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I have lived in Forfar, a close-knit farming and weaving community, for 25 years.
Generation after generation have worked their entire lives in these trades, a tradition that is not questioned, just a way of life. By my mid twenties I was desperate to leave this existence, fed up feeling different, not belonging to this community who seeked no change or progression and being bored with the gang mentality of having to look and act the same in order to ‘fit in’ and be accepted or risk being singled out like a leper.
My work to date has been driven by this confusion of longing to be excepted yet not wanting to belong. The work often being an exploration of fantasy and escapism, particularly represented through a child’s eye.
On my return to Chelsea after a year break and from living in the small town of Maldon, Essex, I found the similarities between the two towns of great interest. Both towns consisting of mainly white working class and both with a dominant Youth Culture.
As I still had a strong interest in exploring peoples attitude and behaviour towards others I began researching the two towns and their Youth Culture, the Essex Chav and the Scottish Ned. Both groups are portrayed by the media as being lowlife, ‘not like the youth in their day’, I was interested in exploring this opinion through my previous personal experiences and by studying their lifestyles through observing their behaviour, listening to their language and speaking to them about their likes and dislikes.
I documented this by taking photographs of them and the places in which they gathered. What stood out to me was their Consumer Culture, the same expensive fast food, the same expensive designer clothes, the same expensive modified bottom of the range cars and the same expensive weighty gold jewellery, all consumed by Working Class Youths.
It was apparent that the same group mentality existed throughout, in order to belong they must have a group identity, no room for individuality.
By collating all knowledge, memories of my childhood experiences and my current research of small town Youth Culture, I began to represent this lifestyle through the use of paint. The paintings documented their everyday life through concentrating on their priorities. which were all materialistic items, food, fashion, music, cars-image.
Although at this stage I have not directly shown youth attitudes and behaviours towards others, the paintings do intend to show youth social interaction. As I continue to explore Youth Culture I hope to resolve this and be able to combine all aspects I have researched in order for an intense and direct representation of today’s Chav Youth Culture.
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