Podcasts
Welcome to Downstream from What?
Downstream from What? is the podcast series which explores the links between art, and social justice.
We interview a wide range of cultural creators artists and activists to speak about the link between art and social change. The first season includes interviews with Kiké Roach and Alex Bierk along with series co-creator Professor Ken Moffatt. As with the practice of art the interviews span a great many topics and a wide variety of creative interventions.
Ep. 01 - Ken Moffatt: Art, Politics, and Activism
November 18, 2022 I 46 min.
In this first episode Ben McCarthy interviews Ken Moffatt to discuss the sweep of the podcast series, some key themes and how we need art to create change.
Ep. 02 - Alex Bierk: 'You Can Call Me Al...'
November 25, 2022 I 39 min.
In this episode Ken interviews Alex Bierk. Bierk is a self-taught artist, and advocate, who lives in Peterborough, ON with his wife and three children. His career as an artist is interconnected to community work. He has a personal connection to the drug crisis and has become active in outreach work as a result of his own lived experience with addiction. He was recently elected as a City Councillor to represent the residents of downtown Peterborough at City Hall. Alex us represented by General Hardware Gallery in Toronto.
Ep. 03 - Kiké Roach (part 1): Selby Street: A Social and Activist History
December 2, 2022 I 29 min.
Kiké Roach (she/her) is the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has served as an Executive Member of: the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, the Women’s Coalition for Employment Equity, and Mpenzi: Black Women’s International Film and Video Festival. As a civil rights lawyer, she has advocated for accountability and reform in policing and detention for many years, representing community organizations. She was a regular commentator on current and legal affairs for CTV News and has appeared as a spokesperson on a variety of issues. She is co-author of the book Politically Speaking. Kiké has designed and led workshops for the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and the United Steel Workers among others. She has addressed audiences across Canada and in the United States on issues of anti-racism, feminism, and progressive change..
Ep. 04 - Kiké Roach (part 2) An Actor In The System As Designed
December 9, 2022 I 30 min.
This is part 2 of Ken's interview with Kiké and the last episode of season one. Please watch this channel for a second season coming up in the new year.
Roach (she/her) is the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has served as an Executive Member of: the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, the Women’s Coalition for Employment Equity, and Mpenzi: Black Women’s International Film and Video Festival. As a civil rights lawyer, she has advocated for accountability and reform in policing and detention for many years, representing community organizations. She was a regular commentator on current and legal affairs for CTV News and has appeared as a spokesperson on a variety of issues. She is co-author of the book Politically Speaking. Kiké has designed and led workshops for the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and the United Steel Workers among others. She has addressed audiences across Canada and in the United States on issues of anti-racism, feminism, and progressive change.