Curatorship Task:
Initial mind-map based on possible ideas I could use with my chosen title
"Modern British culture":
My initial thought on this task was to base the curatorship upon the title "Modern day british culture" after a long train of thought about what i'm currently inspired by most in my current photography. The time period the exhibition will be directed at is from the 1970's to the early 2000's. I chose this title because i'm intrigued by the 'cultures' prevalent within certain areas,classes and types of people within Britain, genres such as grime have now become lifestyles for some people revolving round the whole ethos created by the music and area it was created in.
In the past 15 years grime music has leaped from London housing estates to mainstream charts music, bringing along a culture with it that affects the way followers dress and talk as well as . The listeners can often relate if they are in similar situations and so the culture is born as the genre attracts followers. This doesn't just apply to grime.
Fashion can also dictate peoples lifestyles as they wear the clothes as they often relate to their lifestyles and daily routines. Although this is essentially stereotyping people often purposely dress in a certain manner to give off a particular image about themselves.
Through this task i want to explore these subcultures and stereotypes visually through photographs, giving insight into specific areas of British youth culture in the past 40 years.
In the past 15 years grime music has leaped from London housing estates to mainstream charts music, bringing along a culture with it that affects the way followers dress and talk as well as . The listeners can often relate if they are in similar situations and so the culture is born as the genre attracts followers. This doesn't just apply to grime.
Fashion can also dictate peoples lifestyles as they wear the clothes as they often relate to their lifestyles and daily routines. Although this is essentially stereotyping people often purposely dress in a certain manner to give off a particular image about themselves.
Through this task i want to explore these subcultures and stereotypes visually through photographs, giving insight into specific areas of British youth culture in the past 40 years.
After mapping my ideas i've realised there are links to all the ideas i immediately wanted to explore.
I have taken certain aspects of british culture i'm inspired by in photography as well as fashion, all of which shape the world of the current generation of teenagers and young adults.
Wether we know it or not as teenagers in 2015 we are influenced by a range of different youth subcultures,nationalities,fashion styles and music genres. All of which come together and form new styles and ideas that exist or will exist in our world today.
Although a wide range of the things i have listed in this mind-map are foreign so to speak, they are now part of Britain today due to them being rooted into the foundations of modern day culture through time and the ethnic diversity of the nation.
Through the curatorship task i aim to explore these things through the photographic documentation of many of these aspects by a range of photographers.
I have taken certain aspects of british culture i'm inspired by in photography as well as fashion, all of which shape the world of the current generation of teenagers and young adults.
Wether we know it or not as teenagers in 2015 we are influenced by a range of different youth subcultures,nationalities,fashion styles and music genres. All of which come together and form new styles and ideas that exist or will exist in our world today.
Although a wide range of the things i have listed in this mind-map are foreign so to speak, they are now part of Britain today due to them being rooted into the foundations of modern day culture through time and the ethnic diversity of the nation.
Through the curatorship task i aim to explore these things through the photographic documentation of many of these aspects by a range of photographers.
Potential Photographers and the particular pieces of work i would use:
1. Ewen Spencer - "Brandy and Coke" - UK Garage scene documentation through a documentary as well as a series of images
2. Will Robson-Scott - UK Grime scene photography or "Crack and Shine" - Documentation of UK graffiti writers
3. Ben Watts - "Big Up"- All photos were taken in the USA although the majority of images within it have British connotations since British youth culture is massively influenced by US youth culture. The book documents the past US youth culture.
4. Nick Knight - "skinheads" - A photographic documentation of this british subculture
5. Iain Mckell - "The new gypsie" Following a group of new age travellers in Britain.
6. Derek Ridgers - "skinheads" (78-87 london youth) // 1983 ibiza -Skinhead and Club culture during the 1970's to 1980's
7. Tom Hunter - London culture in the 1990's
8. Robert Clayton- "estate" - Documenting the lives of people living on the Lion Farm estate,Midlands,England.
9. Theo Cottle - Documenting the world people surrounding him in England through his personal 'journal' on tumblr, its an insight into the 'gritty' side to the people of Britain. His photographs can show drug use and violence.
10. Simon Wheatley - "Don't call me urban" - Insight into the grime culture in London through a short film as well as photography.
11. Ollie Grove
2. Will Robson-Scott - UK Grime scene photography or "Crack and Shine" - Documentation of UK graffiti writers
3. Ben Watts - "Big Up"- All photos were taken in the USA although the majority of images within it have British connotations since British youth culture is massively influenced by US youth culture. The book documents the past US youth culture.
