Nick Boston Interviews Shaun Wallace - Curator of Reunion 79-21 Revisiting Black Queer London Clubland.

1) How did the idea for this exhibition come about? What does the title, "Reunion 79:21" mean?

The exhibition came about from my lived experience, being a Londoner, through going to clubs in mainly central, but also South London, through these decades.

Because clubbing culture encompasses so much: fashion, creativity, social interaction - and has become a significant income generator, I thought an exhibition of this kind would be of interest to people from different angles and from diverse communities.

The title, (I can fully share now, as the exhibition is about to open), is thus a combination of two generations of clubbing, and numerological references to spiritual insight, wisdom, creative expression and inspiration.

2) To your knowledge, is this the first exhibition of its kind exploring Black queer clubland cultures in London? What precursors to your exhibition did you find inspiring?

Mmmm. It depends on how you define the topic. My intention as curator of the exhibition was not to produce a chronology of Black queer clubs. Instead, I wanted to weave together a web of promoters, personalities, parties, places and people — the forces that brought about the unique, cohesive magic of clubland across two distinct generations.

There have been quite a few retrospectives of clubland in London recently, notably The Blitz, Leigh Bowery and Fashion Outlaws. I see Reunion 79-21, as a way of discovering more about some of the black queer characters who may have been perceived as extras, but were in fact, pioneers.

3) Gay City News is the widest circulation LGBTQ+ publication in the USA, based in New York. Our readers would be interested in reading about some of the ways in which the London Black queer clubland scene had links to its counterparts in New York and other Black queer clubland U.S. capitals such as Chicago and Detroit. Please expound.

In the early eighties, where the exhibition broadly begins, Chicago and Detroit Queer collectives were organizing underground raves that echoed indigenous musical forms - Disco, Hip Hop, and House. It was in fact Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage Club that inspired London Club impresario, Steve Swindells, to create (arguably) Central London’s first successful Black Queer Clubnight ‘The Lift’.

In general, British clubs of that era, which in the exhibition is themed ‘Finding the Night 1979 - 1993’, enjoyed the home grown, post windrush sounds of Northern Soul, Rare Grooves, Brit-Soul, Jazz-Funk & Lovers Rock, independently, in cliques.

Steve's choice of DJ’s, in contrast, played an eclectic combination of sounds inspired by both US and UK music. Eventually, the night evolved into its ethos of 'All humans are welcome’, thus signalling a new era of clubbing that was akin to the diversity and flavour of Paradise Garage. Just steered by the ever-evolving cultural mix that is London.

4) Does this exhibition have a virtual home where readers in New York, or anywhere outside London, may access some of the information and images included in the exhibition?

I would love international collaborations - people migrate so we want to hear stories from people who may have attended some of the clubs, and from those who are just interested. We have therefore launched a website that takes the exhibition into our 3rd phase.

Phase 1 was the Archiving component. We are in partnership with Westminster City Archives, so that commissioned videos and archive material from the exhibition will have a public access home in perpetuity.

Phase 2 is the exhibition, which is almost upon us; and we plan to tour the exhibition at some point. We see our website as enabling a global portal for exchange: stories, events and exhibition collaboration, related to clubland.

5) Name three of the most significant figures in the history of London Black queer clubland and why?

Valerie Mason-John for their activism surrounding black lesbian club representation; Chris McKoy for being a revolutionary man, and the community love he engendered; Mark Moore for his ability to connect strands of culture, music, fashion and for his enduring kindness

6) Why is this exhibition so short?

Because, like many New York residents know, Soho rents are high!

Many thanks, Shaun

Nicholas Boston is an associate professor of media sociology​ at Lehman College, the City University of New York​

Shaun Wallace is a London-based independent curator and cultural producer working across exhibition-making, archival practice, and community-led research. His work focuses on Black queer histories, nightlife cultures, and the preservation of lived experience outside traditional institutional archives.

Reunion 79-21 : Revisiting Black Queer London Clubland brings together long-term research, personal archives, and community collaboration to foreground overlooked narratives within London’s cultural history.