Podcast · Arts & Books

Dream Space

by Factory International · English · Arts & Books

What does art have the power to do, when we allow ourselves to dream? In Dream Space we take listeners on a journey through an imaginary, limitless space. There’s Infinite resources. A blank canvas. The challenge: to create your dream artistic utopia. Our host Gemma Cairney speaks with some of the w

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 31 min
Latest: 25 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

25 Aug 2026 · 38 min

Ai Weiwei on freedom, responsibility and creating art

In this special episode of Dream Space, renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei dreams of a world built on fairness and justice. Guided by guest host and Factory International Chief Executive John McGrath, Ai Weiwei talks about freedom of speech, the responsibility of artists to speak up and how China has changed since his youth. Flipping the Dream Space script, Ai describes revisiting his nightmare space in Sewing a Button – a 24-hour live re-enactment of his secret detention in China. Ai reflects on the relationship between dreams and reality, recalling his lively, brightly-coloured dreams…

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S3 · E10 · 30 Dec 2025 · 45 min
Nish Kumar on floating homes, grassroots venues and futuristic cities
For the final episode of Dream Space season three, we leave nature behind for a chaotic, futuristic city from the mind of comedian Nish Kumar . Guided by host Gemma Cairney , Nish reflects on the energies of the world’s great cities from his home of London to Mumbai to Melbourne. Enter a Dream Space where Manhattan skyscrapers meet Parisian boulevards in a series of contrasting neighbourhoods. Communities live alongside one another in cheap, floating housing with 100% renewable energy and flying wind turbines. Covering everything from the importance of grassroots venues to the dangers of AI,…
S3 · E9 · 16 Dec 2025 · 38 min
Angélique Kidjo on joy as resistance, music and staying rooted
Angelique Kidjo ’s Dream Space isn’t a space that you enter as such, but a mindset that you carry with you day to day. The five-times Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and activist delivers a beautiful metaphor to live by in this joyous exchange with host Gemma Cairney . Riffing on the oral traditions of Benin where she was born, for her Dream Space Angelique invites listeners to envision themselves as a tree – the roots our value systems, the trunk our self and the branches our choices. Reflecting on how nature works in cycles – how a tree loses its leaves annually in order to renew –…
S3 · E8 · 2 Dec 2025 · 38 min
Mary Anne Hobbs on punk spirit, pirate radio and the next wave of youth culture
From running away to London at eighteen and living on a bus with a band, to forcing the door open to a career in the music industry, Mary Anne Hobbs ’ path hasn’t always been the conventional one. The DJ, curator, music journalist and radio presenter reflects on her experiences of growing up in a small Northern town, cutting her teeth in pirate radio, and how her punk, do-it-yourself spirit has shaped her life, career and point of view. Drawing on these life experiences, in Mary Anne Hobbs’ Dream Space , young artists are given the financial support, time and care to develop their ideas,…
S3 · E7 · 18 Nov 2025 · 41 min
Terence Lewis on darkness, stillness and listening to the body
In this episode of Dream Space, Terence Lewis – India’s leading contemporary dance choreographer – asks us to be still for a moment. Guided by host Gemma Cairney , Terence imagines a dark space where sound is the only guide. He talks about connecting with our bodies through movement, thinking, listening and stillness – taking us on a journey from dance techniques to Indian philosophy. Terence Lewis is a multi-award-winning Indian dance, singer and choreographer – best known for judging the reality dance show Dance India Dance. He is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Terence Lewis…
S3 · E6 · 4 Nov 2025 · 33 min
Juliet Ellis on meditation, serendipity and quieting the mind
Artist and filmmaker Juliet Ellis takes us on a journey through her meditative practice as a multidisciplinary artist in this absorbing episode of Dream Space . Juliet’s Dream Space reflects on serendipity – how she happened upon meditation by chance – and encourages creativity in all forms. Grounded in the power of meditation, everyone is welcome into this Dream Space . Tranquil, deep and contemplative, Juliet even guides host Gemma Cairney and listeners through an exercise to quiet the mind. Juliet Ellis is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, theatre maker and filmmaker. She…
S3 · E5 · 21 Oct 2025 · 40 min
Nubya Garcia on creative abundance, improvisation and the freedom of music
In this episode of Dream Space podcast, jazz saxophonist, composer and musician Nubya Garcia brings the principles of improvisation to her dreams. Guided by host Gemma Cairney, Nubya imagines a playful, freeing space where music is a universal language. Reflecting on learning to improvise as a teenager, she asks us to let go and respond to the creative energies of the space. Try pottery making, painting, singing or just moving! Nubya Garcia is a multi-award-winning jazz musician based in London. In 2021, her debut album Source was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Last year, she released…
