Participatory Storytelling, Radical Imagination and Rhythmic Resistance

Workshop on sonic storytelling, radical imagination, and rhythmic practices as tools for collective resistance and creative care.

This one-week workshop invites participants to explore the transformative potential of sonic storytelling as a method of radical imagination and collective resistance. Rooted in ecological, decolonial, and activist practices, it creates a space to engage with voice, rhythm, memory, and sound as tools for rethinking how we narrate and inhabit political realities.

Participants will be guided through somatic rhythm practices such as body percussion, breathwork, and movement-based groove exercises to help ground, release, and connect. These embodied approaches serve both as methods for coping with emotional intensity and as exercises of presence and care.

We will experiment with forms of sonic storytelling and creative writing, working with loops, field recordings, textures, and participatory narratives. These materials will form the basis for collaborative compositions and sonic performances.

Drawing from Afro-diasporic, Indigenous, and queer sound traditions, the workshop reflects on how sound has historically served as a vehicle for epistemic resistance, allowing marginalized communities to preserve knowledge, carry memory, and respond creatively to structural violence.

The workshop is open to anyone interested in the intersections of sound, storytelling, activism, and embodiment. Artists, researchers, educators, and community members are all welcome. Together we will ask: What stories need to be sounded? How can rhythm help us imagine otherwise? What becomes possible when we listen with care?

Day 1 – Introduction & Grounding

• Welcome, intentions, and group agreements
• Introduction to sonic storytelling
• Somatic rhythm practices

Day 2 – Listening & Memory

• Soundwalk and field recording
• Exercises in deep listening and reflective writing
• Exploring personal and collective soundscapes

Day 3 – Rhythm & Resistance

• Groove-based movement and vocal improvisation
• Afro-diasporic and Indigenous rhythm traditions (practical exercise)
• Group work: transforming stories into sonic forms

Day 4 – Composition & Collaboration

• Working with loops, textures, and spoken word
• Small group compositions and rehearsal
• Feedback and refinement sessions

Day 5 – Sharing & Reflection

• Final sound performance / collective sharing
• Group reflection and closing ritual
• Documentation and next steps

Lunch break daily from 13:00–14:00

No prior musical training is required. No previous knowledge is expected, just curiosity and openness to learn and experiment.

Ivan Chaparro is an artist, musician, designer, and researcher based in Berlin. He holds degrees in sound art, music, and design, and is the founder and director of Resonar Lab, a transdisciplinary collective dedicated to eco-social transformation through art, music, and activism (see: resonar.net). His work focuses on participatory music practices, art mediation related to environmental and epistemic justice, as well as activist storytelling. Ivan has taught at universities in Latin America and Europe and has presented his research and performances internationally. He is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Berlin University of the Arts as part of the interuniversity research group “Normativity, Critique, and Change.”

Website: https://linktr.ee/txap