The Art of Pop Video is a long and varied journey that embraces the great, the truly magnificent, the weird and the astonishingly sublime. From the likes of Queen’s masterpiece of Bohemian Rhapsody, Peter Gabriel’s backbreaking but phenomenal video for Sledgehammer, The Buggles’ M.T.V. ground-breaking Video Killed the Radio Star to the amateur style of Fatboy Slim’s Praise Me, all have made an impact on the conscious of music lovers all over the world.

F.A.C.T. on Wood Street celebrates these unique media experiences from March 14^th to May 26^th in The Art of Pop Video by showcasing in its galleries some of the most iconic music videos to have been made over the last few decades and the event is not just worth attending, it requires taking a number of hours out of the day to revel in long forgotten memories of music and its powerful media ally of years gone by. Within the wide open galleries that F.A.C.T. use to great effect to entertain, educate and inform resides many screens, each showing videos from such groups and artists as The Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd and the wonderful video for Weapon of Choice staring the actor Christopher Walken.

The two month event in the gallery was introduced by music journalist Paul Morley and enjoyed by a richness of music lovers from across every genre to use the medium as its partner. Whether you loved videos such as The Prodidgy’s gender blurring Smack My B***h Up, Genesis’ incredible Land of Confusion, Metallica’s great anti-war video One or Blur’s Country House, there can be no denying the impact the medium made upon music and on society over the last 40 years. The ability to tell a story, to create a narrative that is further enhanced by a visual performance is a highlight of the music that has shaped everyone’s lives. An excellent homage to music and its creative image.

This free exhibition is at F.A.C.T. and continues until May 26^th.

Ian D. Hall