SONGS FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST

SONGS FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST is an artist film programme curated by Tendai John Mutambu for British Council and LUX, an international arts agency that supports and promotes artists’ moving image practices, which presents works that remind us that among failed historical projects lies the potential for new visions of the future.

In the programme some of the UK’s most outstanding emerging and established artists disrupt old narratives and encourage new global discussions on topics such as marginality and its representation, community, storytelling, world-building, reframing histories.

Since 2019, SONGS FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST has toured to some of the most exciting contemporary galleries, exhibited alongside international artists and strong public programming.

Past exhibitions can be seen here.

Artworks in the programme:

Compilation: 72 minutes, 41 seconds

• Ayo Akingbade, Street 66, 2018, 13 minutes
• Duncan Campbell, Arbeit, 2011, 39 minutes
• Susan Hiller, The Last Silent Movie, 2007, 20 minutes, 41 seconds

Installations: Projections

• John Akomfrah, The Silence, 2014, 17 minutes
• Luke Fowler, Depositions, 2014, 24 minutes, 32 seconds
• Samson Kambalu, I Take My Place in History, 28 seconds, I Take the Stairs to 1952, 56 seconds, Cathedral, 28 seconds, Superfly, 36 seconds, 2016
• Rehana Zaman, I, I, I, I and I, 2013, 14 minutes, 25 seconds

The themes covered include: marginality and its representation, community, storytelling, world-building, reframing histories

For a limited time we are pleased to offer partners the opportunity to share the very best of contemporary moving image in SONGS FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST with audiences straight to their homes, through an online screening event of the compilation followed by a live panel discussion with one of the programme’s UK creatives. The programme is of course also still available for physical display.

Please get in touch to find out more about how to show the programme and ideas for public programme.

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SONGS FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST is part of WE ARE HERE: Artists’ Moving Image from the British Council Collection and LUX – a series of five artists’ film programmes curated by Tendai John Mutambu for the British Council and LUX, an international arts agency that supports and promotes artists’ moving image practices.

Each programme is curated around a theme: national identity, marginality, intimacy, the future and the archive. You can view the other programmes here.

WE ARE HERE interrogates how outstanding emerging and established British or UK-based contemporary artists are influenced by these themes and how they explore them through biography, documentary, poetry and fiction.