Last month, Google Arts & Culture launched The Museum of Youth Culture, celebrating the UK’s and London’s pioneering role in youth culture and self-expression.
The world’s first online museum devoted to youth culture, it includes more than 16,000 photographs and 40 expert-curated exhibits for users to explore the country’s rich tapestry of social movements from post-war Britain to modern day.
From the birth of festival culture in the 1960s to the impact of Acid House in the 1980s, the museum also incorporates Google Street View locations and extensive playlists.
Founder Jon Swinstead has been working on this project for over two decades. Using the archives of Sleazenation magazine, he has helped bring together flyers, paraphernalia and photographs collected over the past 22 years into one curated online portfolio.
Commenting on the project, Swinstead says: “This is a fantastic and pivotal moment for the Museum of Youth Culture. The result of more than 20 years of collecting, archiving and researching youth-led British social history, to be right here now launching the Museum of Youth Culture with the help of our partners at Google Arts and Culture. We are looking forward to exciting developments ahead.”
Lucy Schwartz, Program Manager, Google Arts & Culture adds: “The Museum of Youth Culture has one of the most impressive collections of its kind, and we’re delighted to partner with them to celebrate and preserve the UK’s rich heritage of fashion, music, art and social history. We’re looking forward to announcing more exciting projects with the Museum of Youth Culture over the coming months, and giving youth culture a permanent, protected place on the Google Arts & Culture platform.”
To access the images, simply download the free Google Arts & Culture app.
Click through the gallery above for some of the best images from The Museum of Youth Culture.