4. Nick Knight - "skinheads" - A photographic documentation of this british subculture
5. Iain Mckell - "The new gypsie" Following a group of new age travellers in Britain.
6. Derek Ridgers - "skinheads" (78-87 london youth) // 1983 ibiza -Skinhead and Club culture during the 1970's to 1980's
7. Tom Hunter - London culture in the 1990's
8. Robert Clayton- "estate" - Documenting the lives of people living on the Lion Farm estate,Midlands,England.
9. Theo Cottle - Documenting the world people surrounding him in England through his personal 'journal' on tumblr, its an insight into the 'gritty' side to the people of Britain. His photographs can show drug use and violence.
10. Simon Wheatley - "Don't call me urban" - Insight into the grime culture in London through a short film as well as photography.
11. Ollie Grove
Which artists i won't use:
• Ben Watts - Not linked to british culture enough as his work is based in the USA, all the other artists work is England based
• Ollie Grove - photographs are similar to my title but not strongly related enough
• Tom Hunter - More related to street photography than British culture
• Iain Mckell
• Ewen Spencer
• Ollie Grove - photographs are similar to my title but not strongly related enough
• Tom Hunter - More related to street photography than British culture
• Iain Mckell
• Ewen Spencer
The Curatorship:
Britain: An exploration of modern British culture
From the dark portrayal of Britain from Theo Cottle and Robert Clayton to the documentation of the Grime music scene in London today from Simon Wheatley and Will Robson-Scott, this exhibition will delve into a range of photographers who have archived sub-cultures abundant in modern day British life from the 1970s, 1980's and 1990's to the present day; recording the people that are deep within the lifestyles shown visually in this exhibition. These artists explore the many aspects of the cult youth movements pictured of the era.
The exhibition starts with the work of Robert Clayton and Theo Cottle, both of whom have similar work, examining a slightly darker side to Britain, which often goes unseen. The images featured from Clayton are from the series "Estate" and Theo's work is from his street photography series "Night" and "Sleep". Both artists depict an insight into a bleak side to the nation we live, which often goes unheard or seen. The title makes reference to this theme in the images (The Dark and Unseen).
Each of these artists place a magnifying glass upon the various subcultures vastly unknown to society, creating a display of incredibly thought evoking images to represent the lives of these people on the fringes of society, leaving the viewer with a detailed understanding and perspective on this unique genre of photography.
The artists within the exhibition each focus on different elements of documentary photography in regards to urban Britain , all with an underlying theme of clandestine subculture.
The exhibition starts with the work of Robert Clayton and Theo Cottle, both of whom have similar work, examining a slightly darker side to Britain, which often goes unseen. The images featured from Clayton are from the series "Estate" and Theo's work is from his street photography series "Night" and "Sleep". Both artists depict an insight into a bleak side to the nation we live, which often goes unheard or seen. The title makes reference to this theme in the images (The Dark and Unseen).
Each of these artists place a magnifying glass upon the various subcultures vastly unknown to society, creating a display of incredibly thought evoking images to represent the lives of these people on the fringes of society, leaving the viewer with a detailed understanding and perspective on this unique genre of photography.
The artists within the exhibition each focus on different elements of documentary photography in regards to urban Britain , all with an underlying theme of clandestine subculture.
The First Room: The Dark and Unseen
Robert Clayton + Theo Cotle
Room one depicts the "dark and unseen" side to British life through the works of two influential photographers, Robert Clayton and Theo Cottle in the last twenty four years.
Robert Clayton
Clayton, a portraiture and location photographer, was still studying at university (1991) when he decided to record the lives of people on the lion farm estate, Birmingham. He aimed to provide a visual experience of the estate and what daily life is like for inhabitants on an estate that has been progressively deteriorating and is awaiting demolition.
The estate was built in the 1960s during a time when Britain was heavily industrial, over time it began to deteriorate as heavy industry in the area began to decline during the 1970's and 80's. The images shown are the result of the estates neglect over time. At the time the estate had a mix of low income families, unemployed and elderly people living within it. Some of the blocks were awaiting demolition whilst others had been there since 1961, also in a stay of decay.
The 1960s brutalist architecture of the tower blocks in the estate is nothing special, in fact you could probably see this sort of location in any region of England, but that is whats special about Clayton's project. Clayton's documentation of the estate acts as a time capsule of the period, each image making referencing the day to day life and economic situation of many in Britain due to the decline of industry at the time.
The estate was built in the 1960s during a time when Britain was heavily industrial, over time it began to deteriorate as heavy industry in the area began to decline during the 1970's and 80's. The images shown are the result of the estates neglect over time. At the time the estate had a mix of low income families, unemployed and elderly people living within it. Some of the blocks were awaiting demolition whilst others had been there since 1961, also in a stay of decay.
