A Jukebox In The City Of London That Only Plays Songs About London

By Will Noble Last edited 51 months ago

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Will Noble A Jukebox In The City Of London That Only Plays Songs About London

Maybe it's because we are Londoners... that we're excited by this. Image: Todd White Photography, courtesy of Artangel.

A vintage jukebox will appear in the City of London later this month, giving visitors the chance to select from 70 songs about London.

The art installation, London Jukebox, is the work of the late Susan Hiller, who took 10 years (between 2008-2018) to develop the installation. From 22 January-11 July 2020, the jukebox forms the centrepiece of the small contemporary art gallery, Bloomberg Space.

Visitors listen to tracks on headphones, while the lyrics are projected onto the walls, alongside a map of London depicting the areas relating to the songs.

Image: Todd White Photography, courtesy of Artangel.

Among the 70 tunes you can listen to are: Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant; Ghosts of Grenfell by Lowkey feat. Mai Khalil; London Pride by Noel Coward; Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner by Flanagan and Allen; Mile End by Pulp; Soho Square by Kirstie MacColl and Warwick Avenue by Duffy. The tracks were chosen personally by Hillier, and are said to "weave through the city’s neighbourhoods... representing different eras, genres, classes and communities."

London Jukebox was the artist's last major work.