When you’re young, the world is a ferris wheel.
That’s a lyric from a 2007 song by the indie band Bright Eyes – but also true. Youth is that dizzying, almost magical period of life that floats above a yet-unknown reality – one swelled by the spin of teenage hormones and boundless optimism.
It’s the intersection between who we are, and who we are becoming; an endless corridor filled with unlocked doors.
In other words, it’s the most formative era of our lives.
But it’s only now, for the very first time, that a museum has been dedicated to it.
The Museum of Youth Culture officially opens today, located in what is arguably London’s subculture mecca: Camden.
The idea came from Jon Swinstead, an archivist of British youth culture, whose dreams of establishing a permanent museum took a quarter of a century – and many passionate collaborators – to become a reality.
The goal, however, has always remained the same: to celebrate young people – how they have shaped history, and continue to shape our futures.
“It’s a completely overlooked part of heritage, and as a result, young people have been left out of the picture when it comes to museums,” said Jamie Brett, Creative Director at the museum.
“Especially those teenage moments in life. That hormonal stage, where it’s biological, but it’s also about the chance to leave home, and to have your own independence. That’s what creates these amazing [subculture] scenes that have never had time and space dedicated to them,” he said.
The museum itself is like stepping into your best friend’s bedroom; subterranean rooms filled with personal photos, flyers for raves, teenage trinkets, and confessions scrawled on pieces of lined paper.
Above sits a bar and shop, where adulthood meets childhood through a blend of industrial and nostalgic decor. A foosball machine clacks to the rhythm of an arcade game’s blips, while t-shirts in the corner scream ‘Punk’ and ‘Emo’.
The only thing missing is some 10pm Freddos on the counter.
While small in scope, everything inside holds your attention without being overwhelming. The main archive captures 100 years of youth culture – from 1920 to 2020 – and includes everyone from rebellious flappers in knee high boots on motorbikes, to female DJs who fought their way into the male-dominated club scenes of the ‘90s.
“We spend a lot of time travelling and going across the UK to collect people’s personal stories,” said Lisa der Weduwe, the museum’s Archive Projects Manager and Community Programmer. “A lot of what you see in the exhibitions is crowdsourced through our Grown Up In Britain campaign.”
Most of the artefacts and images keep their context sparse: Maybe a name, year and location. The rest is left up to the imagination. Yet through these snapshots of strangers’ blunder years – ‘80s goths in pinstriped tights and 00’s emos peeking through side swept fringes – you see your own youth reflected back.
No matter the subculture or decade, we all once shared that sense of unrestrained expression; when the world, for a brief time, felt like ours to rebel against and re-mould
“Young people coming together and finding themselves and finding each other really shapes so much of society and the world that we live in,” der Weduwe said.
What are youth subcultures?
Subcultures – a distinctive and unique community within wider society – have always existed and can take many different forms.
Within the context of the Museum of Youth Culture, it refers more specifically to the youth subcultures that formed from specific music and fashion scenes – like mod, punk, goth, emo, and rave.
While each of these varies in aesthetics and lifestyle, they all share defiant values that reject mainstream culture and ideals. For this reason, they’ve become a hallmark of teenage rebellion – one that’s often driven moral panic among those in authority.
These subcultures have also paved the way for alternative perspectives and art, challenging the boundaries of what was previously accepted.
In recent years, however, some people have wondered if we’ve lost this. They argue that the advent of social media has led to disconnection and the homogenisation of culture as a whole.
But der Weduwe disagrees, explaining that while subcultures might look different in a digital age, they very much still exist – and are thriving.
“When you walk through central London and you come across a group [of teenage KPop fans], they’ve all got this specific style and they listen to the same music and they’re living that life. That harks back to the kind of subculture that we remember from the 20th century. But they’ve got one foot in the online world, and one foot in the real world, because that’s the the society we live in now,” she said.
“Subcultures aren’t going to look the same, because the formula has changed in some ways. They they move with the time.”
Not another brick in the wall
Alongside growing its archive, the museum’s main goal is to be a constantly evolving, intergenerational space. One that not only preserves the past, but primarily focuses on the future.
“It’s really, really important for us to first and foremost actively support young people today. Especially at a time when young people have it rough, and a lot of their spaces have died and closed down because of factors like austerity and not enough care being taken for those spaces.
“The Museum is for young people – to have a space to be and to do.”
One of the galleries highlights this initiative, featuring an exhibition curated by the UK Youth collective. Titled: ‘Things I lied to my parents about’, it explores the notion of lying as a core part of discovering our identities against cultural and societal suppressions.
It also feels especially pertinent at a time when social media has just been banned for under-16s in the UK. In a now viral response, one teenager, when asked by the BBC what they will do now, said: “Stare at a wall”.
But at least, as artist, DJ and museum contributor Linett Kamala commented: “Now they have an interesting wall to look at.”
Much like teenagers, the Museum of Youth Culture is still figuring things out, ready to be steered by those it’s for. But it’s also already full of British charm and heart; somewhere to rekindle community, creativity and listening to what young people actually want and need.
For the rest of us? It’s a reminder that we’re old – but that we were young once. And that while generations might change, we’re all more similar than we realise.
See, it was never just a phase, mum!
The Museum of Youth Culture opens on 20 June in Camden Town, London.