Suffolk Libraries is showcasing the history of Black music as part of a major new exhibition from the British Library.
Beyond the Bassline is the British Library’s new exhibition, charting 500 years of Black music in Britain and the first of its kind. People in Suffolk can enjoy highlights from Beyond the Bassline in Ipswich County Library and Gainsborough Community Library, thanks to Suffolk Libraries membership of The Living Knowledge Network which gives local library services access to displays and resources provided by the British Library.
‘Beyond the Bassline in Suffolk’ is Suffolk Libraries local interpretation of the British Library’s exhibition and runs until the end of Black History Month in October.
Suffolk Libraries have worked in partnership with Aspire Black Suffolk to create an interactive record wall display at Ipswich County Library. This is a unique sound installation showcasing local black British musicians and sharing interviews previously collected by the Suffolk Libraries Community Arts Team, which are shared through the ‘Museum in a Box’ speaker.
The installation will be available to view until the end of October and is suitable for adults and children aged 7+ who are accompanied by an adult. You can interact with the display by taking any record from the wall, placing it on the pink Museum in a Box device, and then sit back and enjoy listening to the audio through a pair of headphones.
Suffolk Libraries’ stock librarians have also put together a list of recommended children’s titles, sharing stories about the greatest Black musicians ever lived.
Each record has a piece of audio attached to it, featuring the voices and music of local artists including Trevor Jones, Ashton Jones, EL-Emcee, Angelle Joseph, Karl Nova, and Aga Serugo-Lugo. There is also a record featuring internationally renowned double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, founder of the Chineke! Orchestra, who Suffolk Libraries were lucky enough to interview in 2020. A record will soon be added featuring an interview with Aspire Black Suffolk about the incredible work they do.
There is also a display at Gainsborough Community Library with some of the Beyond the Bassline exhibition panels and a special free Beyond the Bassline Celebration Day on Tuesday 20 August. This event will feature dance workshops, a music remixing production workshop using the library’s sound studio, and a creative play workshop where families can build and assemble their very own community nightclub from cardboard boxes and disco-inspired materials.
Events at Gainsborough on Tuesday include African Dance workshops from 10.30am and music remixing production workshops from 3.30pm. There is also a Black and British themed story and craft session for children aged between 18 months to five years at 10.30am and 11.30am. For full details visit the Let’s Get Creative website.
Suffolk Libraries has plans to work with Aspire Black Suffolk to package the Ipswich Library display into a dynamic and touring project that can be offered out to libraries, schools, and community groups in Suffolk as an educational resource. There are also ambitions to add to the collection and create an ever-evolving library of new oral histories that celebrate black British music and culture in Suffolk.
Melissa Matthews, Suffolk Libraries Cultural Programmes Manager, said:
“Suffolk Libraries are delighted to be working with the team at Aspire Black Suffolk to bring this slice of the British Library’s exhibition to our county. The power of storytelling and hearing each musician’s path into music has been truly inspiring to pull together, it has felt so meaningful to be able to revisit our archive of interviews from over the years and spotlight the local talent who live and work in Suffolk. In curating the display, we really struggled to limit ourselves to eight genres and because of this Aspire Black Suffolk and Suffolk Libraries have decided to see this project as a beginning of something bigger and we hope to grow these testimonies as a resource pack for educators to explore the history of Black British music in Suffolk.”
Tonia Wilson, Director at Aspire Black Suffolk, added:
“Aspire Black Suffolk are thrilled to continue our ongoing partnership with Suffolk Libraries. As a CIC dedicated to supporting and empowering our diverse community this new collaboration with the library’s 'Beyond the Bassline programme, which celebrates 500 years of Black British music, is a fantastic opportunity to spotlight the inspirational artists who have emerged from Suffolk. Aspire Black Suffolk are inspired by the stories that will come to light through this incredible initiative. Watch this space - exciting things for little Ipswich.”
The full British Library exhibition launched in April and runs until the end of August. The exhibition presents over 200 exhibits, including original records and nostalgic film footage from the sound and vision archive, charting everything from jazz, afroswing and reggae to jungle and grime. These are positioned alongside artefacts like letters from 18th-century composer Ignatius Sancho, glittering props and outfits of carnival performers, images from acclaimed photographers and the equipment that Jamal Edwards used to start SB.TV, the industry-defining YouTube channel dedicated to Black British Music.
Beyond the Bassline celebrates more than music. It’s about the places where these sounds were born: the clubs, the carnivals, the stages, the kerbside auditoriums. It is the voice of community, resistance, culture and joy. It is a celebration of the trailblazers and innovators that brought new music to the UK, and the layered Black experiences that have birthed a thriving musical culture and history.
For more information and to book tickets for the main exhibition at the British Library visit their website.
Aspire Black Suffolk is an award-winning, not-for-profit community interest company dedicated to tackling the causes of inequality by creating meaningful and lasting creative and educational solutions. Their mission is to embrace diversity, equality and inclusion, and seek to challenge inequalities through positive action, focusing on young people.
For more information visit their website www.aspireblacksuffolk.org.uk
Suffolk Libraries is one of several libraries services which is part of the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network. This gives library services access to projects and resources organised by the British Library so that local people can experience a flavour of some of its key exhibitions. Over the past few years this has enabled Suffolk Libraries to share various displays and workshops with visitors on themes such as Chinese and British culture, the role of the news in society and the fight for women’s rights.
