Check out the Project Trailer
Audio-Walk series available
About the Project
The public art project, developed through research, community participation, and a pilot audio-walk installation, will honor those who were killed or injured by the last ruling party’s genocidal tactics during the July-August 2024 revolution in Bangladesh, which advocated for education and employment reforms and broader social changes. Unfolding in Toronto’s ‘Bangla Town,’ streets the project will offer a space for the Bangladeshi-Canadian community to reflect on the uprising in their homeland and envision a future that fosters greater civic engagement. Additionally, the audio-walk installations will transform the streets into interactive spaces, challenging their current role as mere transit routes.
Project Team
Mushtari Afroz – Project Lead, and Artist-Researcher
Originally from Bangladesh, Mushtari Afroz is a Toronto-based dance artist. She is also an artist-researcher-practitioner in public spaces. Her praxis-driven work investigates spatial justice in urban environments, examining themes such as gentrification, space versus place and the concept of publicness. Mushtari integrates art as a political tool in her practice, using dance, music, and theater to create site-specific performances that address socio-spatial issues in neoliberal cities and foster active citizenship. She holds an MA in Performing Public Space from Fontys Academy of the Arts, Netherlands, and is currently advancing her research at York University’s Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies department.
Dewan Masud Karim – Project Research Assistant, Co-ordinator and Photographer
In the labyrinth of urban tales, Dewan Masud Karim emerges, a sage of 25 years steeped in the symphony of urban mobility. From the sakura-scented streets of University of Tokyo to the mosaic paths of Toronto Metropolitan University, he crafts symphonies of possibility in the realm of multimodal mobility. He wears the robes of engineering across four Canadian provinces. His voice resonates in global amphitheaters unveiling the secret patterns of human mobility, creative public space reclaims, and downscaling mobility facilities to match the basic instinct of human mobility code. His accolades include special awards like “Best Planning System” from MIT Media Lab and “Project of the Year” from ITE in 2015.
Beyond applause, his pen inscribes a chapter in “Disrupting Mobility” and authors “Shifting Mobility” in its entirety. In addition to his professional career, he leveraged photography as a powerful visual medium to showcase his concepts and ideas related to public spaces. While engaged in public service and cultural venues, he served as an official photographer and videographer for various artistic research projects, supporting public space exploration, performances, and cultural activities.
Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb – Composer
Tanveer Sajeeb Alam is a Semi-Classical Vocalist specializing in Nazrul Geeti(a major genre in Bengali Semi-Classical stream) and a music composer specializing in the collaboration between North Indian Classical Music and World Music. He was a child prodigy winning many national competitions including the largest one in Bangladesh titled ‘Notun Kuri’ at the age of only 7. His passion for Nazrul Geeti led him to study at one of the finest fine arts schools in Bangladesh ‘Bulbul Lolitokola Academy’ from which he graduated with distinction in 1991. Later he studied at Toronto Film School and graduate with a B.A. degree in Sound Technology with an intention to apply the knowledge in music composition.
As a solo vocalist Tanveer has been presenting his live work at many major concerts and Television shows in Bangladesh, USA and Canada since the early 90’s. He has released his first solo album ‘Shadharon Eakdin’ sponsored by Muktodhara, New York in 1998 and since then he has released 5 solo albums. Tanveer started writing and composing his own songs since early 1990 and released two songs in the album ‘Urban Turban’ by a Toronto based band TASA in 2005. Since then he has composed scores for many commercials, short films, theatre and documentaries. He has also delivered university level courses and workshops on sound engineering to art organizations and universities in Bangladesh. In 2006, Tanveer went back to Bangladesh to further explore her passion in Bengali music. Recently, he is hosting a music show ‘Gaanwala’ in a private TV channel Nagorik TV in Bangladesh. Despite being a busy musician Tanveer shares his time and musical experience with family and friends between Bangladesh and Canada.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMQXWgPNwRgEGq3-CLxLyA
Mukta Ara – Visual Artist
Mukta Ara is a Toronto-based emerging abstract artist originally from Bangladesh. Her work explores memory, identity, and emotional landscapes through acrylic, charcoal, pen, and mixed media on canvas and black paper. Drawing from personal experiences and fleeting moments, she uses abstraction to express complex emotions and cultural reflections.
