The Music is Black: A British Story, a major exhibition celebrating 125 years of black British music is due to open to the public on the 18th of April in the V&A East Museum. The exhibition makes history by contributing to the opening of the new museum, being an extension of the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. The new addition is located in Stratford.
Jacqueline Springer, curator of Africa & Diaspora: Performance at the Victoria & Albert Museum, carefully curated the exhibition. Springer told Rolling Stone that it is a “celebration and understanding of how social and political histories are responded to by people and their cultures to provide the art we all enjoy.”
The exhibition explores the transformation of black music in Britain through colonialisation over the years and commemorates the legacy of these artists by shining a light on all their historic moments. By exploring 8 different genres, visitors can learn about the roots of black music and where it came from and what gives black music its own identity. Nearly 300 objects have been displayed to represent the origin of these genres: 2 tone, lovers rock, Brit funk, jungle, drum & bass, trip hop, UK garage and grime.
This immersive experience combines sound and video to create a sensory landscape in which cultural artifacts can also be seen. The collection will include a plethora of items ranging from instruments to costumes as well as photography.
Culturally significant objects like Stormzy’s Union Jack vest can be viewed, reminding visitors that he made history being the first black British solo artist to headline Glastonbury. The stab proof vest was designed by Banksy in 2019 and was a political statement, tackling the issues of identity and knife crime in the 2010s. Other notable exhibits are a piano from Winifred Atwell who became the first black artist to reach Number 1 on the UK single charts, and JME’s game console on which he recorded his first debut album before having professional equipment.
Springer also told Billboard that she wants people to leave this experience thinking “how incredible it is to live under the same sky as somebody who makes music that makes you feel better about yourself.” To have the full experience visitors will be given a headset to listen to the carefully curated playlist that is personalised to different sections within the gallery. The playlist for the audio soundscape can be found here, featuring artists like Stormzy and Skepta.
Under 26s and student tickets are priced at £11, while regular tickets are between £22.50-£24.50, and can be found via the V&A Museum’s website
