Exhibition
Millwall on the Screen
by Harry Lawson
3 – 26 November 2023 (Extended till December 3rd)
Opening Night: 2nd November, 7pm
Millwall on the Screen is an experimental documentary about football, community and urban transformation in South Bermondsey. Presented as a three-screen installation, it is focused on Millwall Football Club, its fans, and the geographical area surrounding The Den. It interweaves original footage, sound and interview with archival clips from Millwall’s history on the screen. Made over the course of two years, the work is an exercise in slow looking and the culmination of Harry Lawson’s long-term engagement with a small area of South East London.
A public programme will run throughout November at Chemist, including an improvised live performance by Fen, who feature in the film. An accompanying publication will be released in an edition of 250. Titled Millwall on the Page, it features imagery from the project and essays by Orit Gat and Adam Heardman. Graphic design across the project’s many outputs by Oliver Long and Kia Tasbihgou. Sound design by Joseph Higgins.
The work was exhibited in April 2023 as a site-specific installation at Wheel Shunters Social Club in South Bermondsey. As an unofficial curtain raiser for the Chemist show, Lawson edited a short, single-channel version of the work, which was shown at half time during Millwall’s home game against Blackburn Rovers on 24 October 2023. The 4-minute film played on the big in-stadium screen at The Den, and represented a unique opportunity to engage with art during a professional football match.
Public Programme:
10 November, 8pm: Fen live music performance at Chemist Gallery
18 November, 4pm: Millwall in the Community
Hosted by Lions Food Hub and Millwall Romans FC
Readings by Orit Gat and Adam Heardman from the publication Millwall on the Page
Purchase a copy of Millwall on the Page here
Harry Lawson
Harry Lawson (b. 1994) is an artist and documentary filmmaker from Sunderland. He has made experimental documentaries since 2017, working across exhibition, installation and online formats. He has been supported by Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, Jupiter Woods, Block9, ESRC and The FA, amongst others. Harry's work has been shown on BBC One, and featured in publications such as The Guardian, Crack, Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Mundial, Temporary Pleasure and Hypebeast. He is currently the director of film and photography at Identifying The Displaced, an interdisciplinary research project investigating the value of personal effects in the migration context. Millwall on the Screen at Chemist represents Harry’s first gallery show in London.
Harry holds a BA in English Literature from King’s College London and a MA in Ethnographic Documentary Film from UCL.
Harry holds a BA in English Literature from King’s College London and a MA in Ethnographic Documentary Film from UCL.
Chemist Gallery
57 Loampit Hill
SE13 7SZ London, UK
57 Loampit Hill
SE13 7SZ London, UK
Exhibition Hours
Fri-Sat 12:00-18:00
Sun 12:00-16:00
Fri-Sat 12:00-18:00
Sun 12:00-16:00