‘Sweet Harmony’ spans acid house and The Hacienda to rave culture today
Following its debut at London’s Saatchi Gallery this summer, landmark rave culture exhibition Sweet Harmony will soon be heading northwards for a special ‘art edit’ at Mayfield Depot.
Depot is home to The Warehouse Project (WHP), widely known as the UK’s spiritual home of rave, who’ll be hosting the free event alongside global lifestyle brand Highsnobiety and British streetwear retailer, size?.
Revellers heading to Highsnobiety's first live show in Manchester on 7th December - headlined by slowthai, Fredo and Mike Skinner - will be able to catch a sneak peak of the exhibition before it launches on 8th December. Sweet Harmony will then run at Depot until 11th December, taking visitors on a visual journey from the golden days of acid house and The Hacienda through to modern icons like WHP.
Contributors include Hacienda’s resident photographer Jon Shard, sculptor Conrad Shawcross and filmmaker/art director Brian Cannon; with a collection that captures some of the most iconic UK rave scenes, from The Stone Roses at Spike Island to satellite vistas across the North. Each pays particular attention to the ecstatic crowds at the heart of it all.
Underlining the influence of rave on contemporary style trends, size? will also curate a showcase of some of the scene’s most iconic trainers.
Philly Adams, Saatchi Gallery Director and co-curator of Sweet Harmony said: “It makes absolute sense to bring Sweet Harmony to Manchester: with so much history, and the city’s current prominent place in the rave culture scene, we are delighted to take an exhibition that began at Saatchi Gallery outside of London for the first time.”
Sweet Harmony runs from 8th-11th December at Depot, Manchester M1 2QF. Free tickets are available at events.highsnobiety.com
Main image: Ewan Spencer
