Saturday, 7 April

‘Free your ass and your mind will follow: Musical joy and radical hope’

Throughout the history of recorded music, almost all significant sonic innovation has come from people outside the social elite and cultural mainstream, and has often been associated with moments of profound social change. Jeremy Gilbert, Professor of Cultural and Political Theory at the University of East London asks, Can music’s capacity to expand our imaginations still open us up to new political possibilities? In a contemporary environment – where most music is consumed privately, streamed for free, and forgotten in a moment – can sonic art still raise consciousness? Can it bring us together, take us beyond ourselves and help to make new worlds possible?

This talk is part of the Rewire 2018 discourse programme, which can be visited free of charge.