‘ARCHIVES LIVE’ is the culmination of decades of work. Started by Oriental Star Agencies in 1970 and currently under the stewardship of True Form Projects, the 3000-strong archive of South Asian vinyl records is being presented in a variety of mediums for one night at the Bramall Music Building.
With a sharp focus on the importance of radical archives throughout, the evening will start with a screening of Request Line, a short film that pays homage to this history – playing the records, showing their artwork, sharing the requests, and stories of the long-lasting impact the music and Oriental Star Agencies had on the South Asian diaspora.
We chronicle the archival process undertaken to document each record, emphasizing the artwork and other discovered notes in the sleeves. Presenting the sounds of the archive in an immersive original composition by our resident PhD researcher Marty Fisk, on the 32-channel BEASTdome loudspeaker system. The Hussain brothers will also be playing a selection of records set against visuals interpreting their upbringing in Birmingham.
Bookending the event, we will be introducing two new radical archives from Leftfoot & Mission Print, both organisations celebrating their 25-year anniversaries this year. Based in Birmingham, they form part of the future work True Form Projects hope to be undertaking very soon.