As part of ‘Imagine There’s No Quota’ project, Mukta is creating a series of abstract paintings interpreting the movement’s themes from the perspective of the Bangladeshi diasporic community. Her work captures the emotional undertones of memory, protest, and displacement, expressing solidarity, grief, and resilience through color, texture, and form.
Mukta sees her practice as a way to document and relive emotions through a deeply personal yet open-ended dialogue. Her contributions to this project aim to create a contemplative space where viewers—especially those beyond borders—can connect with the movement and discover reflections of their own experience through abstraction.
Yonge Creative Productions – Creative Partner
Yonge Creative Productions (YCP) is a dynamic Toronto based creative agency specializing in storytelling, cultural programming, and multimedia production.
Founded by passionate filmmakers and strategists, YCP blends artistic vision with strategic communication to deliver impactful content across film, digital, and live events. The company operates across three verticals: Marketing, Technology Solutions, and Events.
From managing social media for diverse industries to producing short films, documentaries, and immersive aftermovies, YCP brings narratives to life with purpose and precision. The team also provides end-to end support for community festivals and corporate events, offering services like live videography, photography, and cultural curation. At its core, YCP is committed to elevating underrepresented voices and preserving cultural heritage through powerful visual media. With a portfolio that bridges commercial excellence and social impact, YCP continues to be a trusted partner for brands, nonprofits, and organizations looking to make a meaningful impression.
The Process
Research and Literature Review
In this project, Mushtari’s primary interest was on exploring the experiences of the Canadian-Bangladeshi diaspora in relation to the July–August 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh against the then-ruling government led by Sheikh Hasina. Her inquiry centered on several key questions: How does the diaspora understand the political context of the uprising? How did the violence in Bangladesh affect them emotionally and socially, given their ongoing connection to the homeland? In what ways did members of the diaspora contribute to the movement? And finally, what are their current reflections on the socio-political and cultural future of Bangladesh?
Mushtari collaborated with Dewan Masud Karim- the project’s research assistant- to conduct preliminary research using secondary sources. Together, they monitored online news coverage of the movement and participated in Canadian-Bangladeshi led protest activities in Toronto and followed public discussions on social media. They also reviewed a range of archival materials that became publicly available during the July–August 2024 period, while receiving first-hand updates from their own family members in Bangladesh. Drawing from this diverse pool of sources, Mushtari developed a set of interview questions/prompts, which were later discussed with members of the Canadian-Bangladeshi community during their interview sessions.
Ethnographic interviews
A diverse group of Canadian-Bangladeshis from sectors such as higher education, the arts and literature, and media were invited to participate in ethnographic interviews. These conversations explored their reflections on the ruling period of Sheikh Hasina’s government, the mass uprising of July–August 2024, and their perspectives on the current socio-political and cultural climate under the interim government led by Dr. Yunus. Sincere thanks to those who helped connect me with individuals deeply interested with Bangladesh’s political landscape, hold critical insights and generously agreed to participate despite the sensitivities involved in speaking about these issues during the immediate post-Hasina period.
Interview Highlights
Selected excerpts from participant conversations, chosen based on criteria such as clarity, emotional depth, critical insight, and brevity.
Community Connection
Media Engagement
Media Interview
Tune in to Climate Channel TV – a well-known platform within the Bangladeshi-Canadian community that covers a range of topics including community affairs, financial updates, and political developments in Canada. In this segment, host Manish Paul interviews Mushtari about her journey as a dance artist in Canada, her artistic work engaging with public space discourse, and her latest project centered on the July–August 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh.
