London art gallery, Whisper, has teamed up with one of the city’s coolest music venues, XOYO, to exhibit The Boombox Project by New York filmmaker Lyle Owerko. Featuring the iconic motif of the old school boombox as inspiration, Lyle has brought together portraits of a variety of vintage boomboxes that he has hunted down over the years, which went on display in late 2011 and early 2012.
The exhibition was created in conjunction with Owerko’s book release, The Boombox Project: The Machines, The Music, and The Urban Underground, which was released in the same year. As well as showcasing his archive of imagery, some of which was on show at the exhibition, the book also includes an introduction from Spike Lee, as well as comments on the boombox culture from the likes of Ad-Roc, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Pras.
With credits that include shooting the cover of Time Magazine in September 2001, Owerko’s Boombox Project exhibition was an opportunity to see art taken in a new and unique direction. With association with pop art culture, the portraits take a look at what made boomboxes so captivating and in parts a fashion item all of themselves.
The boombox was a big element of late 70s and early 80s music culture, and for most of us growing up in that period having a cool music player was like gold dust. It’s a concept that’s not really evident so much today, although perhaps slightly emulated by the importance of a good digital music player. However, someone needs to tell the kids on the bus or walking down the street with their mobile phones on full blast held up next to their heads that they are a pathetic substitute for something that was genuinely cool back in the day.
The Boombox Project was free entry, whether you caught it at XOYO between 2nd-7th December 2011 or at Whisper Gallery between 9th December 2011 and the 14th January 2012. XOYO is located at 32-37 Cowper Street, London EC2A 4AP, and the Whisper Gallery’s address is 27/28 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8DH if you want to hunt them down.
While the exhibition has inevitably come to a close now, you can still catch up on all of the boombox art love in Lyle Owerko’s book.
