American author Chris Kraus,  culture critic Carlo McCormick and visual artist Fab 5 Freddy have all recently joined forces on the embarkment of a new hardcover creation titled Jane Dickson in Times Square.  The book tells a tale of the artistic, seedy and criminalistic night-time world of Manhattan in the 70’s and early 80’s through the eyes of renowned painter Jane Dickson. As a distinct creative voice of this period, Dickson has made her marks within the legacies of downtown art, punk rock and hip hop through her involvement with the Colab art collective which included her work in iconic exhibitions such as The Real Estate Show (1980) and Times Square Show (1980). Throughout this all,  the artist has lived her success from her apartment of 43rd street while raising two children in a time where the neighbourhood experienced it’s most crime-infested period. Through her journey, the artist has photographed, drawn and painted scenes of life in Times Square. In this book, many of these art works are reproduced for the first time along with candid shots, sketches and paintings.  The book tells the visual tale of a wild, manic, beautiful New York City with a foreword by Chris Kraus, afterword by Fab 5 Freddy and an interview by Carlo McCormick. This is the first first time Dickson has chosen to place her personal speech alongside her finished work as unfiltered personal memories.  “I was a flâneur, documenting this crazy scene: A painter, using the camera to take notes, trying to get some grip on what the hell was going on.. One of my main goals is to leave a record of how the world looked and felt, in this place, at this time, to this woman. The female gaze is not disembodied — it is very much embodied and grounded within the fame form and experience, here in my experience.” The book, published by Anthology Editions, is now on shelves in select stores in the US, UK and Australia, for more information on where and how to purchase, check out the official site. 

Tags: 70s, 80s, Art, book, book recommendations, new york

This Friday, District MTV is taking over the Design Museum to showcase 80’s and 90’s style revolutions for one night only. The late night celebration is hosted by Harvey Nichols’ former Fashion Director, Paula Reed and co-curated by Double Decker, an independent curating agency specialising in design and applied arts. Rewind The Tape set out to explore the sub-cultures we grew to love, from Goth to New Romantic and Acid Rave to Pop – it will display the leading and emerging contemporary talent, including DJs, directors, photographers and designers, all of which were influenced by the 80s and 90s. Paula Reed will also be launching her new books, Fashion in the 80’s and Fashion in the 90’s, as well as head up a number of talks with with young fashion talent. The night’s other activities include 80’s and 90’s themed make-over sessions by London College of Fashion, exclusive film screenings by new directors including MVA and ASVOFF awarded Zaiba Jabber and upcoming DJ’s such as Edifeye and Siobhan Bell will take to the decks. It’s a night full of nostalgia, poping with entertainment and it’s not to be missed.

To be part of the experience, send images of your style during the decades and your pose could be featured during the evening. Send to: rewindthetape@designmuseum.org

Rewind The Tape – Friday 6 December, 6:30 – 10pm

designmuseum.org

Tags: 80s, 90s, design museum