The 1980's Indian Living Room & Bollywood VHS Rental Shop Experience
A multifaceted immersive exhibition emerging from a nostalgic time in artist Dawinder Bansal's childhood in Wolverhampton. The project is influenced by her time growing up as a young girl in her parents' electrical shop, Bansal Electrical, which also rented VHS Bollywood films. It draws upon her memories of watching Bollywood films with her Sikh extended family, pays homage to her Kenyan roots, and explores the social history of South Asian home entertainment in 1980s Britain.
The Birmingham 2022 Festival iteration will feature a new short film called Asian's Don't Kiss (but we know how to make babies) inspired by the classic film Cinema Paradiso (1988) and the humorous musings of Dawinder's life growing up as a young Indian girl in the Midlands during the 1980s. Additionally, Dawinder will draw on her experiences of attending 'daytimers' which were daytime discos for young South Asians. This underground moment meant that teenage South Asians had a safe space to experience the nightlife they were forbidden to engage with due to cultural traditions and in some cases, safety from racial abuse. Nightclubs were taken over in the daytime, starting at midday and finished at 6pm. One Birmingham nightclub to hold these daytime gigs was The Dome. Dawinder will exhibit posters and material not seen by the public before and it is her hope to make this an exhibition that represented the lived South Asian experience in Birmingham and beyond.
Exhibition is free but spaces are limited. Advanced booking is required to attend the exhibition. Please visit DawinderBansal.com to book tickets.
Volunteering
Would you like to join Dawinder Bansal and her team as a volunteer steward at her exhibition Jambo Cinema? If so, we're still searching for volunteers to help invigilate the exhibition while its on at the Mailbox.
Register here.
Jambo Cinema exhibition has recently featured on BBC2 television Back in Time for Birmingham as well as BBC Breakfast, ITV and in the Guardian.
Website: dawinderbansal.com
Generously supported by Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
