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'You Say You Want a Revolution?' 1960s exhibition opens in London

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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Culture

As The Beatles sang, “you say you want a revolution,” the Victoria and Albert museum in London may have one for you, as it showcases the counterculture that grew in the late 1960s and its effect on fashion, music, design, art and social attitudes.

The ‘You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970’ exhibition is a dizzying trip through the history of the era-defining late 1960s and its impact on modern life, touching on global civil rights, multiculturalism, environmentalism, consumerism, computing, communality to neoliberalism politics, as well as the fashion and music of the swinging sixties.

“This ambitious framing of late 1960s counterculture shows the incredible importance of that revolutionary period to our lives today,” said Martin Roth, director of the Victoria and Albert museum. “This seminal exhibition sheds new light on the wide-reaching social, cultural and intellectual changes of the late 1960s, which followed the austerity of the post-war years, not just in the UK but thought the Western world. Our collections at the V&A, unrivalled in their scope and diversity, make us uniquely placed to present this exhibition.”

There are more than 350 objects featured, encompassing photography, posters, music, film, fashion, artifacts, design and performance. Including the suits worn by Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, clothes worn by sixties model and style icon, Twiggy, an Ossie Clark costume worn by Mick Jagger, and a space suit worn by former NASA astronaut, William Anders.

There are six distinct sections to the exhibition, each presenting a separate revolution, with the first being a recreation of Carnaby Street and the Swinging Sixties fashion featuring a Biba minidress, a Mary Quant skirt suit and a flamboyant striped suit by Mr. Fish. This section is highlighted by ‘the face of 66’, Twiggy, featuring a key dress she worn to Twiggy-themed coathangers, and a hair salon recreating her famous look.

V&A opens latest exhibition exploring the Swinging Sixties

Fashion is scattered throughout the slightly overwhelming exhibition, which bombards your scenes with music soundtracks, large video displays, and historical context. Key highlights include the Souper Dress, a paper dress produced by the Campbell’s Soup Company and based on Andy Warhol’s artwork, Oliver Goldsmith eyewear, a Pan Am air hostess uniform, as well as designs by Pierre Cardin.

There are also a number of pieces from Levi’s archive including a customised pair of Levi’s 505 jeans with colourful patches and trimmings, paired with an Ossie Clark shirt, to highlight hippie-style fashion. In addition, there is a pair of bell-bottom Orange tab jeans, a pair of super slim jeans and a men’s leather jacket.

To celebrate its partnership with the exhibition, Levi’s have opened a pop-up store in the museum selling three limited-edition pieces from its Orange Tab line, which became a favourite amongst the festival-loving youth at the time. The collection includes a pair of Levi’s 505 jeans, a T-shirt, and faded denim tote bag, all of which will also be available at Levi’s Regent Street flagship.

As with David Bowie Is, each visitor has an audioguide with headphones that blares out a soundtrack, which adapts as you move between exhibits. The soundtrack is a little chaotic and fragmented splicing together well-known songs, movies, as well as featuring interviews with key figures from the period including Twiggy and Yoko Ono, and John Lennon’s 'Imagine' plays as you leave.

The ‘You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970’ exhibition will be open to the public from September 10 to February 26, 2017.

Images: Danielle Wightman-Stone

V&A
Victoria and Albert