Alternative Cabaret Act in Disco, Dartford
- Artist: Chris Steele-Perkins
- Date: 1980–9
- Medium: Photograph, dye destruction on paper
- Dimensions: image: 245 x 382 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Alternative Cabaret Act in Disco, Dartford” by Chris Steele‑Perkins. It dates from 1980–89 and belongs to his series *The Pleasure Principle*, a set of forty‑four colour cibachrome prints that capture moments of leisure around Britain during the decade.
The image was produced on paper using dye‑destruction printing, a technique that brings out vivid colors while retaining the subtle texture of photographic film. In this shot the musician is seen in a disco club in Dartford, his body caught mid‑dance under bright lighting. The scene shows how people express identity and joy through rhythm and movement – a public ritual that cuts across class and geography.
Steele‑Perkins said he returned to Britain after working abroad and wanted “to re‑orientate myself” by documenting these everyday rituals. In the late nineties, leisure spaces like this club became visible stages for expressing identity and belief.
The print is part of a collection displayed in Modern and Contemporary British Art at Tate Britain and was acquired with funds from the Photography Acquisitions Committee in 2016‑17.
See it in person
Alternative Cabaret Act in Disco, Dartford is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
