Synopsis

Part One of a black and white video recording of a 1976 rock concert for the Tower Hamlets Arts Project. It features live music played by young black and white people and a group of female black vocalists singing acapella. The lyrics and dialogue is mostly inaudible. Many white members sport long hair and casual jean jackets, one white rock band features Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. We hear behind the camera someone sharing how to pan, zoom and use the camera, instructing the education and community ethos of the project.

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.