Narrated through a century of music and film archive treasures, LONDON The Modern Babylon tells the story of London’s epic journey through 100 years of cultural upheaval and reinvention, from the birth of the 20th century to today as the world’s attention turns to London for the 2012 Olympics. LONDON The Modern Babylon is a kaleidoscope of TV and film clips, photos, graffiti and paintings, poetry extracts, advertising images and album covers, even some home movies contributed by the public, assembled in layers just as London has been endlessly layered over by new arrivals and new influences. From 1890s hand cranked black and white 35mm, through early 16mm home movies in the late ‘20s, Super 8mm in the ‘50s and ‘60s, VHS in the ‘80s, Mini DV in the 90s to today’s Hi Def, each format evokes the period in which it was shot, dramatically foregrounding how the old, monochrome London has exploded into vivid multicultural colour.