In this behind-the-scenes video from Red Light Busking Presents Kanda Vol.1: Bedroom Shut, Music Up, the creative and construction team explain how they brought an early 2000s bedroom back to life as part of the immersive exhibition. The bedroom was designed to reflect more than just furniture and posters. It was created to show the state of mind, struggles, memories, technology, music and personal identity of young people growing up during that period. Built in just five days, the space had to feel authentic while also being safe, compliant and ready for a public exhibition. Through research, old photographs, conversations and shared memories, the team recreated a room that speaks to a generation shaped by music, youth culture and the first wave of personal technology.

Making A Way Through Education (Short Version) Real voices reflect on education, pressure, bullying, foster care, exclusion, dyslexia, ADHD and the impact of being pushed out of school. This storyline explores how young people, especially Black boys, could be labelled as a problem before their needs were properly understood — and how education, when made accessible, can change the direction of someone’s life. Part of a Red Light Busking oral history project - Kanda Vol.1 Bedroom Shut Music Up exploring Waltham Forest, African Caribbean experiences, youth culture, education and the criminal justice system. Content note: this audio includes references to racism, imprisonment, mental health, exclusion and difficult lived experiences. Made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players. For details on our next event visit https://www.redlightbusking.com/event

In this powerful clip from Red Light Busking Presents Kanda Vol.1: Bedroom Shut, Music Up, the speaker reflects on growing up feeling abandoned, being placed in foster care, and the emotional impact of not having a present adult. They speak honestly about what children from difficult backgrounds need: communication, consistency, safety and someone who shows them something different. By the time they reached secondary school, they had already stopped believing education would lead anywhere. This story asks an important question: how many young people are written off before anyone really understands what they have survived?

In this powerful clip from Red Light Busking Presents Kanda Vol.1: Bedroom Shut, Music Up, we hear how London began to shift — with youth robberies, drugs, mental health struggles and the rise of colour association shaping how young people moved through the city. This moment looks at how even clothing could become dangerous, where wearing or being linked to a certain colour could make people assume you were connected to a gang. A reflection on youth culture, street pressure, survival and the realities young people were navigating.