Living Room Session 7
Welcome to the seventh edition of the Living Room Session. A place that radiates familiarity and warmness, as well as a place where people come together and get inspired by performance, art, film and conversation. This edition we dive deeper into the theme ‘growth’.
*The language of this program is English
Take a seat in the living room as moderator Shaquille Shaniqua Joy guides you through an evening with:
A poetry performance by poet, host and cultural producer Sydney Lowell. The screening of Imaginary Rescripting, a visual essay by artist and designer Kexin Hong. A sonic lecture by curator, writer and researcher Adama Keïta.
Start your weekend well on the 4th of April and allow yourself to be present while getting inspired by performance, art, film and conversation.
Growth
Throughout the program, we will explore the expansive theme of ‘growth’, which will be reflected in every aspect of the evening. While growth itself can be personal, the journey of understanding what it means to each of us is highly influenced by the interactions, experiences and thoughts we exchange with the people we encounter. Growth like most things in life is non linear and can be something others see in us before we recognize it ourselves as well as the other way around. It’s open-ended and not just about learning but also unlearning, redefining, and engaging in conversations with ourselves that aren’t always easy as pain is an inevitability when it comes to growth. It’s about understanding ourselves better while moving forward and at the same time learning when to stand still. Growth requires us to accept impermanence, make space, and set intentions.
The living room as a metaphor
The living room is a metaphor for a place that radiates intimate, familiar, warm and welcoming energy and a space where people come together. It unites art hanging on the walls, music that one might play or listen to, movies you watch, conversations with others in the space and more. The Living Room Session brings all of these aspects together in an evening of inspiration curated and presented by Shaquille Shaniqua Joy.
Moderator & guests
Shaquille Shaniqua Joy | Moderator & Cultural Curator
Shaquille Shaniqua Joy, is a moderator and cultural curator focusing on storytelling. Her work explores the embodied experiences of herself and others through conversations, programs and exhibitions. Shaquille collaborates with cultural institutions, museums, platforms and brands. As a moderator she always strives to have conversations rather than interviews. Her excitement for people and their fascinations is the base of her practice, which inspires her to create various formats including the Living Room Session.
Living Room Session is a recurring live program inviting you to be present while getting inspired. During the evening different artists reflect on a subject through various mediums curated and presented by Shaquille Shaniqua Joy.
Sydney Lowell | Poet, Host & Cultural Producer
Born as Sydney Lowell, a creative spirit and wordsmith, with her rhythmic poetry tells stories that move. With a tongue as sharp as sweet, as meditative as exuberant, and a presence soulful and refreshing. The Amsterdam born & bred is active as a spoken word poet, voice actor, host and workshop coach. She’s also co-founder & producer of cultural platform We The People Amsterdam and online spoken word production 2PHRASE.
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Sydney Lowell made her recording debut in April 2023 with the release of her single “Prayer”, soon followed by her second single titled “Testament”. Poems that, just like her other work, are loaded with intention, spirit and emotion. Her debut EP “WORD”, released October 2023, is a testament to the transformative power of language and the dynamic role it plays in personal growth and expression. The power of words to conjure spells, shape beliefs, and define o paths.
For the manifestation of spirit, for connection, and as a call to love and introspection, Sydney Lowell is a poet out of necessity. She considers her poetry not only a reflection of her internal world, but as an extension; extension that allows her to operate as a messenger.
Sharing messages about individual or collective reflection, spirituality, love and growth. Sydney Lowell wears the role of a poet with pride, honoring the rich ancestral oral tradition that paved the way. Every performance is an invitation to connection and an energetic exchange with her audience.
In a continuous dance with growth and connection, Sydney Lowell has been expanding her art in the realms of music, movement, and theater, and exploring ways poetry can serve as part of spiritual and wellbeing practices. She’s graced stages such as Paradiso and Melkweg Amsterdam, and performed at music festivals like North Sea Round Town, Grachtenfestival, MOMO festival, Le Guess Who?, and Down The Rabbit Hole. From January to March 2025, Sydney Lowell hosts and performs in the Dutch national theater tour of Jams & Gems: On Tour, presented by breaking crew The Ruggeds, merging dance, music, theater and poetry.
Kexin Hong | Artist & Designer
Kexin Hong (b. China) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working with video, installation, and digital fabrication to explore psychosocial and political forces in the digital realm.
Kexin investigates the increasingly blurred lines between reality and virtuality, the real and the fictive, truth and post-truth, particularly in relation to the self and how it responds to bodies of power in the digital age. Kexin investigates the ways in which propaganda exploits a symbolic “Other” to achieve its political objectives, specifically in the context of the post-truth era and social media.
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Kexin was awarded a full-ride art grant in Salzburg, Austria, collaborated with Taiwanese artist Shu Lea Cheang on a film project, and has participated in exhibitions and residencies at various art institutions in the Netherlands, including Nieuwe Instituut, W139, and MaMA.
Adama Keïta | Poet
Adama Keïta, an Indo-Guadeloupean, Martinican, and Senegalese curator, writer, and researcher. She lives between Martinique and Amsterdam, pursuing a Master’s in Critical Studies at Sandberg Instituut. Her thesis explores Martinican Creole as a tool for liberation, focusing on sonic/somatic practices and linguistic cannibalism. She is the Founding Director of Nianiba, a Martinique-based cultural-research lab with projects spanning the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. Keïta curates SIANO, a multidisciplinary program on Caribbean sonorities, blending historical research and contemporary art to reclaim black narratives. She specializes in sound, performance art, and experimental pedagogy. Her written and spoken word practice blends Caribbean surrealism, vegetative poetry and responsiveness.