The 1960s brutalist architecture of the tower blocks in the estate is nothing special, in fact you could probably see this sort of location in any region of England, but that is whats special about Clayton's project. Clayton's documentation of the estate acts as a time capsule of the period, each image making referencing the day to day life and economic situation of many in Britain due to the decline of industry at the time.
The following image depicts a tower block within the Lion Farm Estate. In the photograph, a removal lorry can be seen in front of the tower block. The entrance to this particular tower block is boarded up, evidently people are being evicted from the flats as the structure awaits demolition.
The lack of vibrance in reference to the colour of the composition makes reference to the sombre mood portrayed through the context of this image. The dull, grey concrete combined with the lifeless sky and damp, deteriorating tarmac of the road resonate with depressing connotations of eviction and poverty within the composition. The lifelessness and emptyness of this estate is magnified by the large depth of field Robert Clayton has created. The negative space within the composition creates a sense of desolation and lonelyness. Clayton uses the geometry, lines and textures of the concrete infrastructure within this landscape photograph to give an ambiguous representation of a decaying housing estate. The scarecity of greenery in the composition adds to the cold feeling conveyed when viewing this photograph. Indeed, Clayton’s photograph tells a story. Researching this estate online has shown that (as of 1992) “four of the ten tower blocks are due for demolition, and these blocks, consequently, have few remaining tenants and have been progressively run down” This Photograph provides a glimpse of what used to be a vibrant estate full of people, now left to decay as industry has declined. The youth of this area have been brought up in a time of sadness and poverty. |
A common sight upon entering a housing estate like this one would be graffiti adorned exterior brick walls, stairwells, landings and lifts. Broken and boarded up windows are a clear sign that this estate has been severely neglected by the government. The image shows the side of one of the blocks within the estate in the background with a patch of grass in the foreground. The image is in colour and all of the composition is in full focus. nothing is left out in terms of photographic detail.
Perspective, lines and geometry are all clear photographic elements being utilised, all coming together, producing a very straight and formal image. The man walking alongside the block is almost being used as a sense of scale in comparison to the block. It seems as if Clayton is aiming to demonstrate the size of the decay and deterioration present on the Lion farm estate. Clayton portrayed life on the estate as deprived and distressing to people living outside of it. Through photographic expression he has highlighted the issue of poverty and institutionalised neglect faced by many living on such an estate. |
Theo Cottle
Theo is a young Bristol/London based portrait and documentary photographer that documents the gritty streets of England as well as producing commercial portrait work. His images have strong themes of drugs, violence and poverty. The images are raw and show a realistic representation of what he is recording, he aims to photograph things as he sees them with no intention of making what he is observing look pretty.
The images shown are from Theo's 'Night' project aimed to show the dark side of England's night-life as well as 'Sleep', an insight into the harsh living conditions Britain's vulnerable homeless are forced to endure . His thirst to explore the dark underworld of drink, drugs, violence and poverty have driven Theo to produce a series of breathtaking photos.
The images shown are from Theo's 'Night' project aimed to show the dark side of England's night-life as well as 'Sleep', an insight into the harsh living conditions Britain's vulnerable homeless are forced to endure . His thirst to explore the dark underworld of drink, drugs, violence and poverty have driven Theo to produce a series of breathtaking photos.
Whilst producing work his project 'sleep', Theo walked the streets of Bristol documenting the squalid conditions homeless people in the area were sleeping. The following image depicts a dark, graffiti coated alleyway with 3 mattresses on the filthy gravel floor. Surrounding the the mattresses are duvet's, clothes, drinks cans and smoking paraphernalia. It is obvious that this is home to 3 people and where they rest their heads at night, a disturbing insight to the lives of many who live in this manner. The Photograph was taken at night as there is clear directional lighting from the camera flash, the rest of the image is extremely under-exposed to light. Upon deeper inspection of the image, an outline of a humans figure can be seen underneath the duvet of the mattress closest to the camera. This is the main focal point of the photo. Theo had made good use of the cameras focus. The outer edges of the image are out of focus drawing the viewer to pay attention to the central part of the photograph. By using the directional lighting provided by the cameras flash, Theo has created a strong contrast between light and dark within the composition, creating a sense of fear of the unknown as well as adding to the gloomy mood stimulated by the photo series 'sleep'.
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This photograph shows 3 police officers searching a man on the street at night. Behind them is an ambulance. the man has clearly taken an illicit substance, the flash on the camera has turned his pupils red and they are visibly large indicating this.
