For over two decades Jeffrey Hinton has been at the forefront of clublife, mainly DJ’ing. He was and still is an integral force in the twilight world we inhabit.
In the 80′s Hinton was a resident DJ at Leigh Bowery’s infamous Taboo club night along with Rachel Auburn and Marc Lawrence. Recording the events via film and photography he has amassed an archive of incredible, previously unseen footage. Hinton himself, with his curious eye, was inspired by the myriad of information surrounding him. His early ‘scratch’ videos shown at Taboo became quite legendary. Edits of TV, film and video combined with his own personal film, set a precedent which he has continued to explore. With a DIY ethos, he painstakingly pieced together filmed montage which reflected the mood at the time (1984).
Continuing with a community-minded practice, Hinton’s world did not end within the nightclub sphere. In fact the people surrounding him consisted of fashion designers, artists and performers; Bodymap, Michael Clark and David Lachapelle are all featured. The parallels with today’s club and creative culture make Jeffrey Hinton’s work all the more relevant.
Revealing some of his seminal archive at The National Portrait Gallery on Thursday 26th April, ‘Word Of Mouth from the Warren Street Squat’ cites a flourishing hub of activity. From its beginnings in the late 70′s, Warren Street was the catalyst, where residents and visitors met. Stephen Jones, Kim Bowen, David Holah, Lesley Chilkes, Lee Sheldrick, Jeremy Healy, and Stephen Linard began their creative lives there. Boy George and Marilyn gravitated there. Artist and filmmaker John Maybury was a regular habuté, in fact the list is quite endless, and many of the names will be joining Jeffrey on the night. The place was a hotbed of day to day life infused with great vision and much drama.
As Hinton unearths his personal account of times gone by, by paying homage to a fascinating period, he is able to reflect with an artistic and forward-thinking nature. His ethos is one of creative vision, an interaction of like-minds and endeavour.
‘In Conversation: Word of Mouth from the Warren Street Squat’ will be held on 26th April from 7pm.
Text: Princess Julia
Images courtesy Jeffrey Hinton
From top: From 80s ‘MAD’ edit/ David Lachapelle/ David Lachapelle/ Trojan and Leigh Bowery © David Gwinnutt/ Warren Street/ Jeffrey Hinton today.
