Understand
Photographer Tim Smith's 1990s images of Bradford's 'daytimers' dance scene featured in Tate Britain exhibition
Overview
For decades, photographer Tim Smith's photographs documenting Bradford's underground British Asian 'daytimers' bhangra music scene in the 1990s remained largely unseen. Now, these historic images are being showcased at Tate Britain as part of the exhibition 'The 90s: Art and Fashion', curated by Edward Enninful. The photographs capture a vibrant subculture where young British Asians balanced family expectations with personal independence, providing a significant record of cultural shifts happening outside London.
Key points
- Photographer Tim Smith documented Bradford's hidden 1990s daytime club scene, known as 'daytimers', for British Asian youth.
- Selected photographs by Smith are featured in the Tate Britain exhibition 'The 90s: Art and Fashion'.
- The daytimers events took place during the day in empty nightclubs, fusing Punjabi and South Asian traditions with contemporary British sounds.
- Smith initially kept many photos private out of concern for the privacy and potential trouble young attendees might face.
- The exhibition highlights cultural movements that occurred outside traditional metropolitan hubs like London and Manchester.