E1 '75 (1)
1/2 inch open-reel videotape Black & White Sound 1975 28:43
Summary: Footage of the E1 Festival 1975 features the recording of a teenage skit and footage of the celebratory outdoors events, filmed as part of the Basement Project. The E1 Festival was a community run event that took place throughout the 1970s on vacant land in Stepney, East London. Originally set up to raise money for the Junior Football League, it was a weekend long event of music, performing arts, stalls, and activities for people of all ages.
Title number: 21169
LSA ID: LSA/27865
Description: The black-and-white handheld video begins in a room where three teenage girls giggle and play-perform a skit. Another person is sitting behind them typing away on a typewriter. The sound is not entirely audible, but one of the girls is berated for playing with her necklace chain by the girl next to her within this skit. The rest of the video films the celebratory outdoor events on a vacant field in Stepney. We hear occasional announcements directing people to various locations. Otherwise, we see young children in dress-up walking around, teenagers who run up to the camera and pose playfully, adults and older people milling around and dancing. You can hear a drum beat of a marching band in the background. At one point, children rush to push a giant inflated football across the field.
The camera cuts away to more footage of people milling around against pop and soul music, including ‘Lady Marmalade’. We see various stalls with titles such as ‘See yourself on TV’, or ‘Alternative Arts Tent’, or even ‘Blood Transfusion services’ for blood donors. Towards the end, we see various close-up portraits of the participants, and a short recording of a children’s choir.
Credits: Basement Project (Producer)
Further information: NOTE: Play is mostly inaudible.
Locations: Stepney, East London
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