Changing Britain interrogates 70 years of British history, focusing on society, culture and politics.

In 1951, the nationwide Festival of Britain established a feeling of recovery and progress following the Second World War. Do we still believe in the values of the festival?
Changing Britain begins with a series of BBC Concert Orchestra concerts and an exhibition in Hayward Gallery, History is Now, in which seven artists offer a radical take on Britain’s cultural history.
The festival builds up to three weekends of talks and debates ahead of the General Election on Thursday 7 May.
It’s inspired by Tales of a New Jerusalem, a series of acclaimed books by historian David Kynaston examining the social history of England after World War Two.
Join us to explore issues of equality, fairness and social justice over the past 70 years.

Following the election, on 9 May, there is a day devoted to artists and audiences, who give a message to the new government about the importance of creativity, including the London Sinfonietta, who perform two sets of newly commissioned works co-curated by Matthew Herbert and the Royal Philharmonic Society.

Check out the the introduction to the festival by Jude Kelly and David Kynaston

From Fri 17 Apr to Sun 6 Sep you can visit the Free exhibition:
 ADOPTING BRITAIN: 70 Years of Migration

In the run-up to the 2015 national election, with immigration high on the agenda, we ask what we can do to promote understanding and empathy for fellow human beings.

In this exhibition we explore ways in which, in the midst of Islamophobia and hostility towards immigration, people have reached out to communities that are stitched into the fabric of our country.

We highlight stories from British recruitment campaigns in the Caribbean in the 1950s to Indian sub-continent and Eastern European migration, and the contribution made to the British economic and social landscape. And we also explore our moral and legal obligation to protect individuals, especially children, who flee their countries in order to seek sanctuary in Britain.

We cannot possibly sum up all of the stories of migration to the UK over the last 70 years. However, in this exhibition we aim to highlight some of the personal stories of migrants and refugees, celebrate the contribution of migrant groups to Britain’s artistic landscape and open up discussion around one of the most politically sensitive and pertinent topics of this year’s election.