The main focal point is the straight-faced man being searched glaring into the camera lens, the flash of the lens has emphasised his drug fuelled demeanour. Evidently the reason he has been searched. The ambulance in the background indicates this is a chaotic night in the city as it would only be there if there has been an incident. There are a range of formal elements within this making for an effective composition, depth of the photographs focal range emphasises the size of the surrounding urban area and a range of colours are seen throughout the image exacerbating the chaotic mood to the environment. The image shows the darker side to nightlife in Britain, referencing crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour, a range of common assumptions made by the media when mentioning the youth of today. |
Room 2: Grime
This room displays the work of Will Robson-Scott and Simon Wheatley. The Work of the three artists all show an insight into the Grime scene, a deep routed youth subculture prevalent in Britain today. The Genre brought a lifestyle with it which an abundance of Britain's youth became attached to in the early 2000's.
The UK Garage scene arrived in Britain during the nineties and quickly became a part of the younger generation at the time through clubs and pirate radio. The whole ethos behind garage influenced how people dressed and acted when at these types of music events. People attending these garage raves dressed to impress wearing high fashion name brands from the likes of Versace and Moschino. Champagne or brandy and coke was often the favoured drink at these events and the female vocals of the music sent a positive vibe across the dance floor of the clubs.
This is where grime music evolved. Many people wanted a change from the glamorous side of music found from the garage scene. They were seeking a darker sound with a raw energy to it. They didn't want to dress up and listen to garage, they wore tracksuits as they were comfortable in them when they performed. A lot of grime artists in the early stages of grime had raw, aggressive lyrics, this accompanied a generally aggressive attitude of many artists in the scene, influencing the youth that followed them in these ways. The majority of artists were just focused on making money and giving themselves a better life through earning money in the music industry, these was shown through much of their lyrics. Once again the followers of this underground sound copied them and developed an attitude and style which separated them from the fans of UK Garage music
In the early stages the music was broadcast from tower blocks in east London on pirate radio stations.
Grime was a much softer silhouette than garage. It was about turning up stoned, MCing, making music but then being on the move and going places. It's a kind of a combination of those two things. There wasn't a rigid "I'm getting ready to go out" mindset like there was with garage, it a more relaxed take on the music.
Will Robson-Scott and Simon Wheatley are two photographers that photographed the early stages of the grime scene in London, documenting grimes environment, people, clothing and attitudes through visual discourse.
The UK Garage scene arrived in Britain during the nineties and quickly became a part of the younger generation at the time through clubs and pirate radio. The whole ethos behind garage influenced how people dressed and acted when at these types of music events. People attending these garage raves dressed to impress wearing high fashion name brands from the likes of Versace and Moschino. Champagne or brandy and coke was often the favoured drink at these events and the female vocals of the music sent a positive vibe across the dance floor of the clubs.
This is where grime music evolved. Many people wanted a change from the glamorous side of music found from the garage scene. They were seeking a darker sound with a raw energy to it. They didn't want to dress up and listen to garage, they wore tracksuits as they were comfortable in them when they performed. A lot of grime artists in the early stages of grime had raw, aggressive lyrics, this accompanied a generally aggressive attitude of many artists in the scene, influencing the youth that followed them in these ways. The majority of artists were just focused on making money and giving themselves a better life through earning money in the music industry, these was shown through much of their lyrics. Once again the followers of this underground sound copied them and developed an attitude and style which separated them from the fans of UK Garage music
In the early stages the music was broadcast from tower blocks in east London on pirate radio stations.
Grime was a much softer silhouette than garage. It was about turning up stoned, MCing, making music but then being on the move and going places. It's a kind of a combination of those two things. There wasn't a rigid "I'm getting ready to go out" mindset like there was with garage, it a more relaxed take on the music.
Will Robson-Scott and Simon Wheatley are two photographers that photographed the early stages of the grime scene in London, documenting grimes environment, people, clothing and attitudes through visual discourse.
Will Robson-Scott
Will is a young London-born photographer based in London and New York. He began his career documenting the lives of people on the edges of society. Best known for his project 'crack and shine' in which he documented the lives of graffiti writers in a number of different nations, producing a number of films as well as a book on top of many successful publications.
He is well known for photographing a number of clandestine sub cultures which has been largely successful for him as he has had work exhibited in London galleries as well as his most recent work (Chi-raq) being shown at the Brooklyn film festival in 2014.
The work that Will has produced that is featured in this exhibition is titled "Grime". In this series he records the early grime music movement in the early 2000's. His photographic realism is evident in this work as he is known for documenting situations and locations that aren't manufactured. There are no set builders, no assistants and no stylists aiding his photographic outcome. Will demonstrates the energy and the rawness of the early grime scene through this style of photography.