Watch the full interview here: https://www.facebook.com/ClimateChannelOfficial/videos/466219049828141
- Press Release
- Newspaper adverts for promotion
Audio-walk composition
What is an audio-walk?
An audio-walk is an expansive artistic practice that weaves together sound, spoken text, music, and narration to create an immersive listening experience as people move through spaces. In recent decades, with advances in technology, many audio-walk artists have integrated GPS-based tools to create geocoded experiences, where the audio is triggered by location.
Audio-walk journeys can take many forms: a leisurely stroll through the city while listening to its layered histories, a disorienting experience of hearing stories from distant cities while walking in one’s own, an audio-guided tour in a gallery or museum, or a meditative walk in nature guided by sound.
Why audio-walk in the public space?
In public spaces especially, artists use audio-walks to activate collective memory, surfacing historic events, erased or forgotten narratives, experiences of discrimination, and moments of violence while also opening spaces for community reflection. At the same time, audio-walks challenge the notion—promoted by city-makers—that public spaces are merely transit routes from point A to point B; instead, they reveal these spaces as repositories of our struggles, resilience, and ongoing fight for the right to the city.
Audio-walk in this project
Imagine There’s No Quota is an audio-walk series composed from the diasporic reflections of Bangladeshi-Canadians on the July–August 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh. Interwoven with musical interludes, the work evokes the emotional states—frustration, devastation, fear, anger, resilience, collective spirit, joy, and uncertainty—witnessed during the revolt and expressed by the Bangladeshis around the globe as they rose against a fascist regime.
The audio-walks are installed in significant public spaces within Bangla Town in Toronto, such as the Shoheed Minar area, the Thyra Avenue and Dentonia Park Avenue intersection, and along Danforth Avenue, where Bangladeshi-Canadians gathered to demonstrate, voice their concerns, and pay tribute to the martyrs of July-August 2024, standing in solidarity with those fighting on the streets of Bangladesh.
While digital technology makes it possible to access these audio series from home, we invite you to experience them in the very spaces where, in July–August 2024, you may have walked with friends and family shoulder to shoulder in the struggle for justice and human rights, retracing the footsteps of those who sacrificed their lives for freedom of expression, dignity, and justice in Bangladesh.
Project Launch Event
Imagine There’s No Quota project officially launched on the afternoon of Saturday, August 23, 2025, at the Shoheed Minar Area (International Language Monument) in Dentonia Park, Toronto. The event was attended by members of the Bangladeshi-Canadian community, along with artists and project collaborators who contributed to bringing the initiative to life.
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
Audio-Walk Installations
The audio-walk series was installed at three key locations within the Bangla Town neighbourhood:
- Shoheed Minar – the International Language Monument
- Intersection of Dentonia Park Avenue and Thyra Avenue
- Sidewalk along Danforth Avenue
These sites were thoughtfully selected for their historical and cultural significance to the Bangladeshi-Canadian community. They served either as symbolic landmarks or as gathering sites where community members assembled to raise their voices, commemorate the martyrs of July–August 2024, and stand in solidarity with those resisting oppression in Bangladesh.
1. Shoheed Minar at Dentonia Park, Toronto
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
2. Intersection of Dentonia Park Ave. & Thyra Ave.
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
3. Sidewalk along Danforth Avenue
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
Opening Performance:
The event began with Bangladesh’s National Anthem, performed by Toronto-based vocalist Tafria Tayeeba.
Community Reflections:
Three distinguished members of the Bangladeshi community — Manish Paul, Simu Naser, and Subrata Kumar Das — shared their insights. Deeply connected to both the local and global Bangladeshi socio-political landscape, they reflected on their experience of the audio-walk series and its broader cultural and political relevance.
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
Behind the Scenes:
Project collaborators — including artists, the program assistant, and creative partners — took the stage to share their experiences in bringing the project to life.
Image Credit: Dewan Masud Karim.
Media Coverage
A special thanks to Climate Channel TV for capturing and covering the project launch event.
