Inside Des Oliver and The Atchison Quartet event

Blog 27 Feb 2023

News Story

From music to art, conversation and much more.

On Friday 24 March 2023, Watts Gallery hosted an evening of live music, film and discussion set in the atmospheric Historic Galleries.

Visitors took the time to walk around the Historic Gallery and enjoy Faces of Fame: G F Watts X Simon Frederick. This display (27 September 2022 - 26 March 2023) exhibits a selection of photographs from Simon Frederick’s portrait series Black is the New Black alongside paintings from G F Watts’s Hall of Fame. These portraits have been loaned from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection as part of its National Skills Sharing Partnership Programme.

Acclaimed contemporary composer and filmmaker, Des Oliver shared a screening of excerpts from his landmark documentary series, Identity and the Anxiety of Influence.

  • A photograph of two women standing chatting in the historic galleries
  • A photograph of two men smiling looking at portraits hung on the wall in the Historic Galleries
  • A photograph of a group of people during the opening of exhibition Faces of Fame within the Historic Galleries
  • A photograph of a group of people inside the Historic Galleries during the opening of the exhibition of Faces of Fame
  • A photograph of the inside of the Historic Galleries whilst the exhibition Faces of Fame was on display. The walls are double hung with paintings and photographs of portraits.
  • A photograph of the inside of the Historic Galleries during the opening of an exhibition, people stand and look at the art work on the walls

Faces of Fame curator Dr Emily Burns sat down with Des Oliver to discuss themes of influence, heritage, identity and representation.

  • A photograph of curator Emily Burns and composer Des Oliver sitting in the Historic Galleries holding microphones talking
  • A photograph of curator Emily Burns and composer Des Oliver sitting in the Historic Galleries holding microphones talking

To conclude the evening, we enjoyed a live performance of Oliver’s celebrated musical composition, The Diasporic Quartets, alongside works by Philip Herbert, Tunde Jegede and Dominque Le Gendre, performed by the leading ensemble The Atchison Quartet.

  • A photograph of an audience sitting in the Historic Galleries watching The Atchison Quartet play the violin
  • A photograph of a man playing the violin reading sheet music in the Historic Galleries
  • A photograph of the inside of the Historic Galleries where a quarter sit down playing the violin
  • A photograph of composer, Des Oliver looking at a man playing the violin whilst reading sheet music
  • A photograph of a woman playing the violin looking at sheet music with two men in the background also sitting playing the violin

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