He is well known for photographing a number of clandestine sub cultures which has been largely successful for him as he has had work exhibited in London galleries as well as his most recent work (Chi-raq) being shown at the Brooklyn film festival in 2014.
The work that Will has produced that is featured in this exhibition is titled "Grime". In this series he records the early grime music movement in the early 2000's. His photographic realism is evident in this work as he is known for documenting situations and locations that aren't manufactured. There are no set builders, no assistants and no stylists aiding his photographic outcome. Will demonstrates the energy and the rawness of the early grime scene through this style of photography.
Will's ability to capture the extraordinary is evident in this series of images. This image depicts two characters inside a London flat whilst they are performing a set. By the looks of the badly lit room and its grubby walls alongside the event posters stuck onto the walls, its obvious that this is the location of a pirate radio station. This kind of clandestine radio set up was very common during the 90's and early 2000's when pirate jungle and grime radio stations took over the air waves of London. They were seen as menaces to society by the DTI (department of trade and industry) as these illegal stations caused interference to transmissions used by legal stations and emergency services. The culprits, often just young men like these two, broadcasting from tower blocks in London city.
The Grime culture heavily influenced fashion of the time. The two men in this image are dressed in sportswear (tracksuits and sweatshirts), as well as baseball caps. This style was common in the scene. The baggy clothes and intimidating look was a common stereotype for people in grime. There are two main focuses of the image; one being the vinyl disc in the hand of the character on the left and the second being the menacing look of the other character in the frame who is speaking into the microphone. The composition obeys the rule of thirds as the main points of interest are where the lines would intersect if i were to draw two lines going vertically across the image and two horizontally. Although the image was taken in low light, there is vibrancy in terms of colour and the dimly lit room provides the image with contrast of light and dark, adding to the grimy look of the composition. The shadowing of the characters caused by the directional lighting on the bottom left of the image adds to the intimidating look of the scenario. This image is likely to have been taken on a medium format camera or a DSLR, its unclear from the image to be able to tell which one was used. The whole image is sharp and nothing is left unfocused, exposing everything within the cameras line of sight. The image is truly showing how Will has gained access to this secretive life of pirate radio during the early 2000's. |
Will is aiming to create a sinister mood to the image using dim, directional, un-natural lighting, its almost as if these characters shouldn't really be there, if this is a pirate radio studio then this is true.
The image is clearly 'raw', its obvious this hasn't been edited in any way. Judging from Will's style of photography in this project, he chose to document them in this location as it looks natural, i know from reading an interview which will had that he doesn't like scenes to be fake (set up for the photograph) and prefers to be a "realist" in his work. |
Similarly, this photograph of 'Double S', a grime music artist, staring out towards the streets from the window of an estate,Northumberland park(N17), Tottenham is a very similar style. The strong contrast of the natural light from the window and the darkness of this inside space gives the image a sense of mystery and sets an eerie mood the viewer immediately picks up. The darkness makes the viewer wonder why he is staring out of the window with such a straight facial expression. The formal elements: Texture,geometry, lighting and colour are prominent in this image and work together to produce a powerful outcome.
The focal point of the image is the face of Double S looking out toward the street below him. His dull facial expression as well as the fact that the viewer cant see what he's looking at makes you question why he is there and for what reason is he standing in the corner of the space he is in. It cannot be seen from the image wether he standing in the staircase of an estate or looking out the window of a room within one of the flats. Beyond the initial focus of the image, further housing estates can be seen in the distance, these are blurred out due to the focus of the lens, drawing attention to Double S. A depressing mood is set by the dim sky light on top of the concrete surrounding of the estate as well as the emotionless facial expression of he subject. Dark grey pavements and a lifeless sky indicate and reflect this mood. Its almost as if will has tried to show this is not a life people want to live through this composition, yet so many of the youth at the time aspired to be like these artists, wanting a reputation for being like this. |
Simon Wheatley:
Wheatley is a british documentary photographer and film-maker. His book "don't call me urban" is a 12 year project of his, "examining the crisis of the inner city youth through the prism of grime music and in the context of urban re-generation".
He shows members of this sub culture in their most natural states, mainly in their "studios" or out an about their local areas, often housing estates. Simon studied in a public school when he was younger, so he was clearly intrigued by this lifestyle that was alien to him leading him to document it. Simon comes from a completely different walk of life, growing up he didn't have the same worries many of the youth he documented had, he grew up in a safe area with no worries about his families financial situation, a completely different story for some. Inspired by his mentor at the time, Phillip Jones Griffiths, an influential welsh photojournalist best known for his documentation of the Vietnam war, Wheatley decided he wanted to make book.
