Talks & Screenings
The Morgan Stanley Exhibition

The Missing Thread Presents: Where Are We Now?

Sat 04 Nov 2023
From 12.00
Lancaster Rooms &
Screening Room

With the many icons found in Black British culture and creativity, we spend a day tracing the influence of Black British creatives across disciplines.

In a series of talks, film screening and other activities we move from music to movement and activism to culture, hearing from the Black artists and designers who’ve made waves across our cultural landscape.

Short Film Screening | Shown on a loop from 12.00 - 16.00 | 30mins | Screening Room | Free

BEYOND: There’s Always A Black Issue Dear
Directed by Claire Lawrie
A film that explores and celebrates Black LGBT identities, demarcating the huge influence this culture has had upon fashion, fine art, dance, music and language, much of which has been appropriated by the cultural mainstream. The film spans an era where soul and disco, punks and Blitz kids met in underground clubs like The Four Aces in Dalston and Crackers in Soho, through to the explosion of queer culture at Taboo. Beyond captures a vital historical period - here are the trailblazers.
 


Talks in the Lancaster Rooms

Talks are £8/£6 conc per talk or £16/£12 conc if you book all three

12.00 | An in-conversation with Ninivah Khomo, Chaired by Zezi Ifore
Join us for a discussion with celebrated designer Ninivah Khomo, as we delve into her practice and discuss her inspirations and her continuing influence on fashion and design.

 


14.00 | Saul Nash The Movement of Culture with Saul Nash, Chaired by Nate Agbetu
In what ways does can artist, designers, dancers move beyond the binaries we are given? Shift beyond traditional expressions of gender and performance? What does multidisciplinary practice offer toward new forms of self-expression? And, where do we look to find inspiration from those who came before. 

Join us as we discuss the relationship between artists and the cultures they inhabit, imbibe and push forward.

 


16.00 | Harris Elliott in conversation with Martine Rose
Join us as Harris Elliott, co-curator of The Missing Thread, talks with leading designer Martine Rose, about the influences behind her practice and approach to design, and her journey to the forefront of contemporary menswear.

 

THE MISSING THREAD NAIL BAR WITH THE GELBOTTLE INC™ | East Wing | 13.00 - 17.00


The Nightlife zone of the exhibition celebrates the spaces that provided the freedom and opportunity, beyond the boundaries of mainstream cultural status quo, for Black creatives to meet, network and express individual and collective identity safely, from parties and clubs to gigs and raves. Nails are a huge part of the contemporary fashion and beauty industries, but it's rarely acknowledged that the artform grew out of styles pioneered by Black communities. By creating a nail bar at the heart of the exhibition, The Missing Thread spotlights another central contribution Black fashion and beauty has made to British style culture.

The GelBottle Inc™, who celebrate joy, education and self-expression through their vegan and cruelty-free gel nail varnishes, will activate a nail bar during the afternoon. Subject to availability and first come first served (no reservations), free manicures will be available for visitors who present or purchase a valid ticket for The Missing Thread at the admissions desk of the exhibition from 13.00.

 

Film Screening | 17.45 | Screening Room

Pirates (2021) (cert 15) 80mins | £5/£3.75 conc)
A 2021 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Reggie Yates in his feature directorial debut. It's New Year’s Eve 1999 and three friends drive through London in their ramshackle Peugeot 205, pumping a live garage set from the stereo and arguing about their Avirex jackets and Naf Naf imports. As the eighteen-year olds step into adulthood they know their lives and friendships are on the brink of change. Determined to end the century on a bang, they drive from place to place in a desperate search for tickets to the ultimate millennium party.

Pirates Trailer

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