About me
Creative programmer, producer, and curator - currently Curator: Programmes & Engagement at Bow Arts and the Nunnery Gallery - with experience in public programming and commissioning, events and exhibition production, artist development, and community engagement.
I have devised, managed, and delivered a range of projects including multi-scale public programmes and live events, community arts projects, youth engagement and creative careers activity, and creative practice development programmes for artists. I have experience working with everyone from artists, freelancers, and local residents, to grassroots organisations, cultural institutions, and local authority bodies.
The core drivers in my practice are to democratise the arts, amplify marginalised voices, and agitate towards a more equitable arts ecology for all, whilst centring curiosity, playfulness, and imagination.
Projects
- 歸屬感 - An Ode to BelongingAn Ode to Belonging is a short film which revolves around a poem I wrote, translated into Cantonese. It is a manifestation of my experience as a second-generation Chinese immigrant in the diaspora and my, at times strained, relationship with my cultural heritage. My intention was for the piece to help cultivate new narratives regarding the Othered experience and the multiplicity of my lived experiences, as well as challenge stereotypes of the Chinese community and societal constraints often imp
- Meal Deals' Bath Time/Garden Bandit single release with Major LeaguesI was commissioned by indie record label, Major Leagues, to lens the campaign visuals for the release of Meal Deals' "Bath Time/Garden Bandit" single. Collaborating with the label manager and band on the art direction, we decided to centre the shoot around the concept of British supermarket meal deals - the 'Holy Grail' being a sandwich, crisps and fizzy drink combo. We did the shoot in a DIY studio setting, with the photography, production and retouching done my me.
- Notion magazineEditorial and Production Assistant at music and culture publication, Notion. - Pitched and wrote articles for the online site and print issue Notion 87 - Wrote the cover piece for the Notion 87 Festival Guide - Assisted on photoshoots - Collaborated on the set design for the Notion 87 Kano cover shoot - Aided with production requirements - Creative direction All of my online articles can be found at https://notion.online/author/linda/ My work in print can be found at https://www.lindasou.co.
- 3-month diary.Between October 2019 and January 2020, I travelled to Asia, exploring the vast terrains of China, South Korea and Vietnam. I wanted to document my journey, as well as the multitude of ways in which people interacted with the ebb and flow of their built environments. The resulting product was a series of photographs, all shot on 35mm - an ode to the tender brilliance of moments when travelling in a foreign land. A few snippets of the diary are below.
- SLEEK magazineEditorial Intern at SLEEK magazine - a Berlin-based arts, culture and fashion publication. - Pitched and wrote articles for the online site, as well as the SLEEK 59 press release - Managed and curated the Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as assisting on the Instagram strategy when needed - Liaised with brands and PRs to organise attendance for all the editors and photographers to the New York, London, Paris and Milan SS19 fashion weeks - Assisted the SLEEK team with administrative duties
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Work history
Curator: Programmes & EngagementBow Arts Trust
London, United Kingdom
+ Creative programming: curating, managing, and delivering Bow Arts' arts and events portfolio, including public programmes, East London Art Prize associated events in partnership with our Prize partners, Open Studios, makers markets, and advising on other arts & events activity across the organisation
+ Artist development: programming and managing Bow Skills, our creative practice development programme for artists informed by an artist-led steering group; delivering the East London Art Prize artist mentoring programme; and supporting the coordination of commissions and residencies
+ Youth engagement: overseeing our learning offer for young people and children, including studio visits, gallery resources, school and community tours, Bow Families - our free, drop-in arts and crafts programme for local families, and the establishment of a gallery youth programme for local young people aged between 18-24
+ Outreach and engagement: building relationships with local partners and arts organisations, leading on the development of our audience engagement strategy for local residents and communities, and managing our volunteer programme
+ Evaluation: developing and implementing our evaluation and impact assessment framework, including coordinating audience data gathering and compiling of data to report back to senior management, trustees, and funders
+ Administration and finance: creating and managing programme budgets; creating contracts and T&Cs; and devising risk assessments
+ Marketing and arts writing: writing promotional copy; creating social media visuals; collaborating on communication strategies; and writing catalogue texts and artist profiles
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Creative programmer, producer and arts workerSeung Sing Sou
London, United KingdomFreelance
+ Creative programming: as a member of East and Southeast Asian climate organising group Green Lions, I collaboratively programmed Museum of the Home's 2023 Lunar New Year festival - a day of creative workshops, supper clubs, mahjong, thought-provoking speakers, film screenings exhibitions, and a makers market all led by East and Southeast Asian creatives and practitioners organising and agitating for climate justice and more sustainable ways of living
+ Exhibition organisation: supported with production and curation of London-based art collective Baesianz’ group photography exhibition 'Kin' at Guts Gallery's Project Space which explores kinship through a radical lens, highlighting queerness, femininity and the familial through a selection of 9 photographers of Asian heritage
+ Facilitation: leading workshops and designing learning experiences on a range of topics, from DIY art workshops on poster design and zine-making with neurodiverse groups, to abolitionist approaches to hate crime for East and Southeast Asian communities
+ Writing: my editorial work covers visual arts, culture, race, and diversity - particularly where they intersect
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Skills
- Journalism
- Photography
- Radio Presenting
- Photo Retouching
- Styling
- Social Media
- Visual Research
- Film Directing
- Writing
- Content Creatiion
- Academic Research
- Community Building
Education
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Creative AdvertisingNight School: Yellowzine x The Brooklyn Brothers
- London, United Kingdom
This was a training programme for young creatives from ethnic minority backgrounds, hosted by online and print platform, Yellowzine, in collaboration with award-winning creative agency, The Brooklyn Brothers.
The programme covered the key skills needed to thrive within the creative and advertising industries, including unpacking a brief, finding insights, copywriting, strategy, design, visual expression and production. We were mentored by industry insiders from all kinds of fields, ranging from record labels, editorial and production, to creative agency work, fashion design and illustration.
Throughout the programme, we had to work on a 'manifesto' - a piece of work which embodied and demonstrated our creative voice. I directed a short film which revolves around a poem I wrote, translated into Cantonese. It is a visual and audio manifestation of my musings about my experience as a second-generation immigrant in the diaspora and my, at times strained, relationship with my Chinese heritage. This piece exhibited in November 2019 at the Night School graduation show hosted by NikeLab 1948.
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BA (Hons) Ancient World Studies with a Year Abroad (Paris)University College London (UCL)
- London, United Kingdom
First Class Honours (1:1)
Dissertation titles:
1) The Problem of Physics and Free Will in 5th Century Atomism and Epicureanism
2) Does the Problem of Evil Pose a Significant Threat to the Coherence of Stoic Theology?