Reflections:
Looking Back on ‘Imagine There’s No Quota’ One Year Later
Imagine There’s No Quota was a project with two primary objectives: first, to foster civic engagement within the Bangladeshi-Canadian diasporic community in Toronto in the aftermath of the July 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh; and second, to activate public spaces within that community through public art interventions.
The project emerged during a turbulent moment for Bangladesh and its global diaspora. In July-August 2024, Bangladeshis both in the home country and abroad had just witnessed the fall of the ruling political party after fifteen years of undemocratic governance. The party’s violent, repressive and genocidal response to a student-led protest for employment reform had escalated into a nationwide mass uprising demanding broader socio-cultural and political change, ultimately leading to the regime’s collapse.
While this political shift initially brought a sense of relief to Bangladeshis around the world, it was short-lived. A series of smaller social, cultural, and political unrests soon emerged, deepening ideological divisions within the Bangladeshis globally. Imagine There’s No Quota intervened in this atmosphere of fragmentation with the aim of creating a space for dialogue—inviting diasporic reflections not only on the uprising’s historical and political context but also on its aftermath and the interim government’s actions strongly believing public art could serve as a site of healing and coexistence, accommodating multiple perspectives on the July–August 2024 uprising and envisioning new futures for Bangladeshis worldwide.
A series of smaller social, cultural, and political unrests emerged soon after the mass uprising deepening ideological divisions within the Bangladeshis globally. Imagine There’s No Quota intervened in this atmosphere of fragmentation.
The project’s research component targeted graduate students (MA or PhD level), writers, art workers, and journalists from the Bangladeshi-Canadian community for ethnographic interviews. While ten individuals initially agreed to participate, seven ultimately completed the process, and three withdrew, citing discomfort with the project’s sensitive subject matter. Throughout the interviews, it became clear that the questions evoked nostalgic and often deeply personal memories of the homeland—stories participants might not have shared publicly. Speaking anonymously allowed them to articulate thoughts and emotions they had previously withheld, affirming that their diasporic voices and perspectives held value in shaping discourse around this pivotal political moment in Bangladesh’s history.
Speaking anonymously allowed them to articulate thoughts and emotions they had previously withheld, affirming that their diasporic voices and perspectives held value in shaping discourse around this pivotal political moment in Bangladesh’s history.
In this way, the project acted as a catalyst for civic engagement within the Bangladeshi-Canadian community, encouraging open and democratic dialogue on politically sensitive issues. The artistic outcome—QR-code scannable audio-walk installation—extended this engagement into the public realm, transforming parks and streets into spaces for reflection and critical inquiry. By activating physical public spaces through art, Imagine There’s No Quota demonstrated how everyday public spaces can be reclaimed through art, transforming them into more than what Marc Augé describes as “non-places.”[1]
While working on the project, it became evident that the Bangladeshi-Canadian community has grown significantly over the past decade. The Danforth–Victoria Park neighbourhood, in particular, continues to maintain its legacy as a hub for new immigrants from Bangladesh. However, as several residents who assisted me during the project observed, the post-COVID years have seen a noticeable rise in both new immigrants and political asylum seekers. The sidewalks along Danforth, which once remained relatively quiet, are now filled almost every afternoon with members of the Bangladeshi community. Many new businesses owned by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have also opened in the area. These demographic and cultural shifts directly influenced how the project was carried out, shaping both the opportunities it offered and the challenges it encountered. With more Bangladeshis spending leisure time on the streets, these public spaces have evolved from mere transit routes into vibrant sites of social interaction. This growing sociability made the sidewalks of Danforth—particularly in the Bangla Town area—a highly suitable and meaningful location for the audio-walk installation, allowing it to engage people for whom the project’s themes held real significance. Naturally, this became one of the primary installation sites. Other locations included the Shaheed Minar area (The Language Monument, used for the project launch), the intersection of Dentonia Park Avenue and Thyra Avenue, and an area near the Crescent Town neighbourhood, home to a large Bangladeshi population.
