The Showroom is excited to join Season One: Revive the Archive of theVOV, a new virtual arts ecosystem, combining cutting edge XR technology with pioneering micro-philanthropy hosting 15 of the UK’s leading arts organisations to revive some of their most celebrated exhibitions of the recent past. The Showroom chose to revive their immersive Collective Intimacy platform to be accessible in a special digital archive format.
This project, originally in collaboration with Prada and The Vinyl Factory, was hosted by The Showroom and The Store X in October – November 2019, launching within the Black Image Corporation installation by Theaster Gates. It took on a journey through multiple narratives of the current Black experience, offering futuristic imaginaries as jumping off points for a collaboration. The programme featured artists, musicians, designers, writers, thinkers, collectives and members of the public who were invited to distort notions of selfhood and togetherness and celebration both the spectacular and everyday in the spirit of creating a global community.
Through its initial archive on The Showroom’s website, and now it’s more dynamic and focussed presence on theVOV, Collective Intimacy endures to resonate in a moment whereby activists and allies across the globe have been acting against unrelenting racial violence. In reflection of how the anti-racist movement and COVID-19 pandemic have further exposed pre-existing struggles for communities and culture-makers, it is hope that this new digital context of Collective Intimacy expands its reach as a platform to connect and amplify a myriad of voices.
In this new digital format, The Showroom is thrilled to present an immersive archive of several original Collective Intimacy events including: Phoebe Boswell’s group performances The Lighthouse 1 and 2 featuring a sonic conclusion by Bumi Thomas; Julianknxx’s video Roots for a Crown with Thabo and Tawiah; Andrew Pierre Hart’s video THE GRID ALWAYS APPEARS, Larry Amponsah’s Looking for Sugar in the Ocean…Who is the Enemy? ; Thick/er Black Lines’ (Rianna Jade Parker & Aurella Yussuf) screening Black British Women/Femme Filmmakers featuring Ayo Akingbade, Cecile Emeke and Emily Mulenga; and Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf’s sound and image based meditation Lumen and new performance video Temenos with violinist Blaize Henry.
https://www.theshowroom.org/exhibitions/thevov-collective-intimacy