Chasing the zeitgeist

When the legendary CBGB’s club in New York was closed down in 2006 because owner Hilly Kristal could no longer afford to pay its rent, there was a bitter taste left in the mouths of all concerned.  A club that nurtured the talents of so many great artists – from Blondie to The Ramones – tossed aside by a landlord who chose to condemn rather than save a cultural Mecca in the interests of money.  

A high-end fashion store, where a pair of beige trousers will set you back 200 pounds, has since replaced CBJB’s – and the narrative is not unique to New York.  Edinburgh’s The Venue, once a host to the likes of Nirvana and Oasis, suffered a similar fate when its owners could no longer afford to pay the bills – and now the stage that was graced by the booze soaked shoes of a screaming Kurt Cobain is a pristine wooden floor in a silent, posh art gallery. 

The issue is one of gentrification – where areas populated by struggling musicians and artists become ‘cool’;  attracting wealthier ’young professionals’ to the area, thus driving up house prices and in turn ironically forcing the broke artists who made the place ‘cool’ in the first place to seek a new home because they can’t afford the increasing rent. 

It happened in San Francisco in the 70’s, and again in recent years – and in London it’s a constant cycle; the people with money blindly chasing some perceived notion of zeitgeist, even if they unwittingly destroy it in the process. 

Hackney in East London is in the midst of one such gentrification – exemplified by recent plans to demolish legendary grassroots arts space The Foundry to make way for an expensive 18 story hotel and retail complex.   A pub and a gallery that provides a free exhibition space to any artist – budding or established – The Foundry’s walls are adorned with the scrawlings of the likes of Banksy and Gavin Turk; but the financial weight behind the proposed ‘Art’otel’ clearly overwhelmed the cultural merits of the dingy Foundry in the eyes of the cash-strapped local Council. 

"All great art comes from a sense of outrage" said the actress Glenn Close; and if she’s right, then there is light at the end of the tunnel – because as music venues are replaced by overpriced designer shops, and as the wrecking ball swings for the walls of the Foundry, we can rest assured that at least a few masterpieces will be already underway. 

 

See more of Ryan's work at http://www.rjgallagher.co.uk/