Meet the Light Artist: Linett Kamala

Linett Kamala, Bass Tone Regeneration, Light Up Kilburn 2024, photography by Crispian Blaize, © Hive Curates

Linett Kamala is a creative polymath whose practice weaves together sound, art, nature, and community care. A pioneering DJ, artist, educator, and founding director of LIN KAM ART, Linett has spent over four decades creating spaces for collective wellbeing through sound system culture and participatory art. Returning to Light Up Kilburn in 2026 after taking part in the festival’s 2024 edition, we spoke with Linett about her practice, her return to the festival, and what it means to create shared moments of listening, movement, and connection.

How did you get started as a light artist, and what does Kilburn mean to you?

I first began experimenting with my light as part of my practice in 2019 when I discovered virtual reality (VR). I loved the way I was able, through the use of technology, to transform my calligraffiti paintings into 3D moving light pieces.  It was during the period of COVID when most of the world spent time indoors.  When people were able to gather again, I was keen to bring my vision to life and got the opportunity when I made my first sound and light installation Bass Tone Regeneration for the first Light Up Kilburn in 2024. The concept of a surrealist sound system inspired artwork which reimagined our relationship to each other and the environment had lived in my head for a very long time, so I was thrilled when the public finally got to experience it and the response was incredible. Babies, teenagers, dogs, elders, everyone just loved it! It has since gone on to tour in places such as the Royal Albert Hall and Notting Hill Carnival.

Kilburn represents a place where I always meet someone who knows me, my studio is based there, where many cultures meet, allow people to just be their authentic selves, create something lively and generous. Showing work there reflects the values at the heart of what I do.

How does your work connect to the Light Up Kilburn 2026 themes of biodiversity and women’s safety?

I’ve always been passionate about the environment and since childhood growing up in London, have always sought to be connected to nature through going to my local parks. My work often looks at renewal and care. Through my piece Basstone Maypole I want to recreate the multifaceted way we connect with the natural world and each other in green spaces. From taking time to notice the hum of bees seeking nectar from a lavender plant, to the laughter of a child playing on a swing.

I also think deeply about how women experience public space, and know from first hand experience that parks, particularly if the lighting is poor, can feel unsafe and are to be avoided. Light can offer presence, visibility, safety and calm. Basstone Maypole brings these ideas together in a way that encourages people to feel safe, grounded and welcomed.

“My path has always brought together sound, colour, movement and community, from painting and mural work to DJ practice and festival projects. Light became a natural way for me to shape the atmosphere and guide how people move and gather.”

Linett Kamala, Bass Tone Regeneration, Light Up Kilburn 2024, photography by Crispian Blaize, © Hive Curates

What can visitors expect from your piece at the festival?

Visitors can expect from my piece that merges tradition, technology and ecology. Basstone Maypole will offer a space for reflection and play. It becomes both a gathering point and a reminder that human celebration is intertwined with the rhythms of the natural world. During Light Up Kilburn, scheduled dance circles will be announced encouraging spontaneous participation to dance around the Maypole! Friendly volunteers will help newcomers understand the steps, ensuring that no prior knowledge is required.

What materials or techniques are you using, and why?

The majority of the piece is made from recycled materials such as discarded wood, old CDs from the local charity shops. It speaks to my ethical values and also experience spanning 40 years as a creative involved in sound system culture. Having discussions with others, and doing in-depth research is another important aspect of my work as an artist. These elements combined allow me to work with energy and atmosphere in a way that echoes the spirit of care, regeneration and community gatherings, while still creating room for innovation.

“By blending performance, play and storytelling to strengthen our connection to each other Basstone Maypole will invite the community to reimagine tradition in an inclusive, joyful way.”

Linett Kamala, Amplify, 2025, photography by Rider Shafique, © Linett Kamala

What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge of creating your work outdoors?

Outdoor work always brings changing conditions, especially with weather! You can’t predict whether it will be raining or freezing cold. The challenge is to keep the work responsive, so make it worthwhile for those who have taken the effort to come out, on a practical level it is also about making sure the artwork can stand up to whatever the environment brings. It is part of the creative process and I welcome it.

What impact do you hope your work will have on the community, and how can locals get involved?

I hope the work offers joy, calm and a sense of belonging. I want people to feel connected to nature, rituals, traditions and to each other. Locals can get involved by attending my forthcoming Maypole and the environment sessions which I’m excited about.  More details will be shared via the Love Camden and my social media handles @linett_kamala and @lin_kam_art

“I love seeing art come alive when the community interacts with it.”

You’re creating a maypole for Light Up Kilburn — can you tell us a bit more about what that means to you?

What I’m holding is the crown of a traditional maypole (below). It brings back memories of dancing around the maypole in the 1970s. It’s a very English tradition, but I love the fact that, being of Caribbean heritage, the tradition is also very much alive in places like Jamaica. Where my family is from, up in the countryside, the children still dance the maypole.

So I’m really excited to be part of Light Up Kilburn and to bring a little essence of that tradition into the festival. This is just a little hint of what’s coming and what we’re going to be engaging with. Folk traditions feel like they’re having a bit of a revival right now in 2026, and I’m excited to be connecting with lots of other folkies and helping to teach the next generation.

Does Basstone Maypole connect to the piece you created for Light Up Kilburn 2024?

Yes, this piece, Basstone Maypole, continues the themes from my previous work, Bass Tone Regeneration. Across my sound and light installations, I’m always exploring our relationships with each other, but most importantly our relationship to nature.

I’m very passionate about the idea that we are part of nature, and that we need to respect it. I want to highlight some of the concerns and issues, but also the beauty that we sometimes miss. For example, between the hours of one and three in the morning, us night owls will hear the birds singing. All the birds come alive, it’s a beautiful thing.

We’re surrounded by some gorgeous mature trees in this park, and even though it’s normally locked up at night, when the traffic quiets you really can hear that natural world come to life. I want to speak to that element as well, the noise that we humans make all day and how it impacts nature, and how we can learn to work alongside it with more respect and care.

One word to describe Light Up Kilburn?

Transformational.

Linett Kamala, 2026, © Hive Curates