Coventry City of Culture: VR Rave Exhibition opens
'In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats' takes you back to 1989 in Coventry.
Last updated 29th Mar 2022
A new virtual reality experience, exploring the rise in popularity of rave music in Coventry is opening to the public today.
'In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats' is being directed by Darren Emerson and uses VR technology to transport you back to 1989, when thousands of people would attend illegal raves in warehouses around the city.
The project has been done in partnership with BFI, Coventry City of Culture and has been awarded National Lottery funding.
We've been down to the Box in Fargo Village, where the exhibition is taking place, to find out more
The project will put audiences into the shoes of rave culture pioneers, exploring environments from poster-strewn bedrooms to pirate radio stations, and police headquarters to secret warehouses.
The Midlands rave scene was one of the most important in a youth culture movement that shaped a generation.
Thousands from all over the country would make the pilgrimage each week to Coventry and party in woodlands, fields and disused buildings.
It's been created with extensive involvement of some of the leading figures of the Midlands rave scene at the time, including Coventry’s legendary promoters Amnesia House.
Darren Emerson said:
“With In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats I want to take audiences back to the thrill of one night in 1989, to use this immersive experience to re-examine what this moment means through the intersection of storytelling and interaction. It is a familiar tale of the Acid House experience, understood and lived by many, which contains universal themes of community, politics, and class disruption.
"It also serves as a revisionist take on this familiar story, because it is set in Coventry, a city not readily celebrated within the books, documentaries, and legends of Acid House. But for those that knew the score, they knew Coventry had its part to play.
“Like the distant memories of Acid House itself, this experience will capture the feeling and energy of the setting, create new contextual narratives about the scene, and inform and delight in equal measure.”
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture Trust, said:
“The epic rave scene that swept the country and shaped a generation had one of its epicentres in Coventry.
"We are so excited to be working with Darren, one of the UK’s leading VR filmmakers to recreate that hedonistic time and allow audiences to be fully immersed in the energy and euphoria of the time."