Birmingham Media Archive Project: The First Decade 1982–1992 invites visitors to explore the city’s overlooked media heritage through the work of the pioneering organisations who were active in that decade, including TURC Video, Wide Angle, the Midlands Video Consortium and the Birmingham Centre for Media Arts, which emerged in 1992.

Since December 2025, a group of West Midlands-based creative practitioners have worked closely with Vivid Projects’ media archive to uncover the social, political and cultural forces that shaped community media during this critical decade. During the 1980s, across Birmingham, workers, activists, artists and organisers documented their lives, their struggles and campaigned for change. At the same time, industrial, housing and social decisions were made that shaped Birmingham's future.

Through research, discussion and hands-on engagement, the group have navigated and reinterpreted these materials, bridging generations and lived experiences, and bringing fresh perspectives to the archive. Charlotte Bailey, Marley Starskey Butler, Erinn Dhesi, Nafeesa Hamid, Jayne Murray and Vignesh Venkataramaiah now present a series of responses that foreground stories often absent from mainstream histories, offering new ways to see and understand Birmingham’s past. These new responses are presented alongside original archive works.

Within the Pixel Studio, artist, musician and researcher Gary Stewart reimagines the 1980s ‘video workshop’ with a blend of analogue and digital approaches to evoke the spirit of the era. The space becomes an active viewing environment where visitors can encounter, navigate and reflect on archive material in a setting inspired by its original context. We invite viewers to consider how these stories of activism, creativity and community continue to resonate today, and how Birmingham’s diverse voices have shaped its cultural identity.

The Birmingham Media Archive Project is delivered by Vivid Projects, funded with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.

Visit the exhibition

• Free entry
• Dates: Saturday 18 April to Sunday 28 June 2026.
• Opening times: Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm. Open daily during the May school holiday: 25 – 31 May
• Location: Pixel Studio, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.