Simon's description of his work:
"Intrigued initially by a controversial urban regeneration scheme in south London in the summer of 1998, Simon Wheatley went on to focus on the youth of the inner-city, chronicling the era of grime music as it evolved into the dominant sound of London’s housing estates".
"Over the past few years, urban subculture has seen a magnificent rise from low-end silhouetted darkness to a bright, brilliant and powerful art-form, through the mediums of music".
Wheatley is a british documentary photographer and film-maker. His book "don't call me urban" is a 12 year project of his, "examining the crisis of the inner city youth through the prism of grime music and in the context of urban re-generation".
He shows members of this sub culture in their most natural states, mainly in their "studios" or out an about their local areas, often housing estates. Simon studied in a public school when he was younger, so he was clearly intrigued by this lifestyle that was alien to him leading him to document it. Simon comes from a completely different walk of life, growing up he didn't have the same worries many of the youth he documented had, he grew up in a safe area with no worries about his families financial situation, a completely different story for some. Inspired by his mentor at the time, Phillip Jones Griffiths, an influential welsh photojournalist best known for his documentation of the Vietnam war, Wheatley decided he wanted to make book.
Simon's description of his work:
"Intrigued initially by a controversial urban regeneration scheme in south London in the summer of 1998, Simon Wheatley went on to focus on the youth of the inner-city, chronicling the era of grime music as it evolved into the dominant sound of London’s housing estates".
"Over the past few years, urban subculture has seen a magnificent rise from low-end silhouetted darkness to a bright, brilliant and powerful art-form, through the mediums of music".
This photograph depicts a number of boys dressed in street-wear within a room, all surrounding a microphone. At first glance i would guess that they are recording a grime set in this room. The central focus a boy holding the microphone in the centre is surrounded by a number of boys trying to grab the microphone, clearly all wanting a turn. The whole image is in focus and is also vibrant in colour, adding to the detail of the composition. In the early stage of grime music, recordings would often take place in youth clubs and flats of artists. Judging by the size of the room and the number of people within it, i would say this is in a youth club somewhere in London, where the series was taken. Wheatley probably used a DSLR as well as the flash function on the camera to take this image and provide directional lighting. I'm assuming he used a DSLR due to the sharpness of the image in a scene that has lots of movement within it, a standard 35mm SLR would be unpredictable in situations like that in terms of the images outcome, possibly producing blurry images.
Wheatley has really set the atmosphere in this composition through the detail of this close up shot (he is likely to have used a 50mm lens). The shine of these individuals faces show the room is humid, the frown on the boy in the centre's face implies that the lyrics he is evidently shouting into the mic are aggressive and energetic. Attention is drawn to the central character with the mic in his hand by the framing of the shot (he is central) as well as the fact that the other individuals are all looking at him and reaching towards him. This shot is really effective in doing so as it almost seems like he is in the spotlight although there isn't directional lighting solely on him. |
I get a feeling when i look at this composition that Simon didn't intent to portray the youth of south east London in a good light. Photographs like this one in which the image shows 3 youths in a room recording a grime set with the central focus being one of the youths holding what looks to be a foot-long knife leads me to believe he was almost endorsing the media's general view on the British grime scene. The grime music scene has connotations of violence, aggression and crime, manifested by the confrontational content of the lyrics and known use of illegal substances and pirate radio stations whilst performing.
In the background,within the graffiti covered room, a second youth holding a vinyl in one hand and smoking with the other is standing next to the 3rd person holding the microphone to his mouth with his hood up. The hostile mood set by the contents of the photograph have resulted in a macabre mood, evoked by the knife wielding as well as the intimidating stance by the other 2 youths. The background of the image is slightly out of focus and looks as if the photo was captured in a rushed moment, almost as if simon was frightened by the knife being drawn. Although the blur has its advantages as the main focus on the boy at the front of the image is sharpened by the fact that he is the only feature of the photo thats completely focused. |
Room 3: Skinheads
The skinhead subculture formed in 1966 from a number of different elements, merging and forming one strong and definite style by 1967. This style developed until 1972, when it became lost in the uprise of new youth cults and fashions.
Nick knight:
Born in 1958 nick is a british fashion and documentary photographer. His career spans over 4 decades and he has produced work for the likes of vogue, i-d magazine, dazed digital, The face, Levi Strauss and Alexander Mcqueen. His prolific career started off with his photo project "skinhead",(1982) in which he produced a book giving an insight into this youth cult whilst studying at the Arts university college, Bournemouth.
"Skinhead" is a photo journal of skinhead life in the late 70's early 80's.
