The Art of Self Expression at the Somerset Rural Life Museum from Saturday 8th September to Saturday 1st December 2018
Posted on: 08 Sep 2018Where would we be without the modern hipster, eh? Resplendent with their fulsome, luxuriant beards and top-to-tail tattoos, they've set the benchmark for contemporary, cultural cool, we well as being stoic ambassadors of craft ale and big-as-your-head burgers too. Fittingly enough then, this expression of personal identity (sprinkled with a judicious smattering of vintage cool) is being celebrated at Somerset Rural Life Museum from September to December with its exhibition, The Art of Self Expression.
From Saturday 8th September to Saturday 1st December 2018, it's an exploration into the recent past's fascination with facial hair and tattoos, looking at how an abundance of facial fuzz and striking body art has shaped and influenced changes in British society and culture. Unique, individual stories recounting personal experiences of this contemporary trend will form the backbone of the exhibition through testimonies and photography.
Curators of the exhibition have also delved into the past and paid special attention to tattoos accrued from Wilton and Ilchester Gaols which highlight particularly distinctive tattoos such as mermaids, women and birds. Especially for this display, Weston tattoo artist Josh Hingston and Josh Burgess of Next Level Tattoo Studio have been commissioned to recreate many of these singular 19th century designs.
Also factored into the exhibition will be an illuminating exploration into how religion, culture and social pressures spanning from the 1800s to the present have played a part in the prodigious accumulation of facial hair, from Georgian whiskers to the hippy-heavy 60s and 70s and the real ale-quaffing, pulled pork-chomping hipster dudes of today.
To find out more about the exhibition and how you can get your hipster hit, head here.
Somerset Rural Life Museum is located at Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8DB. Tel. 01458 831197
Article by:
Jamie is a writer, blogger, journalist, critic, film fan, soundtrack nerd and all-round Bristolian good egg. He loves the music of Philip Glass, the art of Salvador Dali, the writings of Charles Bukowksi and Hunter S Thompson, the irreverence of Harry Hill, and the timeless, straw-chomping exuberance of The Wurzels. You can sometimes find him railing against a surging tide of passing cyclists, or gorging himself senseless on the Oriental delights of a Cosmos all-you-can-eat buffet.
