Imran Perretta: A Riot In Three Acts

Trigger Warning: this exhibition and its description include references to rioting, racism and police brutality.

A Riot In Three Acts is a large-scale installation using the tropes and techniques of cinema, in the form of an expansive film set and cinematic score, to consider riots and civil uprisings that have occurred in response to systemic injustice experienced by marginalised communities. The exhibition provides a stage for the complex narratives that accompany such collective actions directed against the state, often spurred by racist policing, social deprivation, youth disenfranchisement and anti-war sentiment. 
 
Researched and developed at Somerset House Studios over the course of two years, the work evolves from Perretta’s experience as a young person during the London Riots in 2011, initially a response to police violence, which became a national uprising brought on by an age of endless austerity.

A Riot in Three Acts opens with Perretta’s old Blackberry handset on which he received broadcast messages during the days of the London Riots; the now-defunct Blackberry Messenger (BBM) platform was a key communication tool as one of the first end-to-end encrypted messaging services. The burning imagery presented on the handset is emblematic of the five days of civil uprising in cities across the country, following the shooting of Mark Duggan, an unarmed Black man, by police in Tottenham on 4 August 2011. 
 
In the main space, a film set, consisting of a painted scenic backdrop and props, replicates Reeves Corner as it exists today — a fenced-off area of disused scrubland, a site of highly contested land which could be found in any UK city. After over a decade of socioeconomic turmoil and the systematic erosion of public space and resources, Reeves Corner sits as one of many examples of a privately owned, suburban wasteland, forever awaiting (re)development, itself now an unofficial point of congregation for local people. 
 
The cinematic score, A Requiem for the Dispossessed, composed by Perretta, arranged by William Newell, and co-commissioned and performed by Manchester Camerata, draws on the classical tradition of a requiem and serves as a sonic representation of a civil uprising and its aftermath. Presented in spatialised surround sound by producers and fellow Somerset House Studios residents Call and Response, the installation mirrors the experience of cinema sound, locating the audience at the centre of the action.  
 
The exhibition includes a programme of live performances, events and a 5-day workshop for aspiring creatives aged 16-19, and will be accompanied by a special edition of The Process podcast, hosted by Imran Perretta.

We’re sensitive to the fact that while this subject matter is important to explore, it may be triggering for many audiences. Therefore, our experienced visitor experience staff will be on hand to advise visitors of support opportunities and can also direct you towards a decompression room that is available on site for any audience members who may feel triggered by the work. For further support, we’d also like to highlight the following resources:

Healing Justice https://healingjusticeldn.org

Resist and Renew https://resistrenew.com

Radical Therapist Network: https://www.radicaltherapistnetwork.com  

The Black, African and Asian Network (BAATN): https://www.baatn.org.uk

A Riot In Three Acts (2024) is commissioned by and developed in residence at Somerset House Studios. The score, A Requiem for the Dispossessed (2024), is co-commissioned by Somerset House Studios and the Manchester Camerata, by arrangement with NEWFORM MUSIC. Supported by d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape.