This practice-based research project "Rhythmdivision" is named after the record shop at the heart of the Grime movement in east London. It explores methods for collecting and curating British Youth Culture Heritage: music, archive, memories (1950 - the 2000s). My hypothesis is that although youth culture is highly visible in our collective consciousness, youth culture and the "youth voice" is misunderstood and has little visibility in museum exhibitions and collections. Although there are a wealth of museum programmes aimed at young people the real issue that needs to be addressed is that youth culture, an essential heritage at risk of loss, should as an "intangible and tangible aspect of humanity, be conserved, researched, communicated and exhibited in our museums" (ICOM (2019)
My professional practice involves curating public art and exhibitions
I have worked with a diverse range of archives and collections to curate national and internationally touring exhibitions including The Stars Are Bright, Zimbabwe through the eyes of its young painters (The Belvedere Foundation); Grown Up in Britain (Museum of Youth Culture); Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl (Roald Dahl Museum); Adventures In Moominland (Tampere Art Museum & Moomin Characters Estate); Abba Super Troupers (Abba Museum); Pull Out All The Stops - The Royal Festival Hall Organ (Southbank Centre Archive, Harrison & Harrison Archive); One Nation Under a Groove (Youth Club Archive); Cathy and Claire (DC Thomson Archive) and Concrete Dreams, an exhibition for the reopening of the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London.
As Head of Festival Site Design at Southbank Centre, London I lead on the artistic planning and commissioning of high-impact large-scale art installations across the three-venue site on the banks of the River Thames. I led the curation of Festival of Love in 2014 & 2015 working with artists such as Jeppe Hein, Morag Myerscough and Mark Titchner and in 2018 commissioned Zandra Rhodes and David Batchelor to make site-wide installations, some of which remain today.
I have worked with the Museum of Youth Culture https://museumofyouthculture.com since 2018 and have been appointed to the museum's Advisory Panel working towards a permanent home in 2025.