Cường Minh Bá Phạm

• MA South East Asian Studies (SOAS, University of London)
• BA International Studies (Kingston University) 

Cường is studying for a UKRI-funded PhD at the University of Birmingham as part of the larger SoundDecisions project, led by Professor Alexander M. Cannon.

His research, titled ‘Critical Futures in the Mekong Delta's Colonial Pasts: Resonances, Resettlement, and Records’, engages with ethnomusicological recordings held in archives across various European sites captured during the French colonial era. These recordings are then used as sites of co-creation, co-discovery, and interaction for diasporic groups who imagine the Mekong Delta as home. His work draws upon care-led listening practices and critical futures to envision new ways of encountering and being.

In parallel to his academic work, he has a practice which sits between / in / nearby / at the intersections of sound, community, and archives.

Working with sound encompasses radio, artistic interpretations, research, writing, and translation. Under the handle ‘Phambinho’, he hosts a monthly show on NTS Radio, an online community radio station. Select recent projects include curating Our Voices (2024) for Spor and Ultima music festivals, The Listening Choir, in 3 Acts (2024) for November Music, and Mediterranean Futures: Everyday Imaginary (2024) for Stegi.Radio.

At the community level, he works with vulnerable communities in London and Hà Nội, such as those who are homeless, undocumented or marginalised due to a lack of care from the state. This work will range from translation, assisting people with accessing medical or public services to sitting ‘ having sat on various boards. Cuong’s sound and archival practices are heavily informed by community-based approaches that prioritise collaboration, accessibility, and multivocality. Cường’s contribution to Archives Lab - Activating the An Việt Archives (2023) was that attempt to bring in plurality in the cataloguing process.

Archives are another key focus of his work. He is the co-founder of the An Việt Archives Steering Committee, which oversees the largest known collection of documents, photos, and other objects related to the British-Vietnamese experience, currently housed at Hackney Archives. Recent projects include Amplifying Archives (2023), a series of auditory essays exploring the role of sound in archives and shared heritage, accompanied by visual projections.