A maiden exhibition to document 500 years of musical journeys by African and Caribbean people in Britain is scheduled to open from April 26 to August 2024.
The show titled Beyond the Bassline is inspired by the British Library’s sound archive and would explore the people, spaces, and genres that have transformed the landscape of British music.
A statement announcing the event said the exhibition would traverse musical genres, from classical, gospel, and jazz through to reggae, jungle, and afro-swing.
“Beyond the Bassline’ charts the influence of Black British musicians, creatives, and entrepreneurs on popular music since the 16th century. It also considers the role emerging technologies and the internet have played in creating, listening to, and sharing music.
“The exhibition spotlights the spaces—physical, digital, and symbolic—that have cultivated creative expression and inspired several Black British music genres,” the statement said.
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Over 200 exhibits, including audiovisual material, including interviews with activist Amy Ashwood Garvey, calypsonian, Lord Kitchener, and originator of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, and many others, would be made public, according to the organizers.
Costumes and other artefacts by black musicians are also said to feature prominently, while other public events and live performances are held alongside. Visitors would also get the chance to see a new film titled Iwoyi, which explores “the radical potential of Black British music to manifest reparative futures.”
The exhibition is organised by Dr Aleema Gray at the British Library in collaboration with Mykaell Riley at the University of Westminster.
“Beyond the Bassline follows a three-year partnership to research, foreground and reposition six centuries of African musical contributions to the UK.
‘The exhibition represents a timely opportunity to broaden our understanding of Black British music and situate it within a historical conversation. Black British music is more than a soundtrack. It has formed part of an expansive cultural industry that transformed British culture.’ Dr Aleema Gray, lead curator of the event, said in a statement.
According to Associate Professor Mykaell Riley, “the exhibition is not an end point but the beginning of a new positioning of Black British music, within academic research and high art spaces.”