The People Speak

Mental Health & Justice Project Artist Group

“The People Speak is a group of international artists, cultural producers, science communicators and activists based in East London. We have 25 years’ expertise in helping people to understand each other and collectively process the complexity of the world. 

We create fun, interactive participatory formats and interventions in the UK and abroad, where we articulate collective imagination, inform public decision-making and deepen connections between diverse groups of people. We employ multiple media, technologies, instant visualisation, sound effects and online elements in parallel to engage and stimulate diverse minds and push the boundaries of what a collaboration/conversation can be.

Our creative practice has roots in familiar, televisual culture of  talk shows, game shows, sports-media spectacles and TV drama. Our flagship format Talkaoke is an interactive talk-show, where the participants decide on the subjects and together push the boundaries of what a conversation can be. We regularly train new practitioners,  young people and community leaders in the Talkaoke facilitation methods. 

Some of our other live interactive formats include: One Night Grandstand – a kick-about fused with the excitement of a football stadium; Segue – a generative instant film-making factory; Who Wants To Be – a direct democracy game show, Wick Speaks! Hybrid tour of Hackney through the eyes of the residents, The Inverse Apprentice – a participant-led creative entrepreneurship programme provoked by the TV show ‘The Apprentice’. 

We have delivered projects in partnership with: most national cultural institutions and museums – British Council, Camden Arts Centre, all Tate Galleries, National Theatre, Southbank Centre, Science Museum, V&A; universities and academic institutions – UCL, UAL, Goldsmiths, Imperial, Queen Mary, Ravensbourne, GSMD, NHM, the Francis Crick Institute, King’s College; many UK festivals: LIFT, Shambala, The World Transformed, Supernormal; many social and youth charities, NHS trusts; and most London boroughs.” 

Image credits: The People Speak