First Friday)

Set within the exhibition space expect an evening of sonic expression and collective musical experimentation.💫

Saheli is Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, Mani JNX, Ushara Dilrukshan, Zahrah Hutton and Seema Mattu.

🌟Save the date Fri 1st May 2026. 6-8pm 🌟 for the Launch of Seema Mattu: Local Superstar co-commissioned by Eastside Projects &
Supported by & &

Join us for the launch of Marley Starskey Butler’s Compensare: For the Swallows We Weigh, Friday 23 January, 6–8pm Everyone is welcome!

Our latest Incidental Artist project has been developed during a ten-month placement at Beacon Family Services, an organisation in Birmingham providing therapeutic and relational play services for parents, carers, and families.

Set against a backdrop where political priorities and funding decisions continually shape access to therapeutic services, the exhibition illuminates how these systemic forces intersect with the lived realities of families and the professionals who support them.

Marley Starskey Butler is a Birmingham based interdisciplinary artist and qualified social worker. Their practice interweaves storytelling, memory, and emotional landscapes to explore how people make meaning of personal and collective narratives within systems of care. Marley was Wheatley Fellow with us and 2024-2025.

Design x