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Old vs. New
07th November 2008. Posted by Tara Tomes. Trackback
The cyclical juxtaposition of trends
“What a fantastic title,” I hear you say. Thanks, I quite like it too… makes me sound very intelligent!
So, I officially have the blog-bug (note the alliteration here… I seriously am intelligent!) and as I sit thinking about what my next post should be about I have one of those “Eureka!” moments whilst reading this month’s City Living.
Next to the obligatory welcome by Mr Perks there was a piece about Wolverhampton graffiti artist Temper and his new collection, Post Graphaelite, which “explores symbolism, astrology and pre-Raphealite idealisms combined with a desire to herald the advancement of graffiti.” (Quote: City Living, 6 November 2008). As you will see from our news page we are currently working on an exhibition, Utmost Fidelity: The Painting Lives of Marianne and Adrian Stokes, opening at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on 30 January 2009. Marianne Stokes was actually part of the pre-Raphaelite sisterhood, which got me thinking about how a street artist can make traditional art “cool” again. Making me ponder upon the cyclical nature of trends…
As someone who considers themselves as relatively young and ‘on-trend’ I obviously do things that most 22 year-olds do – drinking, shopping and so on. But, unlike most of my friends, I do like being cultural; going to the theatre, watching the ballet, visiting art galleries; which made me realise that I am the “cyclical juxtaposition of trends” personified – I like both the new and the old.
This ‘traditional vs contemporary’ state-of-affairs seems to be in the forefront of my generation; with converted warehouses being transformed into modern living spaces a standard practice these days. Whilst at the Plus Preview evening on Wednesday I was admiring the beautiful old space that the Custard Factory has converted into the newly launched Fazeley Studios. Even whilst looking at the innovative design projects at Plus someone commented on how it would have looked even better if there was some old furniture in the room.
This just reminds me of all the times my mom has said, “I remember leg warmers the first time around” and other such comments that demonstrate how trends come back around time and time again.
So, my point really was just that it’s interesting that old becomes new once again… perhaps this is something to consider when pre-empting the future of an industry. But in a ‘digital’ world how will this work? And does this mean that we’re never actually being innovative or inventive; are we simply reviving old ideas?
Something to ponder upon whilst having a Kit-Kat and doing some twittering I think…
Comments
Tara can I please have my leg warmers back xx
Barry Tomes
07th November 2008