A celebration of the creativity and technology that has collectively recorded and shaped our cultural experiences from photographer Colin Hutton

Photographer Colin Hutton’s new London exhibition celebrates the much loved technology of the past.

Audio cassette tapes, VHS, polaroid, 35mm film and vinyl were the defining forms of creativity and technology that collectively recorded and shaped our cultural experiences. Hutton decided to source and use these materials to create a series of unique headpieces reflective of particular moments in time and shot the series using today’s digital technology.

Visual archetypes and subcultures including punk and disco, are revived and celebrated using materials synonymous with certain periods.The headpieces are constructed with exceptional detail. Hutton’s punk wears a Mohican made exclusively from UK Subs punk vinyl originally released in the 1970s, his Disco Diva Afro is made solely from Donna Summer’s Bad Girls cassettes sourced online. Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash is wearing a playful 1960s style bob made from vintage polaroids. Hutton personally sourced all the era specific materials with authenticity in mind, endlessly searching on eBay to find the perfect cultural pieces from these exact moments in time.

“The original inspiration for the series came from seeing a punk. His multi-coloured Mohican looked like it was made from records, and I was inspired to attempt to make one out of vinyl.” says Hutton, whose new exhibition FORMATS opens at the J/M Gallery on Portobello Road on 2nd March.

“It was very important to me that original materials were used in the portraits. I sourced nearly all the materials second-hand and developed a great appreciation for the magic of eBay. Who knew there was a thriving international market for vintage polaroids? Where else could you purchase over forty copies of That’s What I Call Music CD’s or Super 8 Prints of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho?” says Hutton.

“These formats, such as vinyl records and 35mm film photography, have collectively recorded and shaped our creative enjoyment for decades and the series is a visual celebration of their historic importance.”

Formats by Colin Hutton opens 2–6 March, 10am-6pm at J/M Gallery, 230 Portobello Road, London, W11 1LJ. Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove. @huttonimages www.huttonimages.com