V&A CENSOR THE AGITATE! EDUCATE! ORGANISE! EXHIBITION THIS FRIDAY FOR BEING TOO POPULAR!!!!…new Veritable Alternative event details as follows….Having thrown the alternative arts a bone in the shape of the Agitate! Educate! Organise! Exhibition, the V&A decided, after receiving an unprecedented amount of phone calls regarding the event, to cancel at 48 hours notice. They claimed a “danger of severe overcrowding” which, in a venue that has held upwards of 4500 people, is a ludicrous statement. The irony of cancelling an event devoted to showing how artists have to find alternative methods of making themselves heard, because of an overly rigid establishment, has obviously not been noticed by the V&A.

So, in the original spirit of the occasion, the band The Others, will be performing a guerrilla gig at the original time of 7.45pm, but now outside the museum. They have also, along with other original exhibitors, managed to resurrect some of the exhibition at a new venue, The Polish Club at 55 Exhibition Road, three minutes walk from the V&A. Tom Sheehan’s film on Selfish Cunt will be shown around 8pm, as well as Mark Wigan’s installation on 20 years of British Club Culture, and The Others will perform a 2nd set later in the evening.

This new Veritable Alternative event at The Polish Club will run from 6.30 pm to 11pm, but there is a limited capacity. Moving an exhibition from a major museum to a drinking club in 48 hours is obviously going to create difficulties so please bear with us on the night and we apologise in advance for any overcrowding this may cause.

If anyone would like to comment on the cancellation of the exhibition feel free to email the V&A’s director at mark.jones@vam.ac.uk

The original press release….Agitate! Educate! Organise! - Friday 25 Feb 2005 at the V&A. 6.30pm-10.00pm. Whether it's the underground band The Others 'guerrilla gigging' on the tube, or spoken word performers Tell Tales turning story telling on its head, young British writers and musicians are finding new ways to present their ideas. Agitate! Educate! Organise! at the V&A celebrates this new wave of social protest, observation and documentary in the arts with spoken word performances, poetry slamming and impromptu gigs around the museum. Controversial female voice, Helen Walsh, and Whitbread prize-winner Patrick Neate, will read from their latest works, while Courttia Newland, Nii Parkes and six authors from the Tell Tales crew will be performing their unique short stories, each accompanied by specially composed scores. The Others will be performing in the V&A's beautiful galleries and their film 'Guide to Guerrilla Gigging' will run throughout the evening. Main entrance performance 7.45pm then Lecture Theatre onstage 8.45pm

The cancellation press release…FRIDAY LATE CANCELLED 25TH FEBRUARY With regret, the V&A is cancelling the Friday Late on 25th February. We have been surprised by the incredibly high level of interest in this event. We have been told by our security, health and safety advisers that when the numbers reach this high level for a single event with limited capacity, there is a danger of severe overcrowding and it is extremely difficult to guarantee safety. To avoid any risk to the public or the Museum's collections, we have therefore taken the decision to cancel the event. We apologise for any disappointment this will cause.