I went along to see 'Some Day All The Adults Will Die: Punk Design 1971-1984', a small exhibition at The Hayward Gallery last week to see the roots of punk design and how it evolved but I think it's over-selling itself somewhat. Bill it as an exhibition of posters, fanzines and limited-edition 7” singles and I'm with you all the way.
It's only two small rooms plus a corridor upstairs at the Hayward but it was packed with memories and smiles for me. There were lots of references to the Sex Pistols but I saw nothing for The Clash or X-Ray Spex, and only one mention of The Jam. Lots of the names of bands meant nothing to me (but probably meant everything to the curator) since we were in the territory of bands coming together for a few gigs and then splitting into various off-shoots but it was the energy and enthusiasm that seeped from the posters and records that entranced me. This was DIY culture writ large.
I loved glancing around the wall of fanzines and spotting an edition I'd actually bought back in the day. Then looking over the wall of 7” singles and seeing a rather battered cover for the Swell Maps whereas mine is rather more pristine. I also loved looking in a glass case at some cassette singles – were they in a a glass because they were cassettes (a now lost technology to anyone under 30) or because they were rare? I don't know, but it made me smile.
The whole exhibition made me smile. It's rather incomplete in that there's nothing about fashion or any of the other visual or tactile arts – it really is about posters, record covers and fanzines and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe one day we'll get a more all-encompassing exhibition about punk, but not today. If you're at a loose end on the Southbank with half an hour (or less) to spare the head on over to the Hayward Gallery and take a look.
I loved glancing around the wall of fanzines and spotting an edition I'd actually bought back in the day. Then looking over the wall of 7” singles and seeing a rather battered cover for the Swell Maps whereas mine is rather more pristine. I also loved looking in a glass case at some cassette singles – were they in a a glass because they were cassettes (a now lost technology to anyone under 30) or because they were rare? I don't know, but it made me smile.
The whole exhibition made me smile. It's rather incomplete in that there's nothing about fashion or any of the other visual or tactile arts – it really is about posters, record covers and fanzines and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe one day we'll get a more all-encompassing exhibition about punk, but not today. If you're at a loose end on the Southbank with half an hour (or less) to spare the head on over to the Hayward Gallery and take a look.
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