S3 · E4 · 7 Oct 2025 · 26 min
Amrou Al-Kadhi on cosmic raves, queer freedom and losing control
Can a lack of control be freeing? In this episode of Dream Space, British-Iraqi writer, drag performer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi takes us on a journey through the cosmos where we become part of the universe. Guided by host Gemma Cairney , Amrou imagines a euphoric rave inside a blanket of cosmic dust. There is no sense of time or urgency. Reflecting on queerness in his work, Amrou describes a space where everyone just is – people scream, cry and laugh like children without being judged. Amrou Al-Kadhi's work focuses on queer identity, politics and storytelling. Their debut book Life as a…
S3 · E3 · 23 Sep 2025 · 31 min
Lotte Wubben-Moy on football, freedom and life without hierarchy
Raised in an East London home alive with creativity – a fashion designer mum and a furniture maker dad – Arsenal defender and Lioness Lotte Wubben-Moy has always felt the power of imagination. Yet as a professional footballer, the questions she’s asked are often focus on her routine: “What do you eat?” and “How do you train?” In Dream Space, Lotte takes up the invitation to wander, dream and imagine something beyond the rigidity of sport. The result is a place without hierarchy, where the collective matters more than the individual. Rooted in her passion for grassroots football, her dream is…
S3 · E2 · 9 Sep 2025 · 37 min
Max Porter on forests, empathy and art as activism
Forest bathing. Climbing trees. Falling in love. Step inside writer Max Porter ’s dream space where you find a deep connection to the living world and an incredible sense of peace. Guided by host Gemma Cairney , Max Porter imagines a psychedelic forest where visitors gain a superpower that reveals the complex life cycle of each living thing – from the trees to fellow human beings. Reflecting on the importance of freedom and activism in his work, Max Porter talks animism, empathy and pacifism as well as the radical potential of widening our roles as caregivers in our divided times. Max Porter…
S3 · E1 · 26 Aug 2025 · 49 min
Marina Abramović on dreams, spirituality and living outside the box
In the first episode of season three, visionary performance artist Marina Abramović joins host Gemma Cairney to talk about the importance of dreaming throughout her 50-year career – from the recurring dreams of her childhood to interpreting her dreams to her creative process. Reflecting on key works in career, including The Artist Is Present at MoMA and her seven-minute, silent intervention on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, Marina expands on her relationship with art, spirituality, old age and dreaming – imagining a space without ego or categories. Hosted on Acast. See…
19 Aug 2025 · 2 min
Dream Space S3 Trailer
Dream Space is back for a third season of dreams, visions and imaginary worlds – straight from the minds of our leading creative thinkers. Join host Gemma Cairney in the dream space with guests including Marina Abramović , Max Porter , Nubya Garcia and Lotte Wubben-Moy , who are all fascinated by our capacity to dream. Dream Space takes listeners on a journey through an imaginary, limitless space. Infinite resources. A blank canvas. The challenge? Create your dream artistic utopia. What sights, sounds, tastes and conversations shape your experience? Which musicians, artists, film director or…
S2 · E10 · 9 Oct 2024 · 30 min
Kee Hong Low on vast calm, letting go and creating new senses
In the final episode of Dream Space series 2, Gemma Cairney leaves us in the capable hands (and mind) of Factory International’s Creative Director and natural dreamer Kee Hong Low. Join Kee Hong as he reflects on what it means to let go and embrace our dreams. Enter a vast space of calm, which transcends the limits of the everyday, and be guided by the unexpected – like the ability to smell through your skin! Plus, Gemma Cairney reflects on our series highlights and all the wonderful dream spaces we visited along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E9 · 2 Oct 2024 · 30 min
Afrodeutsche on taking flight, finding rest and going nowhere in particular
British-born Ghanaian/Russian/German artist Afrodeutsche, aka Henrietta Smith-Rolla, invites us aboard her Love Plane in this week’s episode of Dream Space. No tickets are needed, and everyone is welcome to relax on this mystical long-haul flight where all the crew can rest. Known for her eclectic productions spanning techno, house, and classical orchestral music, Afrodeutsche is also the host of BBC Radio 6 Music’s People’s Party every Friday evening. Dream Space is a Reduced Listening production for Factory International, hosted by Gemma Cairney. This episode was produced by Silvia…
S2 · E8 · 25 Sep 2024 · 27 min
Amir Nizar Zuabi on ancient routes, libraries and infinite knowledge
Award-winning Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi invites us on a journey in this week’s episode of Dream Space. We travel along ancient routes, filled with the scent of spices and the taste of fresh dates, toward infinite possibilities and knowledge in 12th-century Baghdad and the Library of Alexandria. Zuabi, the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company in Palestine, is also an Associate Director at the Young Vic Theatre and a member of United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement. His latest project, The Herds , follows life-size puppet animals as they…