The images describe the characteristics and behaviour of skinheads in a way which words cant quite portray.
Born in 1958 nick is a british fashion and documentary photographer. His career spans over 4 decades and he has produced work for the likes of vogue, i-d magazine, dazed digital, The face, Levi Strauss and Alexander Mcqueen. His prolific career started off with his photo project "skinhead",(1982) in which he produced a book giving an insight into this youth cult whilst studying at the Arts university college, Bournemouth.
"Skinhead" is a photo journal of skinhead life in the late 70's early 80's.
The images describe the characteristics and behaviour of skinheads in a way which words cant quite portray.
Bank Holiday Monday 1980, Southend.
Aggression was a common trait of a skinhead, often leading to dealings with police for violent crime. 'Skins' as they were known at the time, were extremely territorial and were known by people outside the cult to be intimidating and frightening when out in groups. This image shows a young skinhead, likely to be in his teenage years sticking two fingers up to the photographer as he is taken away by a police officer in handcuffs, an aggressive and rather stereotypical gesture made by skinheads. The antagonistic facial expression of the skin staring into the lens of nicks camera shows he was clearly enraged by the fact that he was photographing him being apprehended. This sort of image would have summed up the ethos of the skinheads in the eyes of the media; young working class aggressive men looking for confrontation on bank holidays like this image at seaside towns like Brighton and Southend, often clashing with mods or other skinhead factions. |
Police keep their eye on youths at southend, 1981.
The image depicts 5 police officers surrounding a group of skinheads on the beach in southend. The photo was taken in black and white film, most likely 35mm. Nick Knights book 'skinheads' highlights the fact that skinheads were a known problem to police. They gathered on bank holidays in seaside towns and caused lots of trouble, mainly due to fighting. This image epitomises the heavy police presence anticipating trouble where the skinheads have gathered. By surrounding the skinheads who are sitting down peacefully, it could be perceived that the police present is antagonistic to the skinheads who are not causing any trouble. This creates a sinister and aggressive mood in the composition, the black and white image gives further drama adding a feeling of darkness and gloom. |
Derek Ridgers:
Ridgers (1952) is an english photographer best known for his work in the music, film and street culture scene. with a career spanning over 3 decades, Derek has photographed many influential characters including famous musicians and politicians.
Derek studied at ealing school of art (1967-1971), he then went on to working advertising as an art director for around 10 years before he began his career as a photographer.
The work shown in this exhibition is from his documentary style work titled "skinheads" taken over a period from 1979-1984. The work depicts the lives of a gang of skinheads he met whilst photographing in a soho nightclub. He trailed them over a period of 5 years and got to know some of them quite well during this time. His photographic style depicts these individuals in a distinctive manner and the outcome is astonishing.
Some of Derek's first photographs in his career were of the skinheads he documented, it wasn't until 2010 that he produced a book on the subject.
Derek studied at ealing school of art (1967-1971), he then went on to working advertising as an art director for around 10 years before he began his career as a photographer.
The work shown in this exhibition is from his documentary style work titled "skinheads" taken over a period from 1979-1984. The work depicts the lives of a gang of skinheads he met whilst photographing in a soho nightclub. He trailed them over a period of 5 years and got to know some of them quite well during this time. His photographic style depicts these individuals in a distinctive manner and the outcome is astonishing.
Some of Derek's first photographs in his career were of the skinheads he documented, it wasn't until 2010 that he produced a book on the subject.
Ridger's work is a recording of the lives of the skinheads, a controversial youth subculture commonly associated with punk and Ska music, drug culture. This archive is a realistic and truthful portrayal of them. This image shows two skinheads, clearly intoxicated off an illicit substance, likely to be 'speed' (amphetamine sulphate), a drug commonly taken by skinheads at the time. This added to their aggressive traits as they were known to be violent characters. All of Derek's work was taken using black and white 35mm film, the lack of colour doesn't hinder the compositions in any way, instead making it have a more dramatic and powerful edge, whilst providing a greater contrast of light and dark. Thus creating a sombre mood.
