The Let’s Play Vinyl exhibition celebrates a new generation of soundsystems
The exhibition shines a light on female operators
An exhibition portraying the new generation of reggae soundsystem operators is heading to the University of Huddersfield.
Photographer Elliot Baxter was commissioned to capture a series of portraits and interviews to capture the new and diverse soundsystems pushing through the traditions of reggae and vinyl.
The exhibition shines a spotlight on female soundsystem operators who are building, operating and managing their own sounds, rather than purely being performers.
April 'Rusty Rebel' Grant, operator of Birmingham's Rebel Rock soundsystem, said: “At dances, men often say: ‘What are you doing with those records?’ It feels fabulous to shock them.
"When I hold a piece of vinyl I think about all the work that has gone into it – especially if it’s an artist that’s no longer here – and I think about how amazing it is that it’s all on this piece of plastic, and the technical process of getting it on there.”
The exhibition opens on May 10 to coincide with the What’s Happening in Black British History workshop, a partnership between Commonwealth Studies and the University of London as well as the University of Huddersfield and ends on June 29.
There’ll also be sound system workshops including Let's Build A Sound System, Let's Toast, Let's Play Vinyl on Heritage HiFi.
Check out photos from the exhibition below.
