Active Archive Call Out Show

Did you spend the 1960s, 70s, and 80s experiencing Derby’s unique social scenes – listening to the best DJ sets, dancing on the spring dance floors and seeing the most iconic bands? Do you have photographs, artefacts, ticket stubs or glad rags of the time that could be dug out, shared and celebrated?

This exhibition is a call-out to you and people you know to get involved, whilst showcasing some of the remarkable contributions already made to our Dancing Through Time social archive project – celebrating the clubs, venues and music scenes in the city of Derby from the early 1960s, throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Through crowd-sourced artefacts, photographs and memorabilia, we are creating an archive dedicated to the sounds and stories of Derby’s rich music-focused social scene. ⁠ It is a project by QUAD/FORMAT funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to Lottery Players.

To date we have received amazing contributions from a wide range of people and have started to share and contextualise these findings for posterity and future learning – building a picture of fashion music and culture that shaped Derby. We are looking forward to archiving and sharing more contributions – and all of which will be added to our online archive and displayed in the Dancing Through Time exhibition at FORMAT Festival 2025. To find out how to get involved direct message the project team on socials @dancingthroughtime or email info@formatfestival.com.

Throughout the exhibition run, we will host several opportunities for submission and collaborative social events. Further information will be on our website and social media.