Large black perspex sign created for the from the Lille 3000 Festival, by Keith Khan, 2010.

This was a festival that featured artists from London, that Khan directed in France. As Khan recalled 'The design element of the festival featured a video installation that showed 24 hours in Dalston. There were visual components, including laser cut alibond signs, such as this version of the underground sign, All the design elements included details of London under surveillance, or being secured. There were four bigger panels of these, and a variety of pigeons, barbed wire, and CCTV. These were installed in the space, throughout the various events, which included a club night from the perfomance collective “Duckie”, London haircuts, a “London fashion show” for children.'

Keith Khan is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans a broad spectrum of performances, exhibitions and carnivals in Britain and abroad between the 1980s and 2010s.

His prolific career has included designing and making costumes and sets for processions (including the Notting Hill Carnival and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commonwealth Parade) and for the stage (including the award-wining production Alladeen and the Millennium Dome opening ceremony and ‘Central Show’), to being appointed CEO of Rich Mix, an arts venue in East London, and Head of Culture for the 2012 London Olympics.

Born in Wimbledon to Trinidadian parents, Khan has played a vital role in broadening the cultural landscape of British art and performance by putting formerly marginalised voices and stories centre stage, reflecting the multiculturalism of modern Britain.

The archive (of which this costume forms a part) is a complete account of Khan’s artistic and career development, showcasing his breadth of experience across the arts at both a practising and managerial level. Charting his entire career and including work preceding his studies, the archive includes his drawings, computer-aided designs and collaged mood-boards for set and costume designs; photographs and press cuttings of productions; cuttings of interviews with, or articles about, Khan; letters, faxes and email correspondence showing the ideas process and development of his projects; and business papers, including funding applications and meeting minutes.