Popular Dance Culture 2001-2002 It’s a ‘rave’ new world out there. At least that is what I thought when I became fascinated with the popularity of ‘Rave/Dance culture’ in Auckland during 2000-2002. I first became aware of the rave culture living in Glasgow, Scotland during the mid nineties. I worked as a freelance press photographer in the UK print media. It is was there I developed many of the skills and knowledge of reportage photography, developing bonds of friendship with some of Scotland’s finest photojournalist. Having spent many nights indulging in the ‘Great British Pub Culture’, on my return to New Zealand I was amazed to discover that the once healthy and popular ‘High St booze orientated nightlife’ I had left was been replaced by an even more popular ‘K rd ecstasy/speed nightlife’ scene. Over the space of four years the city nightlife I had known and loved had completely transformed. I felt sure that the popularity of the Rave/Dance culture was approaching its zenith when I began this body of work in 2001. With big dance parties over this period like Slinky, Two Tribes, Nice’n’Urlich, Velvet, Chemistry, Gods kitchen, Unity, Our House Party, Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher, plus many big-name visiting international DJ’s. Parties were often sold out with crowd numbers swelling to 3000-4000. Waiting queues to get inside the venues often went around the block, for scantly dressed ravers who were standing around close to half an hour, you could tell their drugs kicked by the wide eyed dancing. I found it an overwhelming experience when first entering a large dance party. The foyer and entrance area can often feel like a vibrating wall of people, with mouth chewing ravers and touristy spectators engulfing you in a wave of energy. People are everywhere, moving from room to room checking out what music is on offer, milling around chatting, waiting for the rush in the main room as anticipation builds until it becomes almost palpable. On the dance floor you can experience a huge bass, which moves through your body, and music moves around you as if it were a blossoming landscape of sound. You are flanked by thousands of fellow ravers dancing side-by-side facing the DJ much like in a conventional concert. I imagine many are simply enjoying the chance to slip into a semi-trance, a community experience that only the dance environment offers. The ‘Chill Out’ or ‘Cool down ‘ areas are places you can stumble across a darker side amoungst the celebration. A generation in need of the human touch engaging in-group displays of affection, lost souls against the walls staring out of the darkness and couples locked together for minutes on end kissing like there's no tomorrow. Then there are the drugs. The high can sometimes be a purely dazzling an experience of nearly orgasmic proportions, spread over period of four hours, or just a low buzz-feeling similar to drinking too many coffee before lunch, coupled with an irritating locked jaw. The ‘crash’ or ‘come-down’ that follows can be hard for many to cope with when the night/day ends, and they are faced with the cold light of day, and their newfound life friends revert to paranoid strangers. But all in all from my personal experiences, having attended some 70 odd dance parties over the last two years, I witnessed a lot of fun being had and love experienced even if it was a temporary and perhaps shallow kind. People from all walks of life came together as I’ve never seen Auckland do before, it was a special time I feel. The Exhibition comprised of 106 images-16x12 inches hand printed colour Ilforchrome, reproductions, and six Ilforchrome large format panoramic images a metre long. Also accompanied by 50 images of the ‘The Gathering’, New Years Eve three-day Dance Party ‘, Nelson 2001-2002, from colour negative film and colour transparency positives. |
