PYMCA Gallery presents "UNORDINARY PEOPLE"

 

Rockarchive has teamed up with PYMCA to bring you a fantastic competition.

 

One lucky winner will be given two tickets to the public launch event for "Unordinary People" on the 23rd April at The Royal Albert Hall, London.

 

During the evening (while sipping complimentary drinks), you will be entertained by the legend that is Ted Polhemus; anthropologist, photographer and author of some of the world's most influential style tribe books. Ted has documented culture vultures and explorers of identity that have formed youth movements spanning the last half century. This is a rare opportunity to see the exhibition before it opens to the general public on the 14th May.

 

To win all you have to do is delve into our archive of images on the Rockarchive website, and let us know which band broke the fashion mould and covered themselves in paint for a photo-shoot!

Email your answers to info@rockarchive.com closing date 19th April, the winner will be contacted before midday on Monday 20th April. GOOD LUCK!

 

- Ted Polhemus.

 

- Mixmag.

 

Unordinary People is brought to you by acclaimed youth culture archive, PYMCA. Celebrating the self-expression, idealism, frustrations, resilience and creative vitality of young people, the exhibition will take place at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of the venue's reflect exhibition series.

 

Unordinary People will feature an eclectic selection of rare and exclusive cultural photography, archive video footage and excerpts from essays that will highlight the history, lifestyles, fashions, hairstyles, music and subcultures of British youth culture, from the 1960s to the present day. (This documentary approach provides a fascinating insight into the lives, circumstances and concerns of the subjects.)

 

To complement the exhibition, PYMCA will also be hosting a talk with prominent guest speaker Ted Polhemus; anthropologist, photographer and author of some of the World's most influential style tribe books. He has spent his years documenting the culture vultures and explorers of identity that have formed youth movements over the last fifty years. Documentary photographer Paul Hartnett, famed for his exhibitions featuring Leigh Bowery's Taboo club and 'Midnight's Children,' work will also feature.

 

Unordinary People heralds the dawn of a new era for PYMCA with the launch of PYMCA Cultural Research. In 2009, PYMCA's spectacular imagery collection is to be complemented by extensive research texts from respected authors including Ted Polhemus and Dave Swindells, plus a collaboration with Frank Broughton and Bill Brewster from DJhistory.com. The research archive is to be further bolstered by the inclusion of video content from the BBC Motion Gallery and will also include streamed music. This unique youth culture resource has been over ten years in the making and will now be accessible, on a subscriber basis, to consumers, educational establishments and businesses alike.

 

PYMCA has become renowned its for street culture exhibitions, showcasing images from their extensive archive. Having already celebrated subcultures of Rave and Skinheads, Hip Hop and Taboo club scenes, most recently hosting a next generation art competition that identified some of London's most promising artistic talents, this exhibition will be no exception. The exhibition will feature within the Royal Albert Hall's grand circle corridor, leading you on a unique journey through the decades and will be the first time PYMCA has displayed all its archive genres together in one showcase.

 

In addition to the images on display, PYMCA has selected its most spectacular and best-loved images to be available in one limited edition exhibition book, available at the PYMCA shop online.

 

 

PYMCA has built its reputation as the World's leading photographic youth music culture archive, specialising in global youth culture, lifestyle and music and was established over a decade ago by Jon Swinstead. His aim was to create a collection of images that captured the real essence of life as a young person. PYMCA has been known as an independent, London-based archive, since 1997, sourcing, and collecting quality photography documenting youth and subculture fashions, movements and lifestyles from all over the world, past and present. PYMCA images are unique by delivering an intrinsic understanding of these cultures, as opposed to the typical media stereotyping and pigeonholing. Many of its photographers were deeply involved in the cultures that they captured through the lens, giving their work an added intensity and honesty and delivering a more genuine cultural insight. Over the past few years PYMCA has produced some of London's most interesting subcultural exhibitions using images from its archive. In 2009, PYMCA continues to develop its unique offering of images to now combine more than just images. If you have a question about youth culture, go to PYMCA. Unordinary People launches its change to become PYMCA Cultural Research.

 

For further information on Unordinary People or to book your place at one of our talks please contact PYMCA on 0207 251 8338 or email info@pymca.com

 

 

(top l-r)

Caption: Hippies outside UFO, Psychedelic club, London, UK, 1971
Credit: Chris Morris/PYMCA
Photographer: Chris Morris

 

Caption: Teenage mods in parkas, on their Vespa scooters, London 1964
Credit: Peter Francis/PYMCA
Photographer: Peter Francis

 

Right side (t-b)

Caption: Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of the Clash, Backstage at a gig, London, UK 1977
Credit: Syd Shelton/PYMCA
Photographer: Syd Shelton

 

Caption: Two teenagers boxing at Addison Boys' Club, Fulham, London, 1977
Credit: Richard Braine/PYMCA
Photographer: Richard Braine

 

Caption: A Hells Angel, Biker, Looking cool, Glastonbury Festival, UK 1980's
Credit: Peter Anderson/PYMCA
Photographer: Peter Anderson