RETROSPECT JOURNAL
2017
REVIEWS
27
RECORDS AND REBELS AT THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM H IONA GLEN The V&A’s blockbuster exhibition ‘You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970’ takes the visitor on a kaleidoscopic tour of the Sixties, accompanied by a headset with a jamming soundtrack. It is a fun and sensory experience, crammed with a riot of colour, costumes, and memorabilia. The Sixties are presented as an era of unprecedented societal upheaval, the origin point for many present-day concer ns to do wit h environmentalism, the importance of political activism, and consumer culture. All the iconic elements from the time are represented here, from the Beatles to LSD, Twiggy to Vidal Sassoon, Barbarella to Andy Warhol, and the varied cultural scenes of London, San Francisco, and New York. An impressive array of 1960s relics have been collected, such as handwritten lyrics to ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, shop signs from Carnaby Street, and paper mini-dresses that became posters after two wears. A room devoted to political upheaval and activism examines Maoism, the Vietnam war, the Paris
’68 protests, and the Black Panthers, showcasing posters championing causes such as civil rights and abortion. This is one of the most thought-provoking spaces, exploring the political dilemmas of ‘opt in’ and ‘opt out’; although, it is a shame that the women’s liberation movement and LGBT rights are not given as much space as they deserve. Another room recreates the Woodstock experience of 1969: visitors are invited to recline on bean bags set on artificial grass while surrounded by large screens playing the famous onstage performances, such as Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner.’ The consistent focus on music throughout pulls the show together, as great tunes from the likes of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones shift the tone of the exhibits through their different key changes. One major flaw, however, is the exhibition’s uncritical attitude towards the Sixties, which promotes the clichéd, mythologised view of an unparalleled epoch. This may make you look forward to the 1970s for the punk
backlash. Reflecting the nostalgic view so dominant in current popular culture, the exhibition appears to view the Sixties as the high-point of social change and creativity with subsequent events a poor comedown. At the end a video montage shows footage of post-60s global events, including the Miners’ Strikes, the destruction of the Twin Towers, and the Iraq War. A placard asks whether we still think we can change the world as hippy veterans reminisce about lost idealism; through the headset John Lennon sings ‘Imagine’ wistfully in our ears as we troop towards the gift shop. There is a sad irony running through the exhibition at times, especially when it lauds the activists who wanted to resist consumerism but exits past a large Sennhauser headphones advert. In these contradictions, the V&A’s ‘Records and Rebels’ manages to capture both the initial excitement and novelty of 1960s culture and society’s complicity with its subsequent commodification.