Call for artists in Ghent: 'ex-homeless wrote and recorded their own songs'
Edited on
23 June 2022In Ghent, we decided to do an artistic project with a group of ex-homeless people together with the organisation Graffiti and their workshop ‘De Zwerfkeet’. During a process of a week and some extra days, people wrote their own songtexts, suggested rhythm and music genres and made 12 music tracks about their lifes and the things that concern them.
De Zwerfkeet, a mobile shack that has been converted into a mobile music studio, stopped for a week in De Koer in Ghent. A group of homeless people came together to develop their musical talents as a group and to record their own work under the guidance of experienced peers. De Koer is a vibrant creation and meeting place in the middle of the Ghent neighbourhood ‘Brugse Poort’, a concrete space in the city as a moving playing field for social and artistic projects and initiatives.
First there were two short introductions. People got to know each other better and were able to test some musical instruments. The participants were also asked to write a personal text. Already in this stage, it became clear that there was a lot of talent among the participants. Also, they were asked to chant their lyrics to music.
This was followed by an intensive week of singing, recording, mixing. Also interviews were recorded and a clip was made. The result is wonderful.
The participants were very excited. Through the intense week, they also got to know each other better.
The result is that 12 tracks were made with all the different stories of the participants. We're going to try to get it played at a local radio station.
A few weeks after the recording week, we organized a closing moment where we showed the videos and where we all had an aperitif and chat.
Submitted by Hannelore Bonami on