Jonathan Orlek is a collaborative PhD student, researching artist-led housing with East Street Arts and the University of Huddersfield. Jon is director of Studio Polpo, a social enterprise architecture collective in Sheffield. Jon Cannon is a designer. Matthew Cheeseman is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at University of Derby. With others he runs Spirit Duplicator, a small press.

How can we think about and understand voice? What does it mean to say that someone has ‘found their voice’? Does voice mean the same to artists as it does to journalists or researchers? Do we all possess an ‘authentic’ voice? What or who else speaks through and for us? Should we imagine and adopt the voices of others? How are voices disciplined and silenced? What voices do madness and knowledge and science and art and education speak in?

We would like to draw a conversation about these questions. At the event, artists, researchers and others will speak for three to five minutes each. When you book a ticket you can indicate whether you would like to speak for three to five minutes too.

You don’t have to speak, but if you would like to, we will send you a copy of a book in advance so that you have something to respond to. It is called Multivoices: a script by researchers and prompted our questions. Some of the writers in the book deal with problems stemming from hierarchy and power in education and research. We would like to see if this ‘script’ is relevant in other areas.

We don’t know what will be taught or learnt or discussed as a result of the session. It might not join up or conclude. We hope you will leave having encountered enough perspectives for the questions to stay with you. Refreshments will be available and the event will also contain a performance of ‘Scissors, paper, stone’ by Vulpes Vulpes.