S2 · E7 · 18 Sep 2024 · 29 min
Ryan Gander on slowing time, swapping senses and getting lost
Award-winning artist Ryan Gander lets us into his mind in this episode of Dream Space, imagining a world where time slows down, and mindfulness reigns. Inspired by Japanese philosophy, Gander’s dream space is a minimalist, meditative world reminiscent of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , where you can swap senses and choose solitude or company with the flip of a switch. In this world, the passing of time is savoured, and wandering without a goal becomes a form of meditation. Ryan Gander, based in Suffolk, is known for his expansive body of work spanning sculpture, writing, architecture, and…
S2 · E6 · 11 Sep 2024 · 28 min
Benji Reid on healing, rebirth and a library of souls
A pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer and educator, Benji Reid takes us into a space of healing in his dreams. Life can feel overwhelming at times. Everything moves so fast, and there are never enough hours in the day. But in Benji's Dream Space, this will never be a problem. Instead, he imagines a world that exists when you’re ready to move at a pace that works for you. A space where time doesn’t exist – and there is a library of souls to be inspired by, lined with red trees and soft clouds to wade through. Benji Reid first trained as a dancer before forming his hip…
S2 · E5 · 4 Sep 2024 · 32 min
David Hoyle on revolution, community and a world beyond capitalism
Mancunian cabaret star, actor and visual artist David Hoyle takes on a trip to a new utopia in our latest episode of Dream Space. If you’re feeling oppressed, lonely and unmotivated in a capitalist world that is causing rising social inequalities and political polarisation then you are not the only one. And, great news, there’s an alternative waiting for you: Planet Infinity, the community-led, revolutionary Dream Space conjured up by David. David is a bit of a Manchester icon. From performing as his infamous alter-ego ‘The Divine David’ on the stages of underground clubs to presenting his…
S2 · E4 · 28 Aug 2024 · 29 min
Zawe Ashton on steam trains, Play-Doh and a multilingual world
Actor, writer, and director Zawe Ashton invites us into her dream world in this episode —a sensory landscape where nostalgia comes to life. Imagine the smell of Play-Doh and Ugandan food transporting you to a place where everyone speaks different languages but can understand one another. In Zawe's vast, sandy dreamscape, steam trains from various eras wind through pine trees and ancient pyramids, revealing cosmic potential and universal connections. Zawe Ashton, known for her roles in Marvel Studios' The Marvels, Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and her acclaimed performances in Harold Pinter’s…
S2 · E3 · 21 Aug 2024 · 28 min
Gazelle Twin on endless summers, insect soundtracks and pine-scented air
Enter the dreams of electronic music composer, producer, and artist Gazelle Twin as she imagines an endless summer’s evening where the scent of pine fills the air and insects are in charge of the soundtrack. An opportunity for escape and self-exploration, Gazelle Twin’s dream space offers a place of safety allowing us to process and heal. Gazelle Twin, aka Elizabeth Bernholz, is an artist whose work is radical, sometimes political, and almost always personal. 2023 saw her confront the ghosts of her past through her fourth solo studio album Black Dog , as well as write an original soundtrack…
S2 · E2 · 14 Aug 2024 · 33 min
Hetain Patel on Ford Escorts, desert calm and mango-scented mornings
Our dreamer this time is visual artist and performer Hetain Patel. Born and raised in a working class British Gujarati Asian household in Bolton, Patel’s practice explores the increasingly blurred line between reality and fantasy, fixed identity and transformation. In his work, which includes turning his first car into a massive Transformer and impersonating the superheroes that shaped his childhood, he aims at connecting marginalised cultures through pop culture. For his dream world expect dance, The Matrix , a suite of 80s Ford Escorts and the delicious smells of mango and coriander...…
S2 · E1 · 7 Aug 2024 · 31 min
DJ Paulette on Manchester rain, techno and disco-ball umbrellas
Legendary mixer and Haçienda resident DJ Paulette dances to the music of her dreams in this episode of Dream Space. Music and water collide, Manchester rain becomes a techno beat and waterfalls cascade on disco-ball umbrellas. Winner of the 2022 DJ Mag Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, DJ Paulette is an acclaimed DJ across UK and Europe, born, raised and based in Manchester. Over a thirty-year career, she has played some of the biggest clubs in the world and brought joy through her sets from The Hacienda in Manchester in the nineties – where she was one of two women to have a monthly…
2 Aug 2024 · 1 min
Dream Space S2 Trailer
