Project Timeline

2017

Oriental Star Agencies (OSA) forced to shut down: Rescuing the archive

On the 18th January 2017, artist and archivist Faisal Hussain got a call from Muhammed Ayyub. Oriental Star Agencies was closing. Mr.Ayyub, founder of OSA told Faisal ‘If you want anything, you better come now’. Faisal hurried over to salvage whatever he could in his family’s frozen food company van.

Digging through OSA’s iconic vinyl collection had been a passion shared by Faisal, his father and grandfather, and the opportunity to archive and honour the record store and label’s significance in South Asian history and diaspora was too important to miss. Faisal managed to save nearly 4000 artefacts, including nearly 3000 vinyl records. 

Faisal is not alone in his personal connection. Oriental Star Agencies music and influence spanned generations and reached many households in its locale Balsall Heath, the UK and beyond. The collection and the memories that come with it, became integral to True Form Projects’ vision in celebrating and protecting heritage for generations to come.

2020

National Lottery Heritage Fund Covid Rescue Grant

2022

National Lottery Heritage Funding – 3 year project

True Form Projects received a grant from National Lottery Heritage Fund to realise the vision for the OSA vinyl archive.

In our application we emphasised the value of the archive as a site of South Asian and South Asian Diasporic memory that needs to be preserved, nourished, and accessible to the public. We committed to developing more groundbreaking work and providing opportunities to engage with the archive through intergenerational events, activities and exhibitions with Birmingham based, national and international partners. Most importantly, we committed to digitising the entire collection. We saw an opportunity for the archive of rich audio and visual content to allow multiple different ways to address the stories of diverse cultures in the UK. All of our objectives were part of securing the legacy of the archive and giving future generations the opportunity to interpret, celebrate and contribute to this wonderful piece of South Asian heritage.

Thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for believing in our work. Keep reading for where we are with our commitments.

May

Flatpack – ‘Time to Rebel’

Juwairiyyah Wali, a guest programmer for Flatpack 2022, asked True Form Projects to be part of their event ‘A Time To Rebel’. The event celebrated contemporary South Asian British Film with screenings of Gurinder Chadha’s debut documentary I’m British But… and BANGLATOWN!, Farihah Chowdhury’s short documentary on the Bengali heritage of London’s Brick Lane and a panel discussion with Juwairiyyah Wali, Farihah Chowdhury, and Roo Kaur Dhissou.

Audiences were invited to fully immerse themselves in the South Asian underground rave scene and the iconic daytimer events of the 80s and 90s with a set from DJ Rizmi whilst experimental visuals from the True Form Projects Vinyl Archive were projected around the space.

View event page

July

A Joyful Noise with Faisal Hussain at Ikon Gallery’s Migrant Festival

Faisal Hussain was invited to reflect on the work of Oriental Star Agencies, and their revered status in the cultural hub, Balsall Heath. In a conversation that explored the intersection of music and faith, Faisal spoke of OSA’s success in promoting qawwali master Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s first performance outside of Pakistan and India in Balsall Heath in 1979.

To any one unfamiliar with Khan, Guardian journalist Ammar Kalia described how ‘his vocalisations have come to epitomise not only the tradition of the Sufi qawwali but the art of singing itself’.

Whilst the performance venue, the Luxor Cinema, and OSA have since closed, the enduring connection between the singer and Birmingham is still fresh in the memories of many. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan went on to perform at Moseley School of Art, Small Heath Park and festivals and cities across Europe – reaching new audiences as well as generations from the South Asian diasporas across the world.

At ‘A Joyful Noise’, audiences were invited to share in the conversation, engage in archival footage, and learn about True Form Project’s vision to catalogue and celebrate Oriental Star’s archives.

View event page

2023

July - August

Request Line Exhibition and Launch

In 2023, True Form Projects embarked on an exciting partnership with Manchester Museums, continuing our tradition of creating groundbreaking work in the making of the ‘Request Line’ film and exhibition in the newly opened South Asian Gallery – the first permanent gallery dedicated to the stories of the South Asian Diaspora.

The exhibition and film were inspired by the requests from listeners sent into BBC Radio WM’s East is West radio show, presented by Muhammed Ayub, Mohammed Ayub, Anita Bhalla and Farah Durrani. Request Line pays homage to this history by playing the records, showing their artwork, sharing the requests, as well as the stories of the long-lasting impact the music and Oriental Star Agencies had on the South Asian Diaspora.

