ABSTRACT
The opening of Rivington Place, new home of the Institute of International Visual Arts’ (inIVA) and Autograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers) in east London is landmark not only for the black arts movement in Britain, it is also a testament to Stuart Hall’s enduring contribution and relevance to its intellectual and political life. As chair of both inIVA and Autograph ABP, Stuart played an integral role in realizing this vision of a public space dedicated to creativity and diversity. The £3 million building, designed by architect David Adjaye, offers a place to exhibit art but it also provides a home for ideas, thought and reflection upon the relevance of difference to the visual arts. A few weeks after its doors were opened officially, Rivington Place hosted the launch of Paul Gilroy’s Black Britain: A Photographic History (2007). The book, planned initially to be a collaboration with Stuart Hall, portrays and documents the position of black people within British society through photographs drawn from the Getty Collection. Stuart’s health prevented him from playing a full role in its completion, but he contributed a preface and at the launch he discussed the project with Paul Gilroy in front of an audience gathered to celebrate its publication.
