Synopsis

A black-and-white video shows the fourth night of The Tower Hamlets Arts Project (THAP) Big Show performances composed of skits, dances and music, filmed by Basement Project at the Whitechapel Arts Gallery. The video shows an experimental dance performance, a musical skit and a cover performance of ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ by Roy Orbison. In the final skit, a woman says, ‘You’re beginning to look like a real Eastender.’

The Tower Hamlets Arts Project (THAP) was formed in 1976 out of protest to the Thames Television ‘Eyesights’ scheme which commissioned professional artists to create posters for display in the borough, rather than investing in local arts projects. A crowded public meeting in February 1975 called for an alternative, bolder plan, bringing together existing and fledgling arts activities under a coordinating body to be called the Tower Hamlets Arts Project (THAP). The purpose was to create opportunities for everyone to participate in community art. THAP celebrated their achievements with a month-long ‘Big Show’ at the Whitechapel Art Gallery.