How Might We

Dujon's career can be characterised as ambitious, aspirational, and determined. He is approaching 10 years with Hackney Council, having worked his way up from a senior employment advisor to the Assistant Director of Employment, Skills & Adult Learning (ESAL). One of four children born and raised in Tottenham, North London, by hard working migrant parents from the Caribbean - an industrious and ambitious community - Dujon was aware from a young age that hard work is not rewarded in equal measure.  Having first hand experience of his dad's community work with youth centres and grass roots football, as well as social housing management through his Mum's work, Dujon was guided early on towards serving the public.  Drawing from his own experience of deprivation and marginalisation, where professional career guidance was non existent, and role models were limited to local sports stars and entertainers, and through studying Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dujon sharpened his understanding of societal inequality and solidified a will to change it. Dujon says his aim has always been to support everyone in realising their potential, but especially to raise up the aspirations of the disenfranchised. And that's exactly what he's doing at Hackney Council, striving to create opportunities for residents to thrive in a growing economy, whilst working to affect policies and structures in a way that will raise the long term aspirations of the whole community. Dujon is passionate about developing an infrastructure in Hackney and London, which disrupts societal norms and breaks down the structures that perpetuate unequal access to secure livelihoods. Dujon and the ESAL teams create thousands of opportunities for residents to access learning, training and jobs through ambitious partnerships with businesses and a variety of support programmes accessible by practically anyone from Hackney. The ambitions of this service delivery is to reveal pathways to access an array of different careers, which are often hidden from view. Making sure everyone can imagine themselves in the job they are perfect for, even if society has told them they are not. 🔹 Connect with Dujon Harvey on Linkedin here

Yugoslavia-born Ana Kerin (1986) studied fine art and sculpture at the Academy for Fine Art and Design in Slovenia and the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. A rising star on the circuit, the academic award-winning Kerin has exhibited in group shows and represented Slovenia in European biennales for young, contemporary artists. Working across mediums, from charcoal to canvas and clay, Kerin has developed an expressive artistic signature. Her undulating silhouettes and free-form shapes are present across her works, from her large-scale paintings and sculptures to her pottery. Each artwork questions the relationship between form, fluidity and function. The notion of connection informs much of Kerin’s work. She is interested in the traces that linger, like a thumbprint in clay; a brushstroke on paper. Each soulful expression is a reflection of an existence. It leaves an imprint on a person; on a soul; on the world. Kana London was born fortuitously as a result of her training in sculpture & her background in fine art, eventually becoming a fully developed project in London in 2012.  Sculpting and an affinity for working with clay led her to wanting to apply the principles of my art work - the tactile, hand built aesthetics, the traces of my fingerprints and hands on the surface -  into functional ceramics.  Ana Kerin's approach to work is experimental and playful, as she never follow a procedure, and invent new recipes daily. Ana works with a unique mixture of clays and mixes her own glazes, often turning her back on traditional ceramic practice. Hand building, rather than turning on the wheel, further emphasizes the individuality of each piece.  🔹 Shop KANA LONDON here

Francesca J. Colloca is an east London-based ‘Head of Innovation’ who’s spent her career making change happen in various settings. From her early days in grassroots community development and community organising, to working in social housing, social enterprise and high street regeneration, through to regional master planning and economic development - making a positive difference to place, people, planet and economy is what guides her work.  As a political sociologist by training, and a yoga practitioner by virtue of her spiritual exploration, she tries to bring the pursuit of solutions and the art of the possible to her everyday collaborations. Francesca is an award winning project manager and strategist, currently heading up SHIFT – east London’s Innovation Agency based at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 🔹Find out more about SHIFT here 🔹 Follow Francesca on Linkedin here

Charlie Squire is an artist and writer living in Berlin. Charlie is the author of the best-selling Substack blog evil female and has written for publications including The Progressive, DAZED Magazine, Jacobin, and more. Charlie is also the author of Slouching: A Field Guide to Art and (Un)Belonging in Europe, a project which was the culmination of a six-month fellowship with the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe. When not writing, Charlie can be found doing crossword puzzles and drinking dirty martinis with extra olives. 🔹 Read Charlie Squire's Substack here 🔹 Order  Slouching: A Field Guide to Art and (Un)Belonging in Europe here 🔹 Follow Charlie on Twitter here 🔹 Follow Charlie on Instagram ⁠here⁠

