The current exhibition at La Luz de Jesus gallery, Boombox Creators, is a trip back in time to the 1980s and the birth of hip-hop.
What struck me most was how cerebral and geometric the boomboxes are as objects–all gray or black angles and silvery gray circular shapes. In contrast are the sounds–wild, pulsing, vibrant–they produced back when music was freed from enclosed rooms and came dancing out onto the street, the beaches and city parks.
In a video produced in conjunction with the show Arabian Prince of N.W. A. fame describes the sounds as ‘shared music’. In the same video artist Patty Astor notes that the boombox suddenly meant everyone could have their own recording studio. Actor Andre Royo also shares his thoughts about boomboxes. Take a look at the video here.
On the walls of the gallery are photos of Ice Cube and Basquiat, among others, you can buy for Christmas gifts–or for yourself. There are also prints of the original technical drawings for boomboxes for sale as well as mix-tapes created by Miles Lightwood, the driving force behind Boombox Creators.
Here are some photos of the exhibition:
