By Steve Cooke
This is the second in a series of catch-ups with artists who are part of Cartwheel Arts’ COLLABORATE.
Danielle Porter is a sound artist, audio producer and educator. She has several years of experience in radio, previously working for BBC Radio Manchester as a presenter and producer, managing award winning, short term community radio stations and radio projects. “I have been fortunate enough to produce a variety of programmes from immersive radio plays, podcasts and soundscapes, as an artist and a facilitator, empowering residents to use their voice.” Alongside her art form she specialises in community engagement working across Greater Manchester.
Danielle explained what Collaborate means to her, “Collaborate in my head also sounds like celebrate, so working together and celebrating each other’s art forms to learn and create something new and exciting.”
Danielle also outlined what she is currently up to, “I feel very privileged to have just produced more audio for the Working-Class Movement Library and Walk the Plank and Bolton at Home (a housing association). For the WCML and Walk the Plank I worked with Hilary Friend to create 'Is there grass growing in between the cobbles?’ Roaming in and around the WCML archives, in this episode we wanted to take you on a journey, a stroll through history, with a nod to local legends from our past to current day activists who are still fighting for our rights to roam today. Hopefully, we will inspire you to put on your boots, grab your waterproofs get outside, and support your local campaigns.”
“For Bolton at Home I am producing the We Are Woman podcast, following on from our webinars, this series was created to raise awareness of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender based Violence. Every episode amplifies women voices through sharing stories, interviews from organisations and inspiring women, poetry, and chat.”
I asked her, as an artist, what she would like the ‘new normal’ to be, “How to answer that question, I miss the informal chats we use to have over a cuppa / wine which would be a springboard to a new creative project or a fellow artist suggestion which would only enrich your concept even more. The new normal would be a chance to meet other likeminded artists in an outdoor setting to share ideas and complain about projects that you don’t know how to start or end, but you just need that supportive ear to give you encouragement and a little push.”
Begin The World Over Again Radical Thoughts and Actions for Radical Times a brand new podcast series!
Conceived during CV-19 lockdown, this exciting collaboration aims to use the radical thoughts and actions of the past - as documented within the Working Class Movement Library’s collections - to prompt new thinking and share it through a suite of six podcast episodes.
Available on all main podcast platforms, the first episode was released on Thursday 19 November with the remainder of the series also now available.
Live Stream: Talk and Panel Discussion
On Thursday 19 November, 2pm, and as part of both the Being Human Festival and History Day 2020, a talk with input from the duos who have created the episodes and lecturers from the University of Salford.
This talk was live-streamed, and It also has been recorded and uploaded on the WCML YouTube channel for viewing https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbFAXhScWenwbCzXd9Rn5g
Episode One: Inspiring Women and Women Who Are Inspiring
Part 1: 'She had a political impact on me, a caring impact and she gave me confidence'
Is there a girl or woman who is part of your family, friendship group, or your local community who inspires you and why?
Part 2: ‘Speaking Out is The Power’
Women have the right to vote, can you think of any issues still facing women in terms of equality?
Part 3: 'It only takes for us to sit and not speak to be colluding'
Can you think of a time when you have been confronted by inequality because of your gender? How did you deal with this moment, how did it make you feel?
Episode Two: Is There Grass Growing In-between The Cobbles?
Roaming in and around the WCML archives
Episode Three: The Way Forward
How can Engels show us the way forward beyond 2020 as we ensure that "an ounce of action is worth a ton of theory"?
Episode Four: The Establishment and the Welfare State
How much Paine* before we change the world?
*See below for further information about Thomas Paine
Episode Five: Solidarity
Can solidarity make a comeback?
Episode Six: Institutional Racism
How do we continue the fight against institutional racism in Britain today?
The Bones of Paine
And finally … as well as being the subject of Episode Four above (and providing the quote for the whole podcast) you can find out more about Thomas Paine and particularly the Bones of Paine (including a film and report about the project) on the Library’s website www.wcml.org.uk/BonesOfPaine
