Love Island's first deaf contestant Tasha Ghouri unveiled a striking sculpture at the Roundhouse to celebrate the achievements of British signsong rapper, SignKid.

The project is part of National Lottery campaign The People's Portraits to celebrate the work of local heroes and the importance of making the arts accessible to all.

Writer producer and rapper Kevin Walker aka SignKid is a deaf music artist whose ground breaking songs have seen him overcome barriers and open doors for the deaf community to enjoy music.This Is Local London: Deaf rapper SignKid has developed a unique way of adapting British Sign Language so deaf music fans can enjoy rap and hip-hopDeaf rapper SignKid has developed a unique way of adapting British Sign Language so deaf music fans can enjoy rap and hip-hop (Image: Polly Hancock)

He has developed a unique style of adapting British Sign Language into a visually based language for live hip-hop, rap and urban music performance. A judging panel selected him as the winner of the  Arts, Culture and Film category in the 2022 National Lottery Awards.

The distinctive artwork by Liam Hopkins of Lazerian Studios spotlights his achievements and is an interpretation of his story - featuring two hand-sculptures in the ‘V’ shape, representing the BSL symbol for ‘Visual’.

Speaking outside the Chalk Farm venue, Tasha Ghouri said: “Music brings joy to people all over the world, and that includes those who are hard of hearing. SignKid has achieved incredible things in making a challenging art-form for the deaf community accessible and relatable, and as somebody who has struggled with inclusion within this space in the past, I am honoured to unveil this stunning artwork celebrating his achievements." 

Kevin Walker, aka SignKid said, “It’s an honour for my work to be recognised with such an incredible piece of art, at one of the most iconic music venues in the world, and to win a National Lottery Award. I’ve been able to achieve amazing things with the help of The National Lottery funding, so I would love this campaign to inspire others from the deaf community to not to let any barriers stand in their way”.This Is Local London: SignKid and Tasha Ghouri outside the Roundhouse with the sculpture created by Liam Hopkins of the Lazerian StudioSignKid and Tasha Ghouri outside the Roundhouse with the sculpture created by Liam Hopkins of the Lazerian Studio (Image: Polly Hancock)

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England added: “Stories such as Kevin’s showcase the true impact National Lottery funding can have to communities up and down the country. We have launched this campaign to inspire people from across the UK and encourage them to make a difference in their community, just like Kevin.”