ISSUE 022 - AN INVITE
IN SITU returns with our next IRL event, IN SITU LIVE VOL. 003 - DESIGNING THIRD SPACES OF THE FUTURE.
IN SITU is a platform dedicated to the intersection between culture, brand strategy and music. Sometimes the focus will be on one strand more than another, but always sitting in that sweet spot.
ISSUE 022 AT A GLANCE
LONG READ IN SITU LIVE VOL. 003 - DESIGNING THIRD SPACES OF THE FUTURE
MUSIC CORNER Album recommendation: D Smoke - Wake Up Supa
LONG READ
IN SITU LIVE VOL. 003 - DESIGNING THIRD SPACES OF THE FUTURE
IN SITU has had some time off this summer but we’re back, and with an invitation no less. We would love to see you at this discussion about something close to our hearts…
With IN SITU LIVE being a third space in itself, and taking place at The Haggerston, a venue that houses so many creative events & groups, we cannot wait to unravel all of the various ways in which people are using and creating third spaces today, whether they’re in person, online, permanently or temporarily.
Please allow me to introduce our wonderfully varied panel, who each bring a fresh and unique perspective to the subject matter.
AMY LEUNG - Illustrator, Graphic Designer & Creative Producer
Amy Leung is a multidisciplinary designer with focus on analogue printing techniques and illustration. Originally born in Oxford and now based in London, she focuses on redesigning motifs from her cultural heritage of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Amy works primarily with slower traditional processes such as printing and hand-drawing to bring forward more tactility, experimentation and uniqueness to her work in a digitally-dominated field. Often illustrating typography and pattern, and integrating photographic imagery in screen print designs.
Over the last few years, Amy has collaborated and worked internally with a number of clothing brands, artists and music artists, and currently heads Project Management and Creative Production for the artist Olaolu Slawn.
CHEN “CHENNESSY” SHIRE - Co-Founder of Zero Formation & DJ
Chen “Chennessy” Shire (God Bless Chennessy) is Co-Founder of Zero Formation, a London based creative agency & studio delivering campaigns for brands such as New Balance, Arsenal × Labrum, and Google Pixel.
Alongside this, he is a resident DJ on Rinse FM and an active trusted figure in London’s Hip-Hop and R&B scene, known for curatorial precision and work with artists including Knucks.
SAMI HAYES - Shai Space Co-Founder & Design Director at Cogs & Marvel
Sami is an experiential & spatial designer based in London, with a portfolio spanning retail & nightclub interiors, festival stages, brand activations, large-scale exhibitions, fashion, and sets for both theatre and screen. Moving from conceptual planning through to 3D renders and build drawings, her work informs intentional, human-centered spaces, rooted in storytelling.
In 2024, Sami co-founded Shai Space, a grassroots music venue in Peckham designed to feel like a giant living room. Shai Space’s main focus is listening sessions but also hosts supper clubs, workshops and other gatherings. Guided by the motto “come open, leave full”, Shai Space aims to provide a place for people to slow down and connect to themselves, each other and the music, to combat an era of overstimulation and digital abundance.
MODERATOR: NICOLA J DAVIES - Founder of IN SITU, Cultural Strategist & Music Journalist
Nicola is a freelance Brand Strategist and Music Journalist born and raised in London, with a stint in NYC. Having worked agency side before turning freelance in 2020, Nicola combines her interests in music with strategy and consumer research, always enjoying work at the intersection of culture and insight. She has worked with the likes of adidas, Hennessy and Sony Music, always enjoying high-level strategic challenges with global brands.
With the founding of IN SITU, Nicola hopes to build a platform for strategy, culture & music with like-minded people who enjoy engaging with new perspectives.
Sounds by AKAY
AKAY is a London-based DJ with a deep passion for music that has been shaped by a lifetime of diverse influences. Born in Nigeria before moving to South Africa and now living in the UK, he has been exposed to a wide array of sounds, which helped cultivate his expansive taste and versatile approach to DJing.
Specialising in Hip-Hop and R&B, AKAY thrives in blending electronic sounds like House, Afro House, and Amapiano, alongside Afrobeats, Future Beats, and edits. His signature style fuses genres together, crafting unique sonic experiences that ignite the dance floor and leave audiences in a state of pure joy.
We can’t wait to see you at IN SITU LIVE VOL 003. There is a limited First Release of free tickets, but once they’re gone, it’s £5 per head. Sign up here, and we’ll see you IN SITU.
MUSIC CORNER
D Smoke - Wake Up Supa
Inglewood’s very own D Smoke is back with his third studio album, Wake Up Supa. Now part of the legendary Death Row Records under Snoop Dogg’s stewardship, D Smoke is not only continuing his family’s musical legacy, but also the story for this notorious label.
The album spotlights D Smoke’s English-Spanish bilingual skills, while working with artists such as Lucky Daye and JANE HANDCOCK. The release comes a year after his mother’s untimely passing, and the unimaginable impact of this is felt throughout the project, although Smoke is always looking for the light in the darkness.
For a more in-depth analysis, take a look at my recent interview with D Smoke chatting about the album and much more, live on Clash Magazine.
Don’t forget to follow IN SITU on Instagram @insitu.njd, and check out my website at nicolajdavies.com.