If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know this story has been a long time coming. V&A East Museum in Stratford opens its doors this spring with its inaugural exhibition , ‘The Music Is Black: A British Story’ , and it looks like the kind of thing that genuinely needed to happen.
Spanning 125 years and four continents, the exhibition covers the full sweep of Black British music from early pioneers like Winifred Atwell- the first Black artist to top the UK Singles Chart-right through to grime, with JME’s actual Super Nintendo (the one he used to make music on in the ’90s) going on display. That alone is worth the trip to Stratford.
Over 200 objects will be on show- instruments, personal writings, lyrics, fashion worn by the likes of Little Simz, Seal, and Dame Shirley Bassey- alongside more than 60 newly acquired photographs of artists including Kemistry and Storm, Mis-Teeq, and Skepta. Genres covered include drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, lovers rock, trip hop, UK garage, grime, and more. For anyone who’s read our pieces on SHERELLE covering the deep roots of Jungle as Black British music, this is that conversation given a proper institutional home.
Curator Jacqueline Springer puts it well: “Music reflects and feeds emotions. It inspires, comforts, offends and entertains.” The exhibition is split into four sections in what’s being described as a multi-sensory experience.
Trevor Nelson, who has been championing this kind of recognition for years, was characteristically direct about why it matters: “The fact that we haven’t had a national exhibition on Black British music is quite surprising to me.” He’s right. It is surprising. And long overdue.
‘The Music Is Black: A British Story’ opens April 18 at V&A East Museum, Stratford.
Source- Mixmag