March 1, 2024 |
If Walthamstow-born DJ and producer Sherelle is going to do anything with her ever-growing influence in the electronic music community, it’s make sure she’s not the only one being celebrated. Announcing the opening of a pop-up exhibition entitled Move/003 a couple of weeks back, the Beautiful and Hooversound label boss has turned the Dazed space at 180 Studios into an immersive celebration of Black and queer creatives in dance music. Curated by London-based collective Fynn Studio, whose founder Kobi Prempeh became the first Black curator to show at Saatchi Gallery with his exhibition Sweet Harmony in 2019, the display rolls audio, photography and art into one. Open to the public from today, the retrospective is a part-sonic, part-visual journey that explores the physical and psychological ventures of a big night out.
Dividing the showcase into sections that explore colour, nostalgia and solitude, this thematic structure salutes the different feelings associated with a night spent joyfully bouncing between the dancefloor and the smoking area. Each zone honours rave culture’s finest talents, showcasing work from the likes of DeLovie Kwagala, Uganda’s first openly non-binary and queer photographer, and Tristan O’Neill, who is hailed for capturing the height of London’s club culture in the ‘90s and ‘00s through his loving lens. In a nod to low-lit listening bars that rose to prominence in 1950s Japan, each of the factions is soundtracked by pre-recorded conversations from artists like Nia Archives, Lorraine James and Roska.
The exhibition is powered by Spotify and Danish audio design company, Aiaiai. Having previously partnered with Sherelle on a series of free workshops that taught BIPOC musicians how to navigate the industry and a temporary, free-of-charge studio, Aiaiai is re-establishing its commitment to empowering the next generation of creative talent. In keeping with this, the brand will also be hosting a music-making workshop led by production aficionado Haai, in partnership with Beautiful, on March 4. An all-encompassing and enigmatic ode to the patrons of British club culture, Move/003 is running from March 1 to March 9 and is free for all, with tickets available to secure here.
Photography by Rio Redwood-Sawyerr.
