Spinningfields has partnered with the Manchester Hip Hop Archive to create a free pop-up exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop culture.
The temporary display can be found inside the ground floor unit of NCP on New Quay Street, and features more than 250 items from the 1970s through to the present day, encapsulating the evolution and impact of Hip-Hop on Manchester’s artistic, social and political landscape.
The collection spans everything from clothing and photographs through to records, sketchbooks and posters showcasing core elements of Hip Hop — emceeing, deejaying, breakin’ and graff.
Highlights include a 106FM D.I.Y. pirate radio transmitter built by Sergei (DNA) that was used to broadcast unauthorised signals from makeshift studios and tower blocks across Manchester in the 2000s, as a way of introducing listeners to grass root DJs and artists. This is a legacy that firmly lives on, having now transformed into Unity Radio 92.8FM.
Other gems featured are cassette tape recordings of the late Stu Allan’s Bus Diss radio show from the 1980s, vintage Adidas from 1984, a Mr Scruff sketch book with Keep It Unreal postcard artworks spanning 20 years of shows at Band on the Wall, along with significant streetwear items from the pioneering boutique, The Sheep Store, acknowledged as one of the earliest importers of the Supreme, X- Large, and Stussy brands within the UK.
The free exhibition is open to the public from 12pm – 8pm every Thu – Sun until Sun 29 Oct. You can find more information on the Spinningfields website.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Wed 18 Oct 2023
