DANCING IN PECKHAM
2019-05-13Beginning with works drawing on club culture from the late 1980s, Marie Barrett’s work Dance – State (1989), made in collaboration with young people in Derry at the height of the Troubles, was first screened in the local nightclub Squires after Barrett realised the two most visited places in the city were the nightclub and the job centre, before it went on to be shown at the Hacienda in Manchester. Amar Ediriwira’s The Final Night in Paradise (2017) uses archival footage from the closing party of Paradise Garage in 1987, a legendary New York nightclub. Featuring a soundtrack by DJ Harvey, the work reveals a voyeuristic window into the club, with appearances from Keith Haring, Larry Levan, Gwen Guthrie, Liz Torres and a young ESG.
Moving into the contemporary influence of dance spaces, Bernice Mulenga’s #friendsonfilm amplifies the experiences of their peers, often within the club setting. The photo series uses afro-documentary to capture club collectives including BBZ, Pxssy Palace and Aboe, which centre black and queer bodies on the dancefloor and in the DJ booth.
Opposite – Durag Dreams, #friendsonfilm, 2018, Bernice Mulenga
Exhibition runs through to May 19th, 2019
Photoworks
Unit 8, Copeland Park
London
SE15 3SN
