Era of Reclamation - Silent Spaces

As the pandemic forced iconic venues to close across the UK, a small band of artists united to break their silence and celebrate creativity.

In Silent Spaces, an online video series created during lockdown, musician Soumik Datta joined forces with a community of artists to film performances in six of the country's cultural institutions.

Each episode follows them into a new venue where they showcase music and dance created in response to themes such as resilience, vulnerability and the future of our climate. In the episode 'Messengers', this diverse group of performers reclaimed the silent galleries of the British Museum. They created music that reinforces the significance of our shared cultural venues and our need to protect them.

Join the curators of the Era of Reclamation series – Bonnie Greer, former Deputy Chair of the British Museum's Board of Trustees, and Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum – for a discussion about the making of 'Messengers'. They'll be in conversation with Silent Spaces creator Soumik Datta, filmmaker Souvid Datta, producer Melanie Cura Duball and dancer Monique Jonas to explore the inspirations behind the project.

Named one of the 'best new dance films to watch online' by the Guardian, watch the episode 'Messengers' on YouTube: can also get a taste for the full Silent Spaces series by watching the trailer: up to our newsletters for the latest news on our work, stories about the collection and upcoming events: https://emails.britishmuseum.org/k/British-Museum/sign_up_form_from_website_box

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