New exhibition celebrates rich and influential history of Black music
INFLUENCE: Downtown Kayoto. Picture credit: Joe Howat
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
A new exhibition celebrating the vibrant and transformative power of Black musical traditions is opening at Wilberforce House Museum on Friday.
The Echoes of Our Heritage exhibition, created in partnership with The Black Heritage of Hull collective, showcases pivotal moments and influential figures in Black music, reflecting its resilience and creativity. It also highlights how contemporary Black musicians use their art to tackle social issues and inspire change.
Echoes of Our Heritage highlights how African rhythms, such as the clave rhythm – a distinctive five-beat pattern – travelled through time and global location to influence the music we hear today. These rhythms blended with other musical elements to create influential genres like blues, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop.
The exhibition also features a film curated by Hull-based creative Kobby Taylor with support from Dave Gawthorpe. Rhythms of Rebellion is a captivating spoken word piece that takes audiences on a sonic journey through the clave beat – a simple yet transformative rhythm that changed the world of music.
The exhibition is part of The Sound of Our Skin festival, a two-day arts festival taking place in various locations on High Street. The festival has been created to celebrate cultural collaboration, challenge racial stereotypes within history and bring anti-racism awareness to Hull in a safe, engaging and accessible way.
Stella Munthali, founder of The Black Heritage of Hull, said: “This has been an inspiring project to work on. We have really enjoyed researching influential musicians and performers to include in this exhibition and it is really special to celebrate our local artists who have been inspired by African music.”
Councillor Rob Pritchard, portfolio holder for culture and leisure at Hull City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see yet another thought-provoking exhibition opening at Wilberforce House Museum, launching alongside the Sound of Our Skin arts festival, which I know will prove very popular.”
The exhibition runs until January 26. Find out more at www.hullmuseums.co.uk.