Ravers of the Lost Art

Imagine that you are in a warehouse filled with writhing, sweating bodies, pulsating beats, laser lights cutting through the smoke. People dancing, jumping, high, buzzing with a sense of unity, coming together to escape the mundanity of everyday life. It’s August 1988, the second summer of love, the year house music was born. You are lost in the moment.

Suddenly, you hear a bang, as the police barge into the warehouse. Everyone scrambles to escape. You see the organiser frantically stuffing a suitcase with cash, pills, flyers, contraband. They hide the case behind a hatch in the wall in a dark corner of the warehouse.

The notorious missing suitcase takes centre stage in TBOY’s Ravers of the Lost Art exhibition at the Pop Gallery in Brighton. TBOY describes the conceptual piece, A Case of Dirty Cash, Pills and Thrills, that inspired the exhibition: ‘I just woke up one morning and had this idea for a movie about an 18 year old rave organiser who sets up this illegal rave, realises he’s going to get busted, and buries this briefcase, full of stuff, so its in the rafters of the warehouse. 34 years later, an older person goes back, myself and retrieves the case…This piece sparks the ideas for all of my work, so every single piece in the exhibition has something to with this case…whether it’s the thrills and pills, for example, the smiley face and the pills inside it. The techniks 12 10s relate to the music... It's all period correct from 1988. I was just turned 18 in 1988.’

TBOY draws his inspiration from house music, iconic moments, events, people and places in time, and movies, such as Tron. He defaces real money in his work, as he is drawn to the idea of destroying something that is intrinsically ugly, and turning it into something that is both more valuable, and aesthetically pleasing. For example, TBOY’s vintage Cassette £10 is made up of old £10 notes that have been cut up and layered. Happy Note Skeleton #5 is made up using multi-layered smiley faces with gold leaf, perspex, blow torched pieces and a bank note. The Grenade £1 is made up of layered vintage notes to create a raised image of a hand grenade.

TBOY has exhibited in London, Manchester and New York. He studied Fine Art and 3D Design at Worthing College for four years, before moving onto work as a frame maker and finisher with the major London Galleries.

The exhibition encapsulates the way contemporary artists respond to the acid house movement. Its playful, fun and makes for a wonderful trip back in time. The exhibition also features stand out pieces from other artists, such as Cassette Lord, Curly Mark, Soak, Trafford Parsons and Jason Pengelly.

Trafford Parson’s glamourous gold diamond dust silk screen print, Bowie Golden Years Glitter catches your eye, as it sparkles in the light. Cassette Lord is best known for his cassette designs that decorate many of Brighton’s telephone junction boxes. His bold retro designs aim to create a statement against consumerist propaganda art. Soak’s Neon Smiley is the corrugated quad with the eponymous symbol of the smiley face that represents the acid house movement. Curly Mark’s stark Apocalypse Smiley contrasts markedly with the traditional baroque style frame to make a bold statement piece.

Head on down to the Pop Gallery on Trafalgar Street, Brighton to see the ultimate in acid house art before the exhibition closes at the end of the month. TBOY is currently planning his next exhibition, inspired by gaming, called Atari to Sega and Beyond. He hopes to take his work further, aiming to be bigger and bolder, using more advanced techniques, and more complicated materials.