Oh, How We Dance: Disability & nightlife
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Inspired by the Second World War memories of Betty Harmasz and Betty Phillips.
A free, film-based installation uncovering hidden stories of disability within London Museum’s collections.
Oh, How We Dance is inspired by the Second World War memories of Betty Harmasz, who describes dancing with low vision and singing, and Betty Phillips, who talks about what happens when a blind dancer takes the lead.
It also features artist Mentor Chico’s paintings depicting 1990s London streets and nightlife culture through the lens of disability and migration.
Radio, television and nightclub legend Mik Scarlet talks about navigating London’s nightlife since the 1980s as a wheelchair user. And our ten co-producers, disabled people with an interest in London nightlife, use art, film and poetry to imagine their dream nightclub – a space with no access barriers, where anything is possible.
Like so many disabled people before us, we have created a space that’s built for us, by us. A reminder of how disabled people have always made their own spaces to dance, to party, to live.
Need to know
Oh, How We Dance is part of Curating Visibility, a project delivered in partnership with Screen South’s Accentuate Programme and funded by Arts Council England.
Curating Visibility provides work opportunities for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent curators to uncover museum collections and reimagine disability perspectives.
The installation was curated by Noah Silver, Curating Visibility Fellow, who spent 15 months researching the London Museum’s collection and working with a group of co-producers, disabled people from across London.
We have a number of accessibility resources available, including easy and large print guides, a BSL tour and an audio described tour.
London Museum Docklands is open every day 10am – 5pm.
If you have time, why not also visit our free galleries and get more in-depth with Docklands history?
Our address is London Museum Docklands, No. 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL. We're just a few minutes away from Canary Wharf and West India Quay.
Check our need to know page to get the answers to all the frequently asked questions about visiting.
Our cafe is the perfect place to sit down and relax for a bite or tea break. We have sandwiches, pastries, snacks and a wide selection of hot and cold drinks.
You’ll also find our shop with a curated range of gifts and souvenirs, including posters, prints, toys, books and jewellery.
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