THE PEOPLE'S SOUNDSYSTEM w/ SHIRINE SAAD

A three-hour workshop on soundsystem culture, DJing, and radical music-making led by Shirine Saad, a Beirut-born writer, programmer, and DJ. The session explores how underground music — from Jamaican dancehalls to Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, and New York — has fueled Black, Brown, and Queer liberation movements. You'll dig into the history and theory of soundsystems, learn foundational DJ techniques, and collaborate on building a group mixtape together.

Shirine Saad is a Brooklyn-based artist and theorist whose work centers culture and social change. They recently taught at Brown University as Assistant Professor of the Practice in Arts Journalism and Criticism, where they founded MOVEMENTS, a multimedia arts journal. Their research focuses on Arab feminist and queer art, and they run Hiya Live Sessions, a platform for radical feminist SWANA artists, alongside a DJ learning series for BIPOC women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ folks. They've programmed and DJed for Creative Time, BAM, the Brooklyn Museum, and National Sawdust, and launched the Rockaway Beach Reggae Jam.

Expect a hands-on, participatory evening in a community space. This is an introduction-level workshop — no prior DJ experience needed. The focus is on collective learning and joy, grounded in the revolutionary histories of dancefloor culture.