What is Scream-Along?
Well, it’s sort of karaoke, only for pure banshee-level fury.
It’s an art installation, but it’s also a good chance to express some cathartic rage in a weirdly socially acceptable (and even socially applauded) way. Plus, it makes for a an absolute belter of an anecdote. It comes to us from British conceptual artist Saskia Takens-Milne, and it’s currently open in South-East London until the end of the month.
To find it, you’ll have to make your way to The Bohemians Hair Salon along Deptford High Street. Inside the rather chic-looking space you’ll find a) lots of very well-groomed patrons and b) a staircase leading to the basement. There, you’ll find a space that’s been transformed into a “peakeasy-style karaoke bar”, which they’ve described as “a dimly lit space with velvet walls and thick pile carpet.” Not worrying at all.
At this point, just in case you weren’t weirded out enough, there’s also a screen opposite playing an endless silent loop of women screaming in various movies from across the budget & genre spectrum. Women are invited to step up to the microphone and, well, scream along to the images, doing their best to channel the energy of someone who has stubbed their toe mid-way through biting their tongue.
The idea is to, in the words of the artist, is to provide “an opportunity to reflect on the consequences of our societal obsession with hurting women as entertainment”, while also, on a more primal level, offer up a chance to “howl along at the suffering women endure – directly and indirectly at the hands of men – in every corner of the globe.” Sentiments that we can easily get on board with. Because as bizarre as the experience may seem, it genuinely does provide a lot of bandwidth for thought and reflection on media, culture, and society at large, and reframe it in an interesting way that’s somehow both fun and uncomfortable at the same time.
And of you fancy a drink after to decompress? Jazu is literally right across the road.
NOTE: Scream-Along is open until 31st March. It’s completely free, and there are no bookings. Just show up. You can find out more at the Scream-Along website.
The Bohemians Space | Underneath The Bohemians Hair Salon, 53 Deptford Broadway, Deptford, SE8 4PH
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