POP 657 Wednesday 27 July 2011


Today's POP is Ashley at the Londonewcastle Depot, about as close to Shoreditch as he ever gets…

 

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The Isis Gallery is always worth a visit, not least because John Marchant's cultured vision makes its home at a different spot with virtually each show right now. Isis' latest Jamie Reid showcase, a retrospective tour-de-force called 'Ragged Kingdom', has entered its final week on Wenlock Road, N1 in a rough warehouse space more often frequented by fashion insiders for "designer sample sales".

 

 


Any culture vulture worth her weight in punk reissues knows that Reid has innovated from the Suburban Press (1971-1975) to the Sex Pistols to urban protest activism and a long creative residency at the legendary Strongroom Studios (home of Orbital and much Nineties dancefloor energy). What makes 'Ragged Kingdom' so well worth a visit this week is the deft manner in which Reid has woven all his history into an engaging, provocative whole.

 

 

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So it's all in wigwams, with a printing press, some very expensive Sex Pistols original artwork and a handy bed all on site. You get to take a special-edition piece of art away with you by collecting Zerox pieces from each tent. And if all that doesn't excite, then you can just have a kip in Jamie's punk riff lullaby land, much like the boy who cuddled up on a school trip visit the day before I arrived. Pretty vacant indeed.

Ragged Kingdom aims to "manifest as a Peace Camp in our midst – a place to pow-wow." When I was there, couples, kids and impressed/impressionable tourists all bonded over the glyphs, screenprints, symbols and archive junk. No mean feat.

If you do have the chance, it would be a shame to miss the final week of this engaging event. There are arguably many Ragged Kingdoms, but there is only one Jamie Reid.

 

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Isis Gallery is at Londonewcastle Depot, 1-3 Wenlock Road, London N1 7SL until this Saturday, July 30th

 


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