In 1970, Mohammed Ayub founded Oriental Star Agencies in Birmingham. This record store and label became one of the most influential and important parts of South Asian history and diaspora in the UK and worldwide.
Before the store had to close in 2017, True Form Projects rescued much of the record collection and other artefacts to archive them and keep them protected for future generations. As part of their 3-year National Heritage Lottery Funded project, they are archiving over 3000 records and will be collecting memories of the music and culture contained in these important records.
True Form Projects CIC was established in 2012 to offer a range of benefits to communities by collecting oral histories, artefacts, and personal stories. It specialises in, but is not specific to, the diaspora communities from South Asia in Britain. It works locally, nationally and internationally, developing new and exciting projects that represent and re-present the diaspora and communities.
Faisal Hussain is a British artist. His portfolio of work spans public art, film, sculpture, audio, and text art. His artwork is part of permanent collections in the Manchester Art Gallery, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and Urban Nation, Berlin.
Currently, he is completing the archiving of one of the largest South Asian record collections in the UK and creating and curating new works as part of a 3-year project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. This work has been on BBC 6 Music and in articles in the The Guardian and Vinyl Factory, as well as being nominated for the Best Event AMA award for the exhibition Request Line at the Manchester Museum’s new South Asia Gallery.
