Solar Juke is a garden party and sound performance that uses Whoop House - a completely solar-powered sound sculpture - as a musical instrument to uplift environmental themes within African diasporan music.
Leader
Ash Arder
Location
2689 Hunt St Detroit, MI 48214
Solar Juke is an opportunity to bring some of Detroit's leading musicians together to perform for neighbors in an underserved neighborhood with a rich history. Grant funds will go toward creating a safe, clean, inspiring environment for a multigenerational group of Detroiters to heal through music and dance. Beautification of this neglected block through trash removal, landscaping, and an art installation will show community members that they deserve art, culture, joy and unfettered access to green spaces.
Book musicians
Reserve seats and tents
Reserve additional solar generator support
Create promotional materials
Clean and prepare site
Coordinate BBQ
Solar Juke is an event that introduces Detroiters to Whoop House is a completely solar-powered sound sculpture that records and plays back instruments and voices of community members. The mobile sculpture includes a solar energy micro-grid designed to power popular musical equipment like keyboards, turntables, microphones, and speakers. The modular design of the sculpture allows it to travel between neighborhoods on the lower east side of Detroit where heavy rains often cause flooding and power outages. As the effects of climate change, social unrest, and widespread health disparities continue to impact Black and Brown Detroiters, Whoop House invites neighbors of all ages to learn about solar power through music and storytelling. Solar can seem expensive, overly technical and out of reach. In Ash Arder's experience working with organizations like the Wright Museum of African American History, Manistique Block Club, and Solar Party Detroit, art is effective in explaining the technology of solar while empowering Detroiters to have more control over their use of and access to electricity.
The event takes place in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, on a block where vegetation has grown thick where homes once stood, and illegal dumping is a constant burden for a majority elder population. Solar Juke involves clearing trash and debris from the block, and celebrating the resiliency and rich history of this important neighborhood through music, food, and fellowship.