Rock against racism : 1976-1981

Author / Creator

Shelton, Syd, author, photographer

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Physical

Summary

"Syd Shelton: Rock Against Racism is a body of photographs that Syd Shelton produced for and about the British Rock Against Racism movement (RAR) of 1976-1981. For Shelton, this work was a socialis...

"Syd Shelton: Rock Against Racism is a body of photographs that Syd Shelton produced for and about the British Rock Against Racism movement (RAR) of 1976-1981. For Shelton, this work was a socialist act, what he calls a "graphic argument," on behalf of marginalized lives. His practice of photographic activism began in 1973 when he was driven to document the socio cultural and political dynamics expressed on the streets of Sydney by urban Australian Aboriginal communities, the working class, and the architectural landscapes of these groups. Shelton's first solo show in 1975, "Working Class Heroes" at the Sydney Film-makers Cooperative, established his distinct activist eye...What is presented here are Shelton's authoritative visual statements as participant-photographer on the social tempo in Britain at this time and the activist potency of RAR. As collective activism, RAR's success was dependent on individual contributions to fuel the movement's activities across the country. This unique national, and eventually international, charge incorporated the visual dynamic of how Black and white RAR contributors and participants styled their bodies as another antagonistic tool against racism. These were acts of style activism--the making of an activist identity through the considered composition of clothes, accessories, hairstyles, makeup, and body language. Shelton's images prompt us to remember that the individuals at RAR carnivals, gigs, and demonstrations were the event--they were RAR." --

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