We are also given insight into how much our local area influenced many cultures music. Gilberto Gil and his Caetano Veloso brazillian muscians and activists were exiled from Brazil and came to London. As he was walking down Portobello road listening to reggae he was intrigued by the instruments and beats, after theyre three years of exile he returned to South America and played the reggae music, creating reggaeton.
John, who is clearly passionate about the collection of prints on display at his show begins to tell us about different methods of printing, inviting us to the manual printing room to see all the employees at the studio at work.
Stencilling; A template used to draw or paint symbols, shapes and images. Stencils are formed by removing sections from template material in the form of text or an image. The template can then be used to create impressions of the stencilled image, by applying pigment on the surface of the template and through the removed sectikons, leaving an imprint of the stencil on the underlying surface.
Screen Printing; is also a method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface.
Etching; Is a printmaking process that dates back 500 years. The etching process involves sheets of metal, usually made of copper or zinc and acid is used to etch the print onto the metal.
We are then escorted to the Digital print studio equipped with industrial sized inkjet printers that print images that look strikingly simillar to the pristine hand printed/painted versions.
Mr Phillips who is a fascinating speaker tells us how this form of media, Print, first became popular. 'In the year 1968 a significant year because of the vietnam war there were alot of student protests in Mexico, France and Czechoslovakia. In Paris of '68 came a mass student demonstration rebelling the rule of opposite sexes visiting each others' dormitories. They created placards which read 'Allow dorm visit's after 10pm' etc because of the scale of the protests police were forced to use brutality to regain order but within months the workforce and factories joined the protestors and all services were shut down, the protest had become an Anti war demonstration and posters started a rebellion is paris. Artists and students created print studio's to make witty posters with messages'
John began making posters on his kitchen table for community organisations and the studio grew from thats. He wanted to celebrate the posters and graphics that evolved form 68, which has now turned into his exhibition. John remains extremely proud of his local area and claims "West london wrote the soundtrack and created the uniform for the 60's revolution. Over 50 years, 20% of music has been associated within four miles of west london" and he believes Groove Grove Graphics in Ladbroke Grove is the centre of the revolution.
The exhibition displays music record covers dating back from the 40's, the unique catergories are also a factor which makes the show interesting to observe.
1. D.I.Y- taking domestic things as instruments, tin cans etc. This category celebrates the 'clash of cultures' sharing and inventing music, of the Windrush generation meeting white working class and this is the chronicles of their cultures entwined.
2. Other Music Around The World- American G.I's; Jazz, Blues. Carribean; Calypso. Irish music etc.
3. All you Need is Love- This category is the title of a hit Beatles' song first performed live in BBC Studio in Whitecity, local to the studio and area, broadcasted and watched by 14 million.
4. War in Babylon- This category is about the conflict between cultures, despite John embracing the mixture of cultures and creation of new music he also acknowledges the history of our society.
5. Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll- All great music genres have been influenced by drugs in one way or another. Jazz culture- Heroin, Hippies- LSD, Reggae- Marijuana. Drugs influences thoughts which inevitably led to music.
6. Dreams- This category is the events and lives, depicting the routes or changes music makes.
7. Rock'n'Roll Shrines; this section of the exhibition is of framed photographs of buildings and places important to the creation of music.
"Art is universal and should be available to everyone" Music us and so he wanted visual to surround the studio. John percieves the photographs as the "rhythm" in the studio. He is very passionate about music and says it "expresses raw emotion" and can "challenge and provoke peoples sense of the world"
Groove grove
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