One Song at Fabrica Brighton: a free visit guide before the exhibition closes on 28 October

Last updated: 22 October 2026, 09:12 BST.

One Song at Fabrica Brighton is a free exhibition to consider before its final day on Wednesday 28 October 2026. Kadir Karababa’s audio-visual installation brings together music and personal accounts of migration. This is a practical guide based on the organiser’s published information, not a review claiming a first-hand visit.

What is One Song at Fabrica Brighton?

The exhibition page describes an installation and community archive built around songs shared by women with experience of migration or seeking sanctuary. This Brighton version was developed with local community members. The songs are performed in their original languages with English subtitles.

The project began in 2022. Its central idea is a song connected with the place a participant first called home. For a visitor, that offers a clear way into the work: listen for the relationship between a familiar melody and a person’s individual account, rather than expecting one account to represent every migrant experience. The project’s own archive is linked by Fabrica for further exploration.

Choose an exhibition slot, not simply a day the building has an event

The specific exhibition hours above are the useful reference for this visit. Fabrica’s general visitor page currently says the building is open for events only and directs readers to the programme. The dedicated One Song page provides the exhibition’s own times.

That matters particularly on Monday 26 October: the exhibition is listed as closed on Mondays even though a separate family workshop is scheduled in the building. Do not assume that one event opens the whole programme to everyone. On Tuesday 27 October the exhibition starts at 1pm, an hour later than its Wednesday-to-Sunday opening time.

If you want a quiet or specially arranged visit, contact the gallery first. The information does not establish how busy any individual session will be, and this guide makes no claim about waiting times.

Access: pick the entrance that works for you

Fabrica’s access information distinguishes between ramped access at Duke Street and a temporary ramp at Ship Street. It lists accessible toilets, flexible seating and space for wheelchairs. The historic interior includes some slightly uneven wooden and stone surfaces.

Ask the front-of-house team for a chair if you need one. The gallery also lists large-print material, staff trained in audio description and support for people with hidden disabilities. These are venue facilities; contact the team to establish how a particular requirement will be supported during this installation.

Fabrica recommends an extra layer during colder months. That is a useful small detail for an exhibition where you may want to pause and listen. It should not be mistaken for a guarantee of a particular indoor temperature.

Children, companions and the rest of the visit

The visitor page lists baby-changing facilities and says service animals are permitted. Its café-bar operates at events and screenings, so do not build an exhibition visit around an assumed all-day café service.

There is no need to buy an exhibition ticket, but transport, refreshments or a separate programmed activity may still add to the cost of a day out. Check the individual event page before combining plans. Families interested in a different activity can read our Chomp workshop and lunch report; that session has a specific audience and attendance arrangements.

Brighton Locals’ view

A free central exhibition can be a useful part of an ordinary city visit, rather than an expensive outing that has to fill a whole day. The appeal here is also specific: individual voices and songs provide a human scale for a subject often discussed through totals and policy arguments. That is our assessment of the project’s published approach, not a judgement about an installation we have not personally reviewed.

For the practical side, the strongest advice is simple. Choose the exhibition’s actual opening hours, use the access information early and keep separate bookings separate. Contact Fabrica on 01273 778646 if the published details do not answer your question.

Plan a listening visit before 28 October, with the right opening time and entrance checked first.

Archive exterior: Fabrica, former Holy Trinity Church, Ship Street, Brighton, 27 September 2018. Hassocks5489 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Resized by WordPress; not the 2026 workshop or exhibition.

Author: Brighton Locals Newsroom