If you missed the previous outings of artist duo Henry/Bragg’s B.I.N.G.O then you’ve got another chance to see their exhibition, this time at the Barge House in East London from the 2nd to the 9th of September. The exhibition will be open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-9pm at The Barge House 46a De Beauvoir Crescent, London N1 5RY.
Again the exhibition will be properly complimented with a free 2015 Razzle-dazzle B.I.N.G.O night on Thursday the 3rd of September. If you’ve been before you will know that it’s all a bit of bingo inspired fun with prizes for bingo winners. Prizes include some of the photographs that from the main part of their work.
But if you haven’t already seen the exhibition, what’s it all about? From Culture Whisper: ‘Step into the fragile world of bingo and uncover the melancholic grandeur of these once bustling public spaces.’ This nicely sums up what the exhibition is all about, a nostalgic look at the bingo hall. It’s a celebration of what was not too long ago a very popular cultural event full of pathos, and it is no coincidence that many bingo halls resided in old theatres.
However, like the cinemas and theatres before them the bingo halls went into decline as entertainment marched off the streets and into peoples homes with the rising popularity and affordability of television. Many halls have closed over recent decades, but several great examples of converted theatres remain, and these along with the players form the body of the duos photographic work.
What would have once been packed bingo halls are now half empty with loyal and now aging patrons, many of whom have been playing bingo regularly since the sixties. This is perhaps a look at just one side of bingo, as many halls were purpose built in the seventies and eighties. But, as noted, the exhibition is about more than just about bingo, it is also about the fantastic buildings that for almost a century in some cases were a venue for public entertainment, and about the people who played and laughed there.
If you don’t get the chance to visit the exhibition you can see some of the original photographs here, but if you are in London on the night, we seriously suggest you get along for a bit of free fun. If you do make it, please return to this page and let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
