Many artists are inspired to create becuase they want to make a change in the world. Art created with no meaning has little longetivty. Art where the atist has poured their heart and life experiences into are the works of art which stay most implemented within history. Art made with these intentions may be seen as sonic activism.
Sonic Activism takes many forms and shapes. My good friend Tom Costello, Boy Lucid, leads nature walks across London and Ireland with the intention of opening up the question: “how can we re-engage with our environmental landscape?”. AM Kanngieser uses their sonic practices to contribute to ecological and geographical research. The Afrika Shrine founded by Fela Kuti was not just a place of cultural gathering, but also political gathering, where young Nigerians could discuss the future of post-Colonial Nigeria. Anything can be considered activism, as long as you speak on its intentions.
Ultra-red is a sound collective with an investment in activist art. As a collective, they look at social issues through the lense of Pierre Schaffer’s different listening modes, and look to work of Paulo Freier’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which focuses on the use of converstion to reach a goal of humanisation between a group of oppressed people. Conversation promote collective listening, allowing people to become more immersed within a community. This helps to work towards a goal more aligned within everyones needs. Thinking on my own community I have started to build, Happiness Starts with Dancing, I am becoming aware of the importance of establishing conversations in order to build that communal value, to build connection between people. But in what ways is my community a form of sonic activism? Perhaps as I stated earlier, anything is activism as long as you speak on the intent.
“Culture as an aversion to politics”
Where I don’t particuarly wholeheartedly believe in any validated political theory, it would feel wrong to ground my community with “political belief”. However, I believe that with this stance, political change is much more tangible. Rather than create loud, angry movements that stigmatise the goal which one works towards, peaceful, creative outlets are more likely to inspire. At the moment, I am just throwing free dances during the day, which aleady changes the perception of what dance music is. It doesn’t have to be in the cold, dinginess of the night. It doesn’t have to be enshrined in an alcohol or drugs culture. I am not solely booking “big name” DJs, who are typically white, cis males. I am hoping to broaden the perception of who can fascillitate the sounds of the dance. Meanwhile, I am sharing online resources about the culture of the music which we share at our dances- I am hoping to expand this into a book club, which will fascilitate conversation, the same way Ultra-red does.
“If I can’t dance, I can’t be part of the revolution”
Happiness Starts with Dancing is remnicsent of 90s resistant movements in response to Government bans on musical gatherings.
“The function is anti-function as a function”
Sometimes, we need to just plant seeds, and live in the way we hope to see the world be. Then the world will become. 🙂