A new independent space dedicated to vinyl, film, photography and Sheffield’s cultural heritage is set to open in the city centre next month.
Memory Dance – a new project from Sheffield curator and archivist Alex Wilson – will take over a refurbished Victorian unit at 21 Chapel Walk, transforming it into a record shop, gallery and micro cinema dubbed ‘Sheffield’s Smallest Cinema’™.
Self-funded and fully DIY, the venue aims to champion Sheffield, Yorkshire and northern culture through sound, moving image, design and photography.
Promising “rare used vinyl, racy exhibitions, artefacts, happenings and screenings”, the ground floor space will house a curated selection of second-hand records sourced from collections across the city, with a particular focus on Sheffield artists and labels past and present.
The opening exhibition, WE’LL MISS THEM WHEN THEY’RE GONE, revisits a popular display first shown on The Moor in 2012 and explores Sheffield’s rich record shop history – from Bradleys to Virgin.
The exhibition will feature original 78 RPM sleeves, vintage record shop bags, photographs and memorabilia from long-lost Sheffield vinyl retailers, alongside new print works by designer Simon Robinson inspired by historic sleeve artwork.
Described as “an ode to vinyl, the art and obsession of record collecting”, the exhibition also celebrates the communities built around independent music shops over the decades.
As part of the project, Memory Dance is inviting members of the public to contribute their own Sheffield record shop artefacts, including bags, receipts, posters and photographs. Items can be scanned on site and returned digitally, with selected pieces displayed during the exhibition or potentially archived long-term through the Sheffield Music Archive.
The programme continues throughout June with a special DocFest weekend takeover celebrating “one of the key filmmakers operating today”, with further details still to be announced.
Later in the month, the gallery will host what organisers believe to be the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Sheffield Cablevision TV, the pioneering local station which operated between 1972 and 1976. Alongside archive artefacts, photography and merchandise, the venue’s micro cinema space will screen a rarely seen collection of Cablevision footage.
Further exhibitions, screenings and talks are planned throughout summer and autumn, culminating in a “very special Folk Christmas show” in December 2026.
Memory Dance soft launches on 5 June and is expected to open most days from 11am–6pm, with launch party details and updates shared on socials.
