‘Taking Liberties’ was a retrospective of the photographic work of John ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins from the period 1960 to 1966. The work captures the ethos and aspirations of the emerging counter-culture, which were expressed through music, protest and art. Included are iconic images of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithful, jazz greats Roland Kirk, Thelonius Monk and others. A unique series of images capture the historic poetry convention at The Albert Hall in 1965, another set show CND marches and anti-racist demonstrations illustrating the power of popular protest. Alongside these are images of Bikers at the legendary Ace Cafe in London, as well as a series of shots of prominent ‘movers and shakers’ of the various scenes.
John ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins says
“My first camera was given to me on graduation day ’58 at Cambridge by my godfather. For the next two years, I learned how to see. I arrived in London at Xmas 1960 and found myself in a rich cultural environment – jazz, poetry, literature, arts, political protest, free love, experimentation – and followed my instincts when it came to earning a living with a camera. By the dawn of ‘67, I’d put down the cameras altogether. Asleep for 30-odd years, then rediscovered by accident, certain of the images from this brief 6-year period have now become iconic (recognized). Many more have not been seen before.”
Hopkins (born 1937) is a British photographer, video-maker and political activist, who was a highly influential figure in the UK underground movement in London. In 1965 he helped set up the ‘London Free School’ in Notting Hill. This in turn led to the establishment of the Notting Hill carnival. In 1966 Hopkins co-founded the influential ‘International Times’, a radical underground newspaper and Europe’s first ‘alternative’ publication. The voice of a generation, it was first edited by Glaswegian poet and playwright Tom McGrath (1940 – 2009). Hopkins remained a member of its editorial board and a major contributor. He also helped set up the legendary UFO Club with Joe Boyd, with Pink Floyd as the resident band.
Now in his 70’s, there have only been 3 major surveys of his photography work – in 2000 at the Photographers’ Gallery, London, in June 2009 at Idea Generation, also in London, and in late 2009 at Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow.
Malcolm Dickson, Director of Street Level Photoworks says
“This exhibition also includes some rare graphic and photographic memorabilia relating to the psychedelic London that Hoppy was central to. These include the prison letters of Hoppy and author Barry Miles concerning the running of International Times magazine, rare posters from the UFO club and various other items from private sources and archives. Hoppy was at the centre of a spiders web of connections, the threads of which still vibrate in the present”
A series of talks and events exploring the ethos and legacy of the 60s counterculture, its various social and cultural experiments and their legacy was programmed to coincide with the exhibition.
See the dedicated page for more info.
