'It was the best of times it was the worst of times.' Maligned,
misunderstood and fetishized the 1980's stands as the decade when
post-modern life began in the west, and London was at the epicenter of
this shift. An explosion of creativity took place against a backdrop of
radical social change. London became a city of tribes. The vast youth
culture categories of the preceding decades shattered into shards. It
was the decade that sub-culture as a way of life reached it's zenith
before giving way to it's inevitable scene surfing conclusion. Ridgers
documented this cultural moment obsessively. Punks, post-punks,
cyber-punks, gothic punks, mods, hard mods, Trojan skins, racist skins,
ska, reggae, dub, early electronica, synth pop, acid house, happy
hardcore, Blitz Kids, New Romantics, Hip-Hop, Rap, Electro, Break Beat,
Techno, Rave - these were all sub-cultural spaces with scenes attached
in London in the 1980's. Unlike now, subcultures in the 1980's were not
casual playthings - they were a way of life for their participants. They
inspired profound loyalty. They were a beautiful a doomed flowering of
the hope for a better world. Derek Ridger's exquisite street portrait
photography has captured this creative decade beautifully.
