Harina Mokanan
The Exchange | London
Harina Mokanan is a DJ, community builder, and creative programmer based in London, Ontario. She is the founder of OA(SIS), a femme-led cultural collective designed to foster belonging through music, movement, art, and gathering. Her work explores how creative experiences can create meaningful connections and strengthen community life. Through her artistic and community-based practice, she builds collaborative spaces where residents are invited to connect, contribute, and become co-creators of culture.
About the Project
The Exchange is a participatory arts experience that brings people together around a meaningful question, a shared theme, and a chosen artistic medium. Participants arrive with a creative “asset” such as a poem, song, photograph, object, or story and are guided through a structured process of sharing, active listening, reflection, and dialogue. Co-designed and facilitated with professional artists and community partners, each Exchange creates opportunities for residents to connect, contribute, and build collective meaning. The project uses creativity as a pathway to belonging, empathy, social inclusion, and civic participation, while transforming cultural spaces into more participatory community environments.