Urban Room Exhibition: The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember
An evocative archival exhibition curated by Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai Chiurai, and shaped for the UCL Urban Room by guest librarian Dr Kara Blackmore. Open from 11 June to 16 August 2025.
Urban Room Exhibition: The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember
17 Jun 2025 - 16 Aug 2025
The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember is an archive of materials including vinyls, posters, paintings and more, drawn from private African collections. Each time this archive is exhibited, Kudzanai Chiurai invites a new librarian to interrogate the archive and curate an exhibition.
The Librarian for the UCL Urban Room is Dr Kara Blackmore. This edition will focus on liberation zones, connecting different forms of a radical education happening across Southern Africa, the Caribbean and in London from 1964–1985.
The exhibition opened on Wednesday 11 June and will run until Saturday 16 August.
I consider the archival material and recording as broadcasts of Afro-futures. A frequency that mobilised and energised the struggle for independence and liberation. It's an archive that brings the past into the present and will continue to echo as we consider our futures.
Plan your visit
The exhibition is open to visit Monday – Saturday, 10:00-18:00, no need to book.
Running from 11 June - 16 August 2025.
Tickets are required for specific events, please visit the Urban Room Instagram channel to find out more.
About the UCL Urban Room
Located at One Pool Street, the public-facing UCL Urban Room hosts events, exhibitions, workshops and engagement with local stakeholders, professional audiences, and the wider public. Exploring the impact of industry, globalisation, regeneration and gentrification on the six Olympic Park boroughs and their people, UCL Urban Room is a partnership between UCL Urban Laboratory, The Bartlett, School for the Creative and Cultural Industries and UCL Library Services: Special Collections.
For more information email urbanroom@ucl.ac.uk.
Kudzanai Chiurai
Artist
Kudzanai Chiurai is a Zimbabwean artist. He incorporates various media into his work, which largely focuses on cycles of political and economic inequality, and conflict resolution in post-colonial societies.
Kara Blackmore
Curator
UCL Urban Room
Dr Kara Blackmore is a curator and researcher who works at the intersections of arts, heritage, and social repair. Her practice is informed by long-term collaborations in areas affected by conflict and migration. Kara is the Curator of the UCL Urban Room where she supports experiential teaching, leads exhibition-based research, and fosters community dialogue.