Dream Space is back for a second season. Hosted by the multi-talented, award-winning broadcaster Gemma Cairney, we ask some of the world’s most exciting artists to take listeners on a journey through an imaginary space where nothing is off limits. With infinite resources at their disposal and a blank canvas for their vision, Dream Space is an invitation to explore the question: what does art have the potential to do, when we allow ourselves to dream?. Featuring guests such as actor Zawe Ashton , artists Hetain Patel , Benji Reid , Ryan Gander and David Hoyle, musicians Gazelle Twin,…
S1 · E10 · 13 Nov 2023 · 27 min
Lemn Sissay on forests, friendship and endless sunrises
In this episode the acclaimed poet, writer, playwright and broadcaster Lemn Sissay takes us through his nature-inspired Dream Space. The writer and poet invites you to get lost in a forest or simply watch a sunrise on repeat with friends. On the soundtrack? New music from Loyle Carner and Arlo Parks. On the menu? The best cuisine from around the world, of course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 · E9 · 30 Oct 2023 · 27 min
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley on PlayStation worlds, train rides and a new utopia
In this episode, artist and world-builder Danielle Braithwaite-Shirley takes us on a journey - literally with a collective train ride - to a utopian dream space inspired by the aesthetics of a Playstation One game. On the soundtrack is Arthur Russell and on the menu, Danielle is serving up plenty of Caribbean flavours. As an artist, Danielle's work seeks to archive Black trans experiences, using technology to imagine environments that centre their bodies. These often come in the form of video games - letting the audience become immersed in Danielle’s worlds, asking them to reflect on their…
E8 · 16 Oct 2023 · 35 min
Es Devlin on nature, circular time and learning to see differently
In this episode award-winning artist and set designer Es Devlin builds a world where humans share a language with endangered butterflies and birds. Time is circular and electronic devices non-existent. Our sound world is expanded. We hear the voices of whales and the movement of mountains. This Dream Space is the awakening of human perception. Es Devlin has worked with some of the biggest superstars on the planet. Known for creating entire worlds on stage, Es is the subject of the Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art Of Design and her immersive, sculptural work has been installed at…
S1 · E7 · 2 Oct 2023 · 30 min
Nabihah Iqbal on the Nile, a frozen sunset and unlikely company
In the latest episode of Dream Space , Nabihah Iqbal transports us to Egypt – where a calm oasis is waiting on the banks of the Nile and a golden sunset is frozen in time. Birds are singing, grandma is cooking and Jeff Buckley, Cleopatra and Bruce Lee wander past in conversation. Nabihah Iqbal is a musician, DJ, writer and broadcaster. In 2023, she has been busy curating Brighton Festival and touring her latest album DREAMER – a record she created during the early months of 2020, after her studio was burgled and long-awaited album lost. For Factory International, Nabihah Iqbal produced the…
S1 · E6 · 18 Sep 2023 · 32 min
Ivan Michael Blackstock on dance, masculinity and mental health
Today our dreamer is Ivan Michael Blackstock. With a background in contemporary dance, South-London born Ivan is a true multidisciplinary artist, from Sadler’s Wells in London and Paris’ Vilette Theatre, to working with Beyoncé on the choreography of both Black Is King and the Grammy award-winning music video 'Brown Skin Girl'. Alongside this, for over seven years Blackstock has been developing TRAPLORD . Co-commissioned by Factory International, the project was concocted in an abandoned East London leisure centre and touches on themes of masculinity, mental health and race, and has recently…
S1 · E5 · 4 Sep 2023 · 26 min
Jenn Nkiru on cosmic archaeology, memory and travelling through time
Our dreamer in this episode is the brilliant Jenn Nkiru. Jenn is an award-winning artist, director and visionary filmmaker from Peckham, whose work is rooted in the history of Black music, Afro-surrealism, experimental film and the Black arts movement. Her own particular style of filmmaking is distinctive, switching between eras and locations in a process she describes as “cosmic archaeology”. She’s directed documentaries, cinematic shorts, and music videos - including the critically acclaimed music video for Beyoncé's "Brown Skin Girl", which won the Best Music Video award at the 2021…
S1 · E4 · 7 Aug 2023 · 34 min
Sabrina Mahfouz on ’90s beats, pastel worlds and making art together
In this episode of Dream Space, Sabrina Mahfouz invites us into her triple-room extravaganza featuring nostalgic '90s beats, pastel colours and a collaborative fine art space. Sabrina Mahfouz is a multifaceted playwright, lyricist, poet and screenwriter. Her critically acclaimed work includes the theatre adaptation of Noughts & Crosses and memoir These Bodies of Water . She explores themes around class, inequality and her British, Egyptian and Guyanese heritage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About Dream Space

Dream Space is a English arts & books podcast from Factory International. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Factory International
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 31 min
Latest episode: 25 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1692817415
Rights: Factory International

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English arts & books

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.