Hate it or love it, rap music tends to make us feel a certain way. Since its origins it has been conflated with gangs and violence for some, but for others is a powerful and political form of expression. Wanda argues that the way we listen to rap music is important for society more widely and can help facilitate crucial conversations.
This interactive workshop will include group and individual exercises to explore perceptions of rap music, sound, and communication.
No prior experience or knowledge is needed and is a non-judgemental invitation to discuss. This session will be delivered in English and will include some graphic language, listening to rap music, and one rap video.
Pushkin House is committed to making all of our events as accessible as possible for every audience member. Please get in touch with us if you have a particular request and we will gladly discuss with you the best way to accommodate it.
This event is part of the engagement programme to accompany The Battle Over Mazepa exhibition by Mykola Ridnyi. The programme explores themes of memory, identity and migration.
Image Credits: ‘Merete Røstad
This event is part of Bloomsbury Festival 2023.
About the artist
Wanda Canton (pronounced ‘van-da’) is an artist, researcher and facilitator exploring how rap, spoken word and sound can be used therapeutically and for social justice. She has delivered workshops and programmes across an array of support services including secure psychiatric hospitals, domestic violence support and for frontline staff. She has facilitated sessions at Edinburgh Fringe and Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival. Her independent and self-produced podcast, Three Ain’t a Crowd, discusses the intersections between creativity, mental health and social change with different guests each episode, including rappers such as Lowkey, Pavan (formerly of Foreign Beggars) and Italian Grime artist, Blackson.
Wanda is currently completing her doctorate at the University of Brighton, centred on rap music and alternatives to the criminal justice system. Her publications include Spoken Poetry at the Border of Trauma (Journal of Psychosocial Studies, 2019), and I Spit Therefore I Am: Rap and Knowledge (Interfere, 2022). She is currently preparing her inaugural book, Sonic Rebellions, an edited collection examining the relationship between sound and social justice, anticipated to be published in 2023.