Looking at the historical and cultural origins of skinhead identity, Postgraduate Design at London College of Communication (LCC) present a new exhibition in the Upper Street Gallery which will run from Wednesday 23 October – Friday 1 November.
From 1960s British roots to contemporary global interpretations of the subculture, the show focuses on the visual manifestations of skinhead style – in dress, illustration, graphic design, photography, media and publishing – together with its links to music genres, football, politics and class.
Many subcultures have been exhaustively analysed and pored over by historians, academics and journalists. This level of recuperation has never been applied to the Skinhead movement – the subculture retains a strongly close-knit and largely underground identity, away from the cultural mainstream. This exhibition looks at the graphic language and visual communication of Skinhead identity, from its roots in the late 1960s to today.
The event includes material from collectors of skinhead artefacts, including Toby Mott, Toast, Gavin Watson and Iain Aitch, and contributions from Garry Bushell, Matt Worley, Ana Raposo, Russ Bestley, Tom Vague and Shaun Cole.
Key themes explored include:
• Origins: 1960s Mods and Skinheads
• 1960s Ska, Rocksteady and Bluebeat
• 1970s Suedeheads and Bootboys
• 1970s and 1980s Punk, Hardcore, Oi!, Skunx and Street Punk
• 2 Tone and the Ska Revival
• Class, Politics and Race – Neo Nazis, SHARP and RASH
• Gender and Sexuality
• Media Appropriation
• Contemporary Global Skinhead Identities
A Private View & Symposium on Wednesday 23 October will feature a round table discussion chaired by comic writer Roger Sabin and feature guests including rock-music journalist Garry Bushell, Matt Worley, researcher Ana Raposo and Iain Aitch, journalist and author of ‘We’re British, Innit’.
Further information can be found here.
