The Beat Goes On
“Of everything else I did around my first album, this video and dress sum it up aesthetically better than anything else. Plus the dress was owned by my mother in the Seventies which gives it extra sentimental value.”Candi Payne talking about a vintage Ossie Clark dress she wore for her video of the title track of ‘I Wish I Could have Loved You More’.
Sound and vision have always been connected in pop music. From fashion and sleeve design to photographs and music videos - we don’t just listen to music we also watch it.
The Image and Design section of the exhibition looks at the people behind the creative process. Explore the work of graphic designers, photographers and video makers; from designing a record sleeve to creating a look. Material on display includes original artwork for Space and The Wombats as well as Beatles suits and a dress worn by Cilla Black for an appearance on ‘Ready, Steady, Go’.
Atomic Kitten. Courtesy of Integral RPM
The ‘look’ of a band has to fit together with what they sound like. Some musicians have complete control over their image, others are styled. The debate around ‘manufactured pop’ and ‘genuine’ musicians has been going for decades and we explore it here. .
Whatever the type of music, one thing is for sure. Image is central to pop.