Local Artist Profiles
The four local artists involved in the project will be mentored by Vanley Burke as well as leading participatory projects at the schools and The Venture: White City. Each artist will produce their own creative response to Vanley's work and the participatory projects they are involved in.
Discover each local artist below...
Artist: Rider Shafique
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ShujaaRiderShafique/
Rider Shafique is a lyricist, poet, MC and recording artist from Gloucester. He is a prolific and versatile MC at both live events and recording, with countless features across dub, dancehall, hip hop, dubstep and drum & bass. He is also a photographer, and has produced the I:Dentity series for City Voices, creating images of BAME communities across Gloucestershire as well as a pair of films detailing the “Firsts” of Gloucester’s Black community. Rider Shafique lends his lyrics and flow to the music of the most well-known producers and record labels in the electronic music scene, including KojeyRadical, D Double E, Kahn, Swindle, Submotion Orchestra, Author, J.Sparrow, Sam Binga, Gantz, O$VMV$M, Ishan Sound, Deep Medi, Critical Music & NavyCut. His work has been described as ‘a clear response to the divisive, race-baiting politics of our times... Shafique presents an ice-cool yet impassioned dissection (of) his thoughts in a rooted, low-key style that resonates with the delivery and impetus of classic dub poetry from Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mutubaruka. Highly recommended!”
Rider has delivered the introductory film interview with Vanley Burke, and will lead the participatory project at Sir Thomas Rich’s School. He will share his response to the project, either in spoken word or photography or a combination of both.
Artist: JPDL
Website: https://www.facebook.com/jpdl2
JPDL is a local Gloucestershire artist who has spent over ten years working on his craft, over a variety of different platforms from UK rap to spoken word. Whether it’s history or politics, JPDL’s content is socially aware and has stretched throughout a variety of subjects. He has shown this throughout the years with diverse appearances from summer festival shows, working with the BBC for Armistice Day and headlining Cheltenham poetry festival. In 2020 JPDL co-curated Luke Jerram’s “Of Earth and Sky”, a city-wide participatory poetry installation in Gloucester, running school and community poetry workshops as part of this.
JPDL will co-lead the community participatory project at The Venture: White City with Phil Campbell. He will share his response to the project in spoken word or poetry.
Artist: Thembe Mvula
Website: https://www.thembemvula.com/
Thembe Mvula is a South African writer and poet. She is an alumna of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective, Barbican Young Poets, and the inaugural Obsidian Foundation retreat. Her poetry often celebrates, unpacks or laments all that is tied to home, relationships and self. Thembe has headlined nationally and internationally, including at the Tate Modern, Oslo Afro Arts festival and has featured at Latitude festival. Her TEDx talk on The Power of Poetry and Vulnerability has been translated into Mandarin and Cantonese. Thembe’s debut poetry pamphlet, We that Wither Beneath, was self-published in March 2019 and listed in top 52 books of the year by the Poetry School. She has recently had work published in The Black Anthology and Magma magazine and is currently undertaking a masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.
Thembe will deliver the participatory projects at Denmark Road High School, and will share her response to this and to Vanley’s photographs in spoken word.
Artist: Phil Campbell
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dr_keys_65/
Phil Campbell will co-lead the community participatory project at The Venture: White City with JPDL. Profile coming soon.