23 November 2017
Newsdesk
Musician, author, actor & BBC 6 Music presenter Jarvis Cocker is today announced as the narrator for ABBA: Super Troupers, the brand new, immersive exhibition opening at London’s Southbank Centre on Thursday 14 December. The exhibition recreates the extraordinary rise to worldwide fame and lasting legacy of ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad), set against the shifting socio-economic and political conditions of the time.
Transforming a traditional exhibition experience, immersive guided tours include an audio narrative voiced by Jarvis Cocker and written by journalist and documentary maker Jude Rogers. Audiences are transported on a journey through previously unseen archive material including ABBA’s original costumes, handwritten notes and sketches, personal photographs, music and instruments, plus album artwork, photography and film by notable collaborators such as film director Lasse Hallstrom. Theatrical backdrops recreate some of the most significant events from their heyday – including the Brighton hotel room where ABBA celebrated their Eurovision win, the Polar music studio and a 1970s disco – and provide context to the evolution of their creative process and their enduring appeal, from the Mamma Mia! phenomenon to their multi-million record sales worldwide.
Jarvis Cocker, long-term performer and creative contributor at Southbank Centre including Meltdown festival in 2007, said: “I love Abba. You love Abba. My love began when my sister bought “Arrival” in 1976 & played it non-stop for the next 6 months. What’s your story? Why don’t we meet down at the Southbank Centre to compare notes? I would love that….”
Jude Rogers, said: “My first memory is me standing on a stool in my grandma’s kitchen, helping her wash the dishes, to the sound of a beautiful song gleaming out of her rickety radio. Super Trouper had just got to no. 1, and my connection to it was instant: there I was, shining like the sun. Over the years, my love of ABBA has kept brightening and deepening, so I’m delighted to be working on this new exhibition. After all, from the moment my mind was truly alive, ABBA took me in their arms and held me tight – so yes, it means so much to me tonight.”
ABBA: Super Troupers builds on Southbank Centre’s legacy of immersive curated exhibition successes with The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl (2015-16) and Adventures in Moominland (2016-17). The exhibition will launch as part of Southbank Centre’s Wintertime and the final month of Nordic Matters – a year-long programme of Nordic arts and culture at Southbank Centre throughout 2017.
www.southbankcentre.co.uk @SouthbankCentre #ABBASuperTroupers
ABBA: Super Troupers
14 December 2017 – 29 April 2018, Spirit Level at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
For ages 7+. Not suitable for younger children (including toddlers and babes in arms).
£25 £20 £15
Tickets on sale at www.southbankcentre.co.uk / 0203 879 9555