The project acted as a catalyst for civic engagement within the Bangladeshi-Canadian community, encouraging open and democratic dialogue on politically sensitive issues. The artistic outcome—QR-code scannable audio-walk installation—extended this engagement into the public realm, transforming parks and streets into spaces for reflection and critical inquiry.
However, when high visibility intersects with political sensitivity, tensions can surface. Several installations were damaged at multiple sites, reflecting resistance from individuals who felt that the project challenged their political beliefs. From a democratic perspective, these reactions demonstrated that the public artwork succeeded in creating a space for civic dialogue—one where differing, even opposing, voices could emerge. The project’s visibility on news and social media platforms also drew backlash, including online trolling and abusive comments, not necessarily targeting the artwork itself, but rather the political subject matter it addressed. Such reactions to public art are not uncommon; the most one can do is to document them and take legal action if necessary. In this case, aside from minor damage and online trolling, there were no major threats or incidents of physical harm, so legal intervention was not required.
When high visibility intersects with political sensitivity, tensions can surface. Several installations were damaged at multiple sites, reflecting resistance from individuals who felt that the project challenged their political beliefs.
During the project launch at the Shoheed Minar area on August 23rd, several respected community members were invited to help ensure that the event proceeded smoothly. The project also fostered strong relationships with local media outlets, including Bangla Kagoj newspaper and Climate Channel TV, both of which covered the launch and helped spread awareness through their YouTube, social media, and news networks. As part of its community engagement efforts, the project also reached out to key political figures within the community, including MPP Dolly Begum of Scarborough Southwest—who is of Bangladeshi origin—and Councillor Brad Bradford whose ward Beaches-East York includes the Bangla Town neighbourhood. Project details were presented to them through in-person visits. However, it appeared that they were more inclined to attend events organized by established organizations rather than by individual artists. It also became evident that they tended to be more receptive to community events of non-critical nature, rather than those that raise politically sensitive or critically engaged questions. While this was a somewhat disappointing experience given the depth, intention, and public nature of the project, it was decided that for future phases, if the project seeks the participation of local political representatives, it will collaborate with community organizations and approach them collectively, presenting the initiative as an organizational effort rather than an individual one.
In addition to these social and political challenges, the project also faced several operational difficulties. Most notable among them was acquiring a park permit from the City for the launch event. The process was lengthy and complicated, as the City did not have event criteria that aligned with the project’s unique format. Furthermore, the permit application was reviewed only two weeks before the event launch date, leaving the team uncertain about whether the permit would be approved. This uncertainty made it difficult to confidently promote the event with a fixed launch date. Fortunately, the project coordinator’s prior experience as a senior city planner proved invaluable. Through his consistent communication with the permit officer and diligent attention to documentation requirements, the team successfully obtained the permit one week before the event.
Despite the numerous challenges encountered at various stages, the project successfully generated significant interest, curiosity, and engagement from members of the Bangladeshi-Canadian community and beyond. The QR code–accessible audio-walk installations received a considerable number of views during the weeks they occupied the public space.
The enthusiasm within the community has provided strong momentum to advance the project into its next phase, which aims to document diasporic reflections on the aftermath of the July–August 2024 mass uprising in significant details.
Project lead Mushtari Afroz has been steadily expanding her network within the Bangladeshi community to strengthen local connections while also engaging with community and arts organizations outside of the Bangladeshi community that have expressed interest in diasporic narratives. A preliminary conversation with the co-founders of a Toronto-based non-profit organization Qissa has recently taken place regarding the next phase of the project. These emerging relationships hold potential for future collaborations as the project progresses into its subsequent phases.
The enthusiasm within the community has provided strong momentum to advance the project into its next phase, which aims to document diasporic reflections on the aftermath of the July–August 2024 mass uprising in significant details.
[1] Marc Augé, Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity, trans. John Howe (London: Verso, 1995).
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