THEN & NOW – DISCO IN WOLVERHAMPTON Will Come to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has announced a brand-new photographic exhibition to celebrate Black History Month.  The exhibition, THEN & NOW – DISCO IN WOLVERHAMPTON will launch on Sunday 4 October, and remain on display throughout Black History Month. It reunites many of the youths photographed in Chris Steele-Perkins’ Disco In Wolverhampton, 48 years on.

The photograph, referred to as Steele-Perkins’s ‘best shot’ by The Guardian in 2014, features a group of black youths, dancing in Wolverhampton’s Culture Centre in 1978.

“I probably sell more prints of this picture than any other” said the late Steele-Perkins who explained to The Guardian in the 2014 interview; “I had come to Wolverhampton after the Sunday Times magazine commissioned me to do a story on the 10th anniversary of Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech […] This wasn't the easiest story that I've done: there was a degree of tension. I had come up from London and I'm not African-Caribbean. These were slightly pissed-off youth and they weren't dying to hang around with me. The best way to describe it is that they put up with me.”

The national theme for this year’s Black History Month is ‘Honouring Our Communities’ and the Grand Theatre seeks to do exactly that, not just in October, but always. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is deep-rooted in the lives of the local community and through creative avenues gives voice to all, reflecting the rich, diverse heritage and culture within the city.

Despite the worldwide popularity of the photograph, the subjects featured in Disco In Wolverhampton have remained nameless… until now.

THEN & NOW – DISCO IN WOLVERHAMPTON will feature Disco In Wolverhampton alongside a series of photographic portraits by Johnathan Williams of the subjects today, including international reggae artist Macka B.

Also on display is a print of Blues Dance, an artwork inspired by the central dancer in the photograph, by Claudette Johnson MBE. A founding member of the Black British Arts Movement, Claudette Johnson is considered one of the most significant figurative artists of her generation. For over 30 years she has created large-scale drawings of Black women and men that are at once intimate and powerful. Claudette Johnson is deeply connected to the Wolverhampton through her studies at the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Art.

Curators of THEN & NOW – DISCO IN WOLVERHAMPTON, Tonia Daley Campbell (Head of Audiences & Creative) and Scott Bird (Deputy Head of Audiences & Communications) were inspired by a visit to The Music Is Black: A British Story at V&A East. Disco In Wolverhampton is featured in the exhibition which explores how British-born Black music genres – from lovers rock to 2 tone, jungle to trip hop, grime and beyond – have inspired and influenced lives across the UK and around the world.

The photograph is rightfully home in Wolverhampton, and the public are invited to celebrate the resilience and joy of those featured within it on display in Wolverhampton Grand Theatres Encore Lounge from 4 – 31 October. The exhibit is free to attend whenever the theatre is open for performances.

Tonia Daley-Campbell said; “Finding this photograph, a beautiful moment captured in time, was a joy and then to discover it was taken in Wolverhampton is so special. Bringing this picture to life is the ultimate way to honour our communities during Black History Month. This brilliant photograph by Chris Steele-Perkins has been around the world and we are thrilled to make those people who have been nameless for so long the main feature.”

Scott Bird said; “This Black History Month people are going to be able to honour and celebrate black history, Wolverhampton history and our community’s history at the Grand Theatre. Wolverhampton Grand is so much more than what is shown on stage. Our theatre always been about the stories of the people who ensure our theatre remains at the very heart of the local community and through our exhibition, we celebrate a diaspora who have always been part of our story yet whose legacy is finally about to have their moment in the spotlight.”

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