Acquiring a Youth Culture Object History
We set out to build a new collection of objects that could reflect the lived experience of growing up in Britain over the last 100 years. We received an incredible 1,786 object nominations from across the country - through street surveys, youth-led interviews, reminiscence sessions, and online submissions.
From this longlist, an expert panel worked with our team to identify 56 iconic objects for acquisition and sourced them intense research via museum connections, social media, and private collectors.
Rather than applying a fixed curatorial lens, this project has empowered us to develop a new aquisition methodology, one that begins with people and works outward. This is a collection formed through conversation and is democratic, diverse and deeply personal, representing a living archive of what it means to express yourself as a teenager across Britain.
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From this longlist, an expert panel worked with our team to identify 56 iconic objects for acquisition and sourced them intense research via museum connections, social media, and private collectors.
Rather than applying a fixed curatorial lens, this project has empowered us to develop a new aquisition methodology, one that begins with people and works outward. This is a collection formed through conversation and is democratic, diverse and deeply personal, representing a living archive of what it means to express yourself as a teenager across Britain.
• A 1970s Northern Soul bag, stitched with patches from Wigan Casino all-nighters
• A rare 2000s My Chemical Romance hoodie, iconic within the emo scene
• A Vivienne Westwood Seditionaries bondage trouser from the punk frontline
• A 1990s rave culture board game designed by Jamie Hewlett
• A Sharp GF-777 boombox, a cornerstone of early British hip hop
• A 1970s Raleigh Chopper
• A 2000s grime T-shirt with an all-over print of JME’s face
• And an original 1920s flapper dress, capturing the earliest echoes of modern youth culture expression