Location and Digital Dislocation: Emerging Identities and the Legacy of the Drum

The lifespan of The Drum arts centre in Birmingham, UK (1995-2016), was the period in which the internet became increasingly integral to everyday life, and during which most elements of life became organized according to networks. This paper examines two ways in which space has become increasingly contested since The Drum opened. Firstly, with The Drum as prism, it considers how far digital space has changed the way that identities are constructed / contested. Secondly, it considers the contestation of physical urban spaces in the UK.

The paper considers a range of intersections between race and class in the UK. The Drum was built on a social solidarity based on political blackness. As it has been argued that blackness has become increasingly fragmented in Britain during the period in question, the paper considers the effect that this had on The Drum’s popularity. It also explores ways in which the widespread use of social media has progressively transformed public engagement with the arts. It asks: What is the role of strategic essentialism in enabling progress, and on what grounds can such unity be achieved in contemporary times? How far did local allegiances hold political blackness back and vice versa, in the case of The Drum? It examines the African diaspora online as a global network. Can “hashtag blackness” be used by physical, localized organizations to build and retain audiences? How far did The Drum fail in this regard? Next, how far can hashtag blackness be considered classless? What is the place of the Drum’s former regular attendees, many locally bound by financial and class constraints, in this online world? Can online solutions or event series’ replace The Drum’s physical presence? If not, what does this mean for The Drum’s new archive and its planned online presence?