Professor Green headlines Goldsmiths schools event

Musician and documentary-maker Stephen Manderson, aka Professor Green, was among the speakers at a free event for schools held at Goldsmiths, University of London last week.

The one-day De:Construct conference, which took place on 6 June 2018, invited school students to challenge the perception of how their identity is formed through arts, science, humanities and cultural settings.

De:Construct attracted over 180 Year 12 pupils from schools and colleges across London and the UK including St Thomas the Apostle (Southwark), Prendergast School (Lewisham), Royal Greenwich Trust School (Greenwich), Brampton Manor Academy (Newham), and The Urswick School (Hackney).

Fresh from his most recent Channel 4 documentary, Working Class White Men, Professor Green said: “Young Londoners face a constant misrepresentation in the media – now more than ever. Since my recent documentaries on the class system, I’m really pleased to be working with Goldsmiths’ Widening Participation team to support their conference encouraging young people to engage in the arts, culture and politics and to challenge how they are portrayed in the media.”

Jonathan Bridges, Widening Participation Officer at Goldsmiths, said: "We’re all grappling with multiple forms and ideas of identity, including how we represent ourselves privately versus our social media presence. Students who attended De:Construct were able to explore how science, media, history and the arts all influence and help shape our individual and collective identities. Professor Green and our other guests helped to bring these issues to life and provided real inspiration for those who came along.”

Alongside Professor Green, attendees, who took part in a series of discussions and workshops, also got to hear from Goldsmiths academics as well as guest speakers from the Black Cultural Archives, Museum of London, M&C Saatchi, the V&A Museum, and The Poetry Society.