Sonia Boyce

*The Audition in Colour*, 2020. Seventy-five photographic panels. Each: 30cm x 20cm. Photo: Alexander James Edwards. Collection of Government Art Collection

*The Audition in Colour*, (detail), 2020. Seventy-five photographic panels Each: 30cm x 20cm. Photo: Alexander James Edwards. Collection of Government Art Collection, UK

The Audition in Colour is the result of a participatory project that took place on 17 November 1997 at Cornerhouse Arts Centre (now called HOME) – while the artist was in residence at the University of Manchester. In one day, 900 photographs were taken of volunteers who had answered a public advert inviting participants to try on an Afro wig.

Everyone who took part was photographed with and without the wig, in both black and white and colour analogue film. The resulting black and white photographs were later printed to form a separate installation, The Audition (1997, printed 2018) which is now in the Tate collection. The Audition in Colour, comprises a selection of the colour images shot on that day in 1997.