The British Music Experience last night opened The People’s Songs Gallery in partnership with the landmark BBC Radio 2 series The People’s Songs, written and presented by Stuart Maconie.
Visitors to the Gallery will be invited to record their own memories of the songs that helped shaped Britain as well as explore the show’s archive, listen to episodes and hear comments from other music fans on the Audioboo powered terminals stationed in the room.
From what the songs meant to them, the fashion, culture and politics - participants will be at the heart of the experience as The People's Songs Gallery captures the music memories of the nation and develops a history of modern Britain.
Stuart Maconie said: “In the company of the Great British public, I aim to tell the story of the last seven decades via the records that sound-tracked this dramatic period; a period of conflict, social change, parties, prosperity, plenty, poverty, peace and war. The creation of the People’s Songs Gallery at the British Music Experience – the home of our nation’s pop music history – is hugely important in allowing us to give the nation a voice in this story.”
Selected memories from the Gallery may be included in The People’s Songs series and a collection of the recordings will remain live on the project’s website, ultimately creating a comprehensive people’s history archive of modern Britain.
Each week, the popular Radio 2 series focuses on a well-known, popular song of the time and weaves a seamless journey through themes; ranging from post-World War II optimism and the fissures and divisions in society during the punk years, to mass immigration and the perils of fame, narcotics and the obsession with celebrity.
Aligning with the broadcast, The British Music Experience will be hosting a series of live events to embody the threads that tie the themes of the eras together through seemingly disparate songs. Stuart will also be penning a companion book to the series which will be released next year.
The People’s Songs Gallery is open to the public from 29 January 2013 and is based at the British Music Experience, The O2, (SE10). Admission is included in the cost of a ticket to the museum, £13 adults, £6.50 children, £8 concessions. Available at www.britishmusicexperience.com/tickets
@bbcpeoplessongs
