Chase & Status Share ‘Super Sharp’ First Installment Of ‘RTN II Jungle’
Over the last few weeks Chase & Status have been consistently teasing their upcoming new album ‘RTN II Jungle’, now they reveal plans to present ‘Super Sharp’. An exhibition first conceived by Chase & Status’ Saul Milton and Tory Turk – who will also curate.
Their Super Sharp exhibition – an obvious play on the ’96 DJ Zinc classic ‘Super Sharp Shooter’ – will actually form the first instalment of ‘RTN II Jungle’ – a series of exhibitions and events, as both Milton and Turk tap into the culture that is often inseparable from the music itself. The concept behind Super Sharp is a straightforward one, this is a chance to explore the love affair British rave culture shared with designer Italian brands in throughout the ’90’s. Often hailed by the Kurupt FM collective, Versace, Moschino, Iceberg and D&G in particular were amongst the most fêted at the time.
VENUE: Fashion Space Gallery
ADDRESS: London College of Fashion, UAL
20 John Prince’s Street, London, W1G 0BJ
ENTRANCE: Free
DATES: Thursday 1 February – Saturday 21 April 2018
WEB: www.fashionspacegallery.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/FashionSpaceGallery
TWITTER: @FashionSpaceLDN
INSTAGRAM: @fashionspacegallery
HASHTAG: #SuperSharp
Drawing from Saul Milton’s extensive Moschino archive the exhibition aims to map the emergence of both Jungle and UKG and the shift in club culture and style that it kicked off. “I’ve been collecting and wearing Moschino since 1997/8. Today, I look and dress like I did back then, ponytail, jewellery and tapered, tailored vintage Moschino and Reebok classics.” Saul Milton says of the project, “My collection is largely clothes that you would have seen in the raves and the clubs in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It’s a collection of nostalgia, of times when we appropriated other cultures and twisted and turned them into our own style, our own look. Rudeboy culture was everything and fast forward to 2018, it’s come full circle.”
With the ’90’s often looked upon with loving nostalgia, a simpler golden era of TV, music, rave culture and film, Super Sharp is a look at those heady days once more, “The scenes will be recreated through memories, constructing a collective nostalgia of the time. Narrated by quotes from musicians such as PJ & Smiley (Shut up & Dance), Navigator, Jumpin’ Jack Frost, Goldie and Chase & Status, who all played formative roles in the rise of these subcultures.” Milton goes on to explain, “Their personal memories shed light on why designer clothing was first embraced by Jungle ravers and then made famous by UK Garage. By combining the music, testimonials and the original garments, it reveals why high-end Italian labels were so important to the cultural and style history of both genres.”
Independent exhibition curator Tory Turk collaborates on the project and explains further, “Today there has been a revival of interest in the music, style and culture of that time. Jungle and UK Garage took place before the emergence of the Internet and the history is extensively documented online. The Internet’s version can be subverted, the overlap between Jungle and UK Garage style can become confused. A more truthful picture is revealed through the voices of people who were actually there at the time. Editorial features on Jungle and UK Garage from the magazine archives of The Face, i-D and Dazed will also be displayed alongside never-before-seen outtake clubbing shots from underground rave magazine Eternity.”
