IT WAS A FAMOUS NIGHT – THE GREATEST GIGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED
This is just a quick post to draw your attention to a project called A Famous Night , put together by Chris McAuley, which I was recently told about. Inspired by the North American tradition of collectable, hand-printed, concert posters A Famous Night invites 8 artists, illustrators and designers to produce an original artwork commemorating a fictitious gig of their choosing. By allowing artists free reign over line up, venue and design concept these posters will offer a unique insight into the possibilities of this form without the usual constraints often imposed by concert promoters, venues and the bands themselves.
Tommy Perman, ‘Poster for A Famous Night’, 2012. ©the artist.
It is interesting to observe that, despite all receiving the same instructions, that the function of each individual’s poster is unique. For example, Tommy Perman’s design resurrects the spirit of the severely missed venue, Café Graffiti and brings bands, which have fallen just slightly off the radar now, back for a celebration of the energy which once engulfed Mansfield Place Church, Edinburgh. Although the poster honours an event which could have only feasibly have occured in the mid to late 1990s, and the artist has espoused a retro aesthetic for the image, the broadcast of this hypothetical event and the opportunity to purchase the work occurs via the online world. This dichotomy in itself is rather intriguing.
Paul Rafferty, ‘Poster for A Famous Night’, 2012. ©the artist.
In contrast to Perman’s poster is a ludicrous scenario, dreamt up by Paul Rafferty, which pretends that the audience for Queen’s infamous Live at Wembley gig of ’86 comprised only dogs. Instead of being sentimental and using the project to pine for ‘the good old days’ of the Edinburgh clubbing scene, Rafferty uses the project as a platform for which to display humorous contemporary Neo-Dada.
To view the rest of the posters in the project and to find out more check out: http://www.afamousnight.com/ This is an ongoing project so keep checking back for updates.
