Scots author IRVINE WELSH, leading spoken word poet JOELLE TAYLOR, multi-prize winning poet RAYMOND ANTROBUS and his BSL interpreter PETTRA ST HILAIRE, Syrian/British spoken word/slam poet LISA LUXX (lisa luxx), the National Poet of Wales HANAN ISSA and 21 year old Palestinian poet BATOOL ABU AKLEEN join the line-up of incredible artists from around the UK and the world for the inaugural VOICED: THE FESTIVAL FOR ENDANGERED LANGUAGES – taking over LONDON’S BARBICAN CENTRE throughout OCTOBER 2025.

Irvine Welsh says “Without language we have no culture and when we lose language we lose culture. We become androids of the tech age, slaves to algorithms, ready to obey instructions which are reduced only to symbols. The human experience leaks away as we bleed into serfdom.”

With half of the world’s languages threatened to fall silent by the end of the century comes the first ever UK festival Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages, celebrating the power of language and art by highlighting endangered global and local languages through a creative festival. The Barbican, London will be filled with an explosion of voices and art highlighting some of the world’s most endangered languages and dialects, with new commissions, workshops, free events and work by new voices from around the world.

Performances and panel discussions for Voiced take place in The Pit, the Barbican’s award-winning space for experimental new performance. Irvine Welsh joins the Opening Event (7.15pm) and The Art of Language: Panel Discussion (8.30pm) both on Thursday 16 October. He will be reading from his new book Men In Love written in the Edinburgh dialect of Scots. And then discussing his native Scots, a vulnerable language as listed by UNESCO. Both of The Pit sessions on Thursday 16 October will be chaired by broadcaster Badisha and include co-curator’s poet Chris McCabe and artist Sam Winston plus the multi prizewinning poet Raymond Antrobus who will perform his works simultaneously presented in British Sign Language by Pettra St Hilaire.

Joelle Taylor is the author of four collections of poetry. Her most recent collection C+NTO & Othered Poems won the 2021 T.S Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors. Joelle joins
Say Again: The Poetry of Invented Languages on Saturday 18 October 4.15pm-5.15pm alongside performances by Stephen Watts presenting poems with echoes of Gaelic/Italian, and artists montenegrofisher who bring an extraordinary new music, soundscape, movement performance to Voiced.

lisa luxx brings spoken word/slam poetry into the mix in Language as a Political Act – Saturday 18 October, 6pm-7pm. luxx is joined by other passionate vocal performances including Palestinian poet Batool Abu Akleen – all reading works in their mother tongue and discussing how their language provides a home as well as offering a form of resistance.

FREE highlights from Wednesday 1 October – Friday 31 October 2025 includes sound artist Jamie Perera’s The Endangered Voices Listening Trail. Discover a unique audio treasure hunt that invites deep listening at the hidden corners of the Barbican. This self-guided trail leads visitors to discreet audio beacons gently broadcasting endangered languages. Visitors are encouraged to seek out these sonic moments, pausing to share space with vanishing voices in quiet, often unnoticed corners. It’s an invitation to lend their ears, reflect and connect with cultures and languages at risk of being forgotten.

Other FREE highlights throughout October include The Creative Voice Exhibition in the Barbican’s Level G foyer which includes a visual showcase of five new poems, a major new artwork commission – Seed Syllable – by visual artist Sam Winston and a space to discover endangered texts.

The line up of global talent creating and performing at Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages includes: Irvine Welsh, lisa luxx, Joelle Taylor, Bidisha, Liz Berry, Raymond Antrobus, Petrra St Hilaire, Hanan Issa, Hanna Komar, British Bilingual Poetry Collective, Mandana Seyfeddinipur, Tim Brookes, Troy Cabida, Batool Abu Akleen, Hawad, Norma Dunning, Jamie Perera, Cristina Viti, Shamin Azad, Rachel Lichtenstein, montenegrofisher, Stephen Watts, Chris McCabe and Sam Winston.

image009.jpgVoiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages is a brand-new festival with voices being heard loud and clear in a celebration of LANGUAGES.

The vast creative impact that art has on language and language has on art!
An explosion of creative multilingualism across the Barbican Centre

Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages

LONDON’S BARBICAN CENTRE
OCTOBER 2025

Live Performance & Panel Discussions – The Pit, 16 – 18 October
Thursday evening, 16 October ticket – £15. (£10 Young Barbican).
Friday evening, 17 October ticket – £15. (£10 Young Barbican).
Saturday afternoon, 18 October ticket – £15. (£10 Young Barbican).
Saturday evening, 18 October ticket – £15. (£10 Young Barbican).
3-Day ticket £40.

Workshops – Fountain Room Level G, 11 – 12 October.
£10 each. (£6 Young Barbican).
£24 for 3 on Saturday 18 October.
£15 for 2 on Sunday 19 October.