{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1178681"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1178681/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GC9817/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GC9817/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2013GC9817","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1178681","accessionNumber":"E.1490-2010","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"4 Aces Club, Count Shelly Sound System, Hackney","type":"assigned by artist"},{"title":"Growing Up Black","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"Dennis Morris moved to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960s and began taking photographs from the age of eight. His personal photographs of British Caribbean community life in Hackney came to form the series <i>Growing Up Black</i>. \r\n\r\nThe series includes photographs that document London's sound system music scene in the 1970s. The sound system subculture first developed in Jamaica, as DJs rivalled to build the best speaker system offering the latest music for their performances. British Caribbean migrants brought the sound system concept to London in the 1960s, beginning at house parties known as 'Blues Dance' and later moving into clubs. The Four Aces club in Hackney was a well known sound system venue where leading DJs held sound clashes playing the latest ska and reggae record imports. Ephraim Barrett, known as 'Count Shelly,' was the resident sound system operator at the Four Aces in this period. Dennis Morris has since described the Four Aces as being 'for the big boys, big men. To go there you had to be tough.'\r\n\r\nThe V&amp;A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris as part of the Staying Power project. Photographs by Charlie Phillips documenting people and places associated with London's early sound system music scene were also acquired as part of the project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&amp;A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&amp;A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives. ","physicalDescription":"Black and white photograph of two black men in the corner of a room edged with amplifiers and speakers. One speaker seen in the centre of the image is labelled 'COUNT SHELLY Sounds'. On the right hand side of the image, one of the men is sat on a bench looking directly at the camera, his right arm resting on a large box of records. The other man stands next to a very large speaker wearing flared trousers and a cloth cap.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Morris, Dennis","id":"A40094"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"gelatin silver process","id":"AAT139114"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gelatin silver print","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Black History","id":"THES48989"},{"text":"African Diaspora","id":"THES48873"},{"text":"Music","id":"THES253065"},{"text":"Men's clothes","id":"THES49043"},{"text":"Europeana Fashion Project","id":"THES265804"},{"text":"Caribbean","id":"THES286921"}],"styles":[{"text":"documentary","id":"x37881"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2013GC9817"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"315","id":"THES49535"},"free":"","case":"9","shelf":"L","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":"4 Aces Club, Dalston Lane, E8 specifically."},{"place":{"text":"Hackney","id":"x29471"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1974","earliest":"1974-01-01","latest":"1974-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""},{"date":{"text":"2010","earliest":"2010-01-01","latest":"2010-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"E.1484-2010","id":"O1178687"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1485-2010","id":"O1178686"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1486-2010","id":"O1178685"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1487-2010","id":"O1178684"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1488-2010","id":"O1178683"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1489-2010","id":"O1178682"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1491-2010","id":"O1178680"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.1492-2010","id":"O1178679"},"association":"Series"}],"creditLine":"Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. ","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"45.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image size","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"68.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Image size","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"66.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"paper size","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"83.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"paper size","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"68.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount size","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"92.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount size","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"signed and titled on the reverse"}],"objectHistory":"The V&A acquired this photograph as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by Dennis Morris, '4 Aces Club, Count Shelly Sound System, Hackney', from the series <i>Growing Up Black</i>, gelatin silver print, London, 1974, printed 2010","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Morris, D. <i>Growing Up Black</i> (London: Autograph ABP, 2012), illustrated"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"London","id":"x28980"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Barrett, Ephraim","id":"AUTH330198"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"amplifier","id":"AAT24543"},{"text":"speakers","id":"AAT250653"},{"text":"men","id":"AAT25928"},{"text":"flares","id":"AAT248599"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Text label for the exhibition, 'Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s\r\n16 February – 24 May 2015\r\n\nDennis Morris (born 1960)\r\nSt Mark’s Church Choir Boys, Hackney\r\nDignity in Poverty, Hackney\r\n4 Aces Club, Count Shelley Sound System, Hackney\r\nFrom the series Growing Up Black\r\n1970 – 74\n\r\nBorn in Jamaica, Morris became interested in photography\r\nthrough a club at his church in London. His personal\r\nphotographs of British Caribbean community life in\r\nHackney during the 1960s and ’70s came to form this\r\nseries. Music is a key feature of Morris’s work, particularly\r\nthe sound system subculture that was brought to London\r\nby British Caribbean migrants.\n\r\nGelatin silver prints (printed 2010)\r\nMuseum nos. E.1485, 1488, 1490-2010","date":{"text":"16/02/2015-24/05/2015","earliest":"2015-02-16","latest":"2015-05-24"}}],"partNumbers":["E.1490-2010"],"accessionNumberNum":"1490","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":2010,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-08","recordCreationDate":"2011-02-01","availableToBook":false}}