CULT SCREEN: HIGH ON HOPE
The story of what happened when ‘acid house music’ arrived in Northern England from Chicago, ‘High on Hope’ documents the acid house/warehouse scene that sprang up in late 1980’s/early ‘90’s Great Britain during the Thatcher era, and its subsequent metamorphosis from underground counter-culture to worldwide mass youth cult. The ‘rave’ scene is the classic example of a sub-culture that was eventually adopted into the mainstream.
These all night, un-policed acid house parties which were held in fields,warehouses and even abandoned stately homes, were a reaction to the mass unemployment of the time, the bleak future and the general sense of depression and boredom that this generated. The inept and reactionary Tory government saw the rave movement as a threat to the ‘moral majority’ and in wanting to appear tough on law and order were quick to ‘crack down’ harshly. The film is a story of fabled Northern England idealism, community, police brutality, false imprisonment and the biggest mass arrest in British post war history. It is one which resonates today as we witness the worldwide ‘Occupy’ movements, youth unrest and social tensions, and are faced with the spectre of recession under failing economic market. Dance music is once again in the public eye also as a dominant resurgent force in the music world, with mega artist/DJ collaborations (Rihanna & Calvin Harris being the latest) topping the charts and airwaves DJs have become household names and multi thousand capacity dance events such as ‘Sensation’ are ten fold and sell outs.
Made by Peirs Sanderson, the film is set to a soundtrack of the era’s biggest acid house tunes, one whose message is ultimately;
”to tell a story that hopes to inspire us to come together more positively in the 21st Century, as this might just be what we all need most.”
Lessons well learned.
Ian Michael Luke Turner
Central St. Martins in London is perhaps the worlds most famous and influential fashion college, boasting an enviable list of alumni that includes fashion greats John Galliano, Manolo Blahnik, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Vogue’s Hamish Bowles, Hussein Chalayen, Rifat Ozbek, Riccardo Tisci, Paul Smith, Matthew Williamson, alongside the writer AA Gill, actors John Hurt and Colin Firth, singers PJ Harvey, Sade, M.I.A, artists Gilbert and George and many many more.
For the first time a film has been made documenting the colleges impact on the fashion world. Entitled ‘I Hate My Collection’ it has been made by Oleg Mitrofanov and respected fashion historian Judith Watt.
An interview with Mitrofanov can be read on Vice Style; http://vicestyle.com/en/news/today/post/i-hate-my-collection
