Another book I’ve read is PUNK: Chaos to Couture. It celebrates the punk movement as a whole, not just in Northern Ireland, and gives loads of contemporary examples of designers taking inspiration from the original movement, alongside images from the time of the original movement. I found this book very visually inspiring. Here are some quotations I liked:
- “The economic situation in Britain was its own source of inspiration. There was a sense of failure in Britain as a whole. It felt like the whole country was going to collapse. There was no real movement, and that was quite instinctive and a natural sensation. Most of us felt hopeless – no future, no jobs, nothing… But everything comes from something.” (pg 21) This quote weirdly reminded me of how I feel about Northern Ireland in the present day, like there’s been no progress. This just confirms my thought that perhaps a movement like Punk is what we need?
- “Punk smashed every convention of acceptable self-presentation, whether based on age, status, gender, sexuality, or even ethnicity. It prized originality, authenticity, and individuality, and devised specific visual odes in order to rebel against the cultural mainstream.” (pg 12) As I’ve said, N.I. is lacking in individuality, and inclusivity, so the more I read about the punk movement and what it stood for, the more I believe it fits what I need to communicate through my work.
- NOTE: From what I can tell from these books, there’s a debate as to whether punk originated in New York around 1974 or in London in 1975, depending on who you ask.
- “The cliché is that the original American version of ‘punk’ was about art while the British was about politics.” (pg 19)
- NOTE: Look up SEX for visual research, a boutique ran by Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren at 430 King’s Road, Chelsea. Extremist political material with graphic imagery from the sexual outer limits.
time to change 