Opening in May, Camden museum has 100,000-item archive telling story of British youth subcultures, from mods and rockers, to ravers and emo
In the basement of a new-build housing block in Camden, the ventilation system is working flat out. The fans whir like a chainsaw orchestra bouncing around the concrete room as they attempt to deal with a slight damp problem. “This is what it’d sound like if there was a fire!” shouts Jon Swinstead, the driving force behind the Museum of Youth Culture, as he tries to make himself heard above the din.
It’s hard to imagine but in a few weeks this empty, slightly soggy space will be transformed into an institution dedicated to all things teenage – a project Swinstead has been working on in one way or another for almost 30 years.
Opening on 15 May, the museum has amassed a 100,000-item archive that tells the story of British youth subcultures from mods and rockers, to ravers and emo.
Dotted around the team’s temporary workspace are giant pictures of grime greats, slides of Gavin Watson’s work documenting skinheads, and a Raleigh Chopper, which Swinstead admits is one part of the collection that’s “worth a few quid”. “We’ve also got an original Sony Walkman,” he adds. “It has two inputs, one that says ‘guys’ and the other ‘dolls’.”
