Bass Culture 70/50: UK’s largest ever Jamaican music exhibition highlights Windrush generation’s impact on Britain Marks 70 years since Windrush and 50 years of reggae The largest collection of images linking the Windrush generation to grime Features first ever catwalk inspired by Jamaican music and mini film festival Free entry Bass Culture 70/50 is a four-week exhibition exploring the impact of Jamaican and Jamaican-influenced music on British culture, taking place in London from 25 October. The exhibition will feature previously unseen artwork, specially commissioned film, top industry speakers, UK reggae label pop-up showcases, live performances,10 years of Natty, and over 70 hours of individual testimonies, linking – for the first time – the memories and experiences of black British musicians, industry practitioners, academics and audiences. There will also be an opportunity to witness two exhibition exclusives. The first, a ‘Rude Boy Catwalk’, invites attendees to come dressed as they were when they first experienced a gig influenced by Jamaican music, be it ska or reggae, jungle or grime. Taking place on 9 November, the collaborative catwalk will be the first of its kind to reflect on five decades of fashion inspired by these genres. The second will be a mini film festival that will premiere ‘Bass Culture’, a 60-minute documentary mapping the impact of Jamaican music from a youth perspective. The exhibition is staged by Bass Culture Research, a three-year Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project set up to explore the impact of Jamaican music in the UK. The project made headlines last year after issuing The Grime Report, which led to the withdrawal of Form 696, a controversial risk assessment form criticised for being discriminatory and targeting genres such as grime. While Jamaican music has been fundamental to the development of multicultural Britain, its influence has arguably never been recognised. Following recent moves to ramp up police stop and search powers, together with claims that Jamaican-influenced genres such as drill are fuelling gang wars, marginalisation and discrimination risks being on the rise again. Bass Culture 70/50 seeks to challenge these negative interpretations and rather recognise the impact of Jamaican culture on not only the musical canon but on British culture and identity itself. Partners of the exhibition include the AHRC, Black Cultural Archives, British Library, SOAS, Goldsmiths University, Urbanimage and Camera Press.
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Itteshad has been with WinkBall since its early incarnation. He studied film at Queen Mary, University of London and his love of film has transferred into his reports for WinkBall. Itteshad has filmed some of our best reports including the BFI film screening of Ingrid Goes West and the ITV gala in both London and Manchester. Before working for WinkBall he was a freelance videographer and worked as a production runner for several companies.