Derek has taken this close up image using a source of lighting to illuminate the subjects, all of the contents of the photo are in full focus, allowing for textures in the background and foreground to be picked up by the lens. The faces of the skinheads are rough and tattooed, this is highlighted by the detail of the photo showing texture. Long hair was a signature cut of the hippies, so it makes perfect sense that an anti-hippie group would have short hair. The skinhead hair cut had its benefits for this youth culture. If they got into fights, which was common, the opponent couldn't grab their hair. The hair is easy to manage when they are working, the skinheads often had manual labour jobs such as construction working. |
This particular image depicts a feel of friendship and camaraderie within the skinhead community, showing a group of friends enjoying a night in what looks to be a pub. The pub is likely to be a local stamping ground of the skinhead community likely to be in east London where the concentration of skinheads was at that time period (1970's). The image shows a female skin within this group, it was only in the 1970's that females began to join the sub-culture, adopting their own take on the style, an androgynous look. The black and white composition is in full focus and exaggerates the textures present in the background although the central focus is the 4 skinheads smoking and drinking in the foreground. The image was most likely taken on 35mm and judging by the glare of light on the skinheads, a flash was used to provide the directional lighting illuminating the subjects. There is an upbeat mood to the image, the skinheads look content and happy to be around their friends drinking and smoking together. The angling of the second individual, looking towards the camera with his body turned to the side
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Conclusion:
From this exhibition, I can see that British life and youth culture throughout the past has been formed by the socio-economic situations of the time as well as being influenced by previous styles, cultures and music forms. From persona down to fashion, subcultures determine many aspects of the lives of individuals within them.
Looking into these photographers work has shown me that a youth subculture at any given time can have influence from a wide variety of factors. As time progresses on, the youth develop, trends and attitudes change, new ones form in their place and the cycle continues on.
I’ve learnt that many of the lives of young British people are affected by socio-economic factors shaping everything from their persona to their taste in music. After this analysis and research into these subcultures, past and present, it is obvious that there is a vast amount of post-modern recycling amongst subcultures and groups of youth. This recycling comes from older ideas and styles from years before and they alter to fit the modern day.
The different photographers in the exhibition convey the subcultures they document in different ways. Derek Ridgers photographic investigation of skinheads forms a neutral perspective on them. He acts as a fly on the wall as he archives them through his lens. Simon Wheatley on the other hand, aims to portray the youth of the grime music scene as aggressive characters; this gives evidence to the fact that not all of these photographers were working objectively.
Each photographer in this exhibition has used the camera as a medium to convey lifestyles that will and have inspired new generations of youth. I believe photography is a powerful way of telling a story, evoking emotion and stimulating thought, without the use of text to tell the story.
This curatorship task has driven my ambition to lead my photography into a new direction in response to this curatorship.
The main theme I intend to follow on from this curatorship is Youth expression, through mediums such as music, fashion and night-life. The contrast of how youth express themselves through each of these things is something i could potentially explore.
Looking into these photographers work has shown me that a youth subculture at any given time can have influence from a wide variety of factors. As time progresses on, the youth develop, trends and attitudes change, new ones form in their place and the cycle continues on.
I’ve learnt that many of the lives of young British people are affected by socio-economic factors shaping everything from their persona to their taste in music. After this analysis and research into these subcultures, past and present, it is obvious that there is a vast amount of post-modern recycling amongst subcultures and groups of youth. This recycling comes from older ideas and styles from years before and they alter to fit the modern day.
The different photographers in the exhibition convey the subcultures they document in different ways. Derek Ridgers photographic investigation of skinheads forms a neutral perspective on them. He acts as a fly on the wall as he archives them through his lens. Simon Wheatley on the other hand, aims to portray the youth of the grime music scene as aggressive characters; this gives evidence to the fact that not all of these photographers were working objectively.
Each photographer in this exhibition has used the camera as a medium to convey lifestyles that will and have inspired new generations of youth. I believe photography is a powerful way of telling a story, evoking emotion and stimulating thought, without the use of text to tell the story.
This curatorship task has driven my ambition to lead my photography into a new direction in response to this curatorship.
The main theme I intend to follow on from this curatorship is Youth expression, through mediums such as music, fashion and night-life. The contrast of how youth express themselves through each of these things is something i could potentially explore.
Bibliography:
- http://www.tomhunter.org/gallery/
- http://www.tomhunter.org/
- http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/dec/06/a-history-of-grime
- http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/10534/1/don-t-call-me-urban-simon-wheatley
- http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/3889/1/creative-portfolio-will-robson-scott
- http://willrobsonscott.co.uk/portfolio/grime/
- http://www.lauraannnoble.com/artist/robert-clayton/
- http://www.lionfarmestate.co.uk/
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/robert-claytons-images-of-the-lion-farm-estate-capture-life-in-a-corner-of-early90s-england-10315209.html
- http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/estate-post-industrial-ruin-at-the-end-of-thatchers-britain?utm_source=vicefbuk
- thttp://fantasticted.tumblr.com/
- http://www.derekridgers.com/index/category/gallery%7Cdocumentary%7Cskinheads/start/0
- http://dough-magazine.com/london-skinheads-by-derek-ridgers/
- Skinhead - Nick Knight