View event page

August

Artist Talk and Q&A with the Young Curators at Moseley Road Baths

Six young people, aged 18-30, took part in a six-month paid development programme with Moseley Road Baths in which they delved into the archive and heritage of the building and local area to inspire a new digital piece targeted at young people.

Faisal Hussain, was asked to facilitate a workshop with the group, sharing True Form Projects archival journey, various ways to explore digitising archival material, as well as the political and radical space archives hold.

The group were so inspired by the project, they, alongside their producer Gaby Songui, visited the Request Line Exhibition at Manchester Museums.

Find out more about the Young Curators and their 6-episode podcast Bathcasts here.

September

Second Saturday Oriental Express Exhibition

True Form Projects were invited to launch an exhibit of the collection and create an immersive record store experience for audiences of Second Saturday. Each month, artists, activists, craft sellers, makers, facilitators and more gather to showcase the wonderful talent and culture Balsall Heath has to offer.

Showcasing the exhibit in the local area of OSA and connecting with audiences who, like Faisal, scoured through the collection and saw OSA as a second home has been a wonderful opportunity. Through these events True Form Projects becomes more determined to create opportunities for audiences to see and engage with the archive in a multitude of ways, and explore more ways we can hear the stories and memories of so many who visited OSA.

The celebration included an artist talk by Faisal Hussain, showing of our film ‘Request Line’, great music by DJ Rizmi.

View event page

November

Begin collecting oral histories

We brought on and trained five people invested in our mission to collect oral histories to enrich the archive.

Thank you to  Shaheera Pesnani, Imran Visram, Afzal Khan, Zoya Ahmed, Smriti Singh

November

Exchange Festival with Moseley Road Baths

Exchange Festival was part of an ongoing pilot inviting audiences and collaborators to explore what services and activities could be provided at Balsall Heath Library.

Moseley Road Baths invited True Form Projects to screen ‘Request Line’ on both days. The film pulled in audiences from a range of generations and backgrounds, and opened up a conversation about the celebration of local histories and diasporas in our local libraries.

November

Music and Art Speaks; Collaboration with Print and Matter / Rabbits Road Press

True Form Projects teamed up with Print and Matter drawing inspiration from record sleeve artwork from their collection to explore art, design and printmaking with artist and activist Sofia Niazi. Each week comprised of a music and/or design related talk with local artists, including Faisal Hussain, followed by creative workshops in which participants could develop new skills and create new work. This was another fantastic opportunity to interrogate the archive and explore it through a different lens.

View event page

2024

March

Dialled In presents Unbound Archives

“Spanning time and space, South Asian audio and visual storytelling shines in this day-long programme of vinyl displays, DJ sets, films and conversation.”

True Form Projects were thrilled to be part of this celebration of South Asian creativity and innovation. Tapping into many of the senses we hosted energetic DJ sets as well as our immersive pop up store.

DJs had the opportunity to delve into the archive and blend their favourite records into their own sets. Audiences could get on the dance floor or take a step back in time and indulge in the nostalgic tradition of choosing and listening to a record in our pop up store. Vinyl and archive enthusiasts encouraged audiences to handle the records and have a go at loading records into a vinyl record player, whilst explaining how the technology works.

View event page

April

East in West Vinyl Pop-up Museum at OVADA

We brought our record store to Oxford As part of CIRIN’s ‘Festival of the Creative Industries’.

Audiences not only had the chance to immerse themselves in the archive, but were also given the chance to share their own stories.

View event page

May

Digbeth First Friday

A mini museum was set up as part of Digbeth First Friday, a monthly event celebrating the vibrant arts and culture scene in Birmingham’s Digbeth area. This mini museum showcased and played parts of the ongoing archiving project of the largest South Asian record collection in the UK.

September

SUNO Pop-up Experience at New Art Exchange

On the 7th September, the East in West Archive landed in the New Art Exchange for our new pop-up experience SUNO, a day of music, storytelling and workshops.

Despite the storm outside, we engaged audiences from the age of 5, as well as entire families in the archive, its origins and future. The space was one of dynamic conversations about the influence of South Asian music on a global scale, the art of sampling (whether we agree with it or not), and stories about the love of music. Audiences took away a new sense of hope in the celebration and protection of their heritage for future generations.

View event page