One plan I have for a future professional opportunity is to start a bi-monthly sound arts event in Leicester. With Leicester being where I am from, I find it sad to see so many of the local venues shutting down and the arts courses at the universities and colleges being closed.
Starting this event is a way that I can give back to the city I’m from and help try to keep the arts scene alive there, as it will give experimental performers a suitable environment to perform in, as well as create a network of experimental musicians and sound artists.
I plan to run the event in a similar way to Avalon Cafe’s Sound Arts Open Mic, which runs as a continuous monthly open call for around 3-6 performers per night, screening the acts by listening to extracts of work.
I plan to have a DJ on before the night begins and between songs to keep energy in the room between performances, set the tone for the night, and to make equipment changeovers easier.
I also plan on putting on performers from underrepresented backgrounds. It is important to me that the event I run will be inclusive as I find many of the music events in Leicester to platform majority white males. “Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed 41% of the city described themselves as white – the lowest of any city in the UK.”, with leicester being so multi cultural, the fact that majority of the young bands who play venues in leicester are white males the fact that gig venues are gatekept feels unfair and unjust, platforming a variety of voices is important to me in order to uphold a diverse and representative scene.
I have contacted around 6 performers and will begin organising the event after my final submissions at university in order to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63743309