The son of a coal miner and a chemist, Garry Hunter studied engineering, not art, in his home town of South Shields. After working on photography assignments worldwide for 25 years, ranging from Apple Computer to the UN Population Fund, he co-founded Fitzrovia Noir as an arts collective in 2008. He led on the first phase of the £2m Cultural Spring Arts Council England Creative People and Places initiative, co-creating work with residents of the neighbourhoods where he grew up. He established The Tommy Flowers community pub in Poplar, cited at The House of Lords as 'a new model of creative community engagement' contributing to The Centre For London paper on post-Covid uses of the high street, that fed into Mayoral policy. He is a visiting artist at Roskilde University, Denmark, maintains a live/work space in Berlin and is, with his Italian partner, artist Doralba Picerno, working on setting up a residency/workshop programme at a long empty 2.5 acre forest site by Lake Bracciano, on the edge of Rome.  He is the author of 12 books, two of which are best sellers on contemporary urban art, translated into French, Brazilian Portuguese and Swedish. He develops concepts through public consulation and commissions public art, most recently a 10m square mural on Dee Street Poplar, a collaboration between French photo-realist Zabou and Australian spraypaint-pointillist Jimmy C,  further advocacy for working with international partners that is at the core of his practice. Part of the Untold Stories programme with the GLA's Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, this culminates with the launch of a special publication 'Unearthing Poplar' in March 2024, the first project by the newly-formed Tommy Flowers Foundation, that builds on the success of the eponymous pub, aiming to encourage innovation and civic pride.  🔹 Find out more about Fitzrovia Noir here 🔹 Wachc the Faraday film that feature in this episode here

(2:08 intro) Sara Kärpänen is a writer, storytelling specialist, and the founder of Women of the Wick, an award winning feminist media born in Hackney Wick, East London. With a background in news reporting, Sara holds a Master's degree from the Bartlett School of Architecture and has worked in London for over a decade in communications for the non-profit and cultural sectors. Sara's first non-fiction book, "City of Women - Tools for Occupying Space," was published in Finnish by Into Kustannus in 2022. Through her writing, consultancy and curatorial work, Sara is dedicated to elevating the voices, work and visibility of women in cities and democratising the media spaces with the power of storytelling. 🔹 Learn more about Women of the Wick here 🔹 Follow Women of the Wick here 🔹 Follow Sara Kärpänen here

On a mission to make parent-life more joyful, Ann-Marie, a Hackney-based UX designer and mum founded KindHaus, a space on Stoke Newington High Street that provides respite, coffee and community for modern parents as they navigate the early years. So much more than the usual services families are offered, KindHaus is a "home-away-from-home" that offers parents the gift of time with a 3-hour co-work & creche service, and it offers parents opportunity to be inspired and participate in local culture through arts events, talks and more. 🔹 Learn more about KindHaus here 🔹 Follow KindHaus here

Mac Van Dam is a multi-disciplinary designer, inventor, and artist. His work is rooted in a desire to bring the benefits of biological/living sensibilities to the built environment. Before founding design studios in the UK, Mac was a research member at the Living Architecture Systems Group in Toronto, a post-graduate student at UCL's Bio-integrated Design Lab, and has worked at internationally acclaimed architecture firms. His work has been shown at the Lisbon Triennale, London Design Festival, Venice Biennale, Coachella, and other international design exhibitions. With a team at ZINC, a mission-driven incubator, he is developing innovative architectural products that utilise the vast vertical surfaces in urban environments to host biodiverse ecologies. 🔹 Learn more about Vertical Grounds at here 🔹 Learn more about Mac Van Dam’s work here 🔹 Follow Mac Van Dam on Instagram here

Sam is Co-Founder of ERIC, a creative career app for 16-25 year olds. She lives near Edinburgh and is extremely passionate about connecting careers education and the creative industries.  ERIC is an award-winning platform connecting the next generation of talent to the creative industries. Their mission is to give young people access to career experiences, initiatives & opportunities, while helping creative companies get their own career experiences, initiatives & opportunities in front of their target audience. 🔹 Connect with Sam on linkedin🔹 Find out more about ERIC - ERIC Website 🔹 Follow ERIC on social media: ERIC TikTok ERIC instagram ERIC twitter ERIC linkedin

Born and raised in Leytonstone, Murkage Dave spent his youth listening to garage and R&B followed by formative years spent in Manchester absorbing The Smiths and Joy Division. This disparate mix of influences has shaped a defiantly British pop blend, with his observational storytelling continuing to attract fans globally. He has collaborated with Caroline Polacheck, Tricky, Mike Skinner, Evidence, AC Slater, Jaykae, Skepta, Nekfeu and more. Murkage Dave’s listeners have formed their own community, organically grown from a connection with his music. This connection compels his fans to share the music with others, resulting in a cathartic live show experience where the whole audience unites. Over his past two albums, he’s gained support from Pharrell Williams, Young Fathers, Iggy Pop, Romesh Ranganathan, Pitchfork, The Fader, Highsnobiety, Complex, The Face, BBC Radio 1, and more. 🔹 Find out more about Murkage Dave - http://murkagedave.com/ 🔹 Follow Murkage Dave on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/murkagedave