An immersive new exhibit will take over the 30,000 square foot Hall of Lights in New York City to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture with never-before-seen and archival footage of the genre’s most important figures.
The “Hip Hop Til Infinity” exhibition was developed to “recontextualize” the way people look at culture and music, and to highlight the development of the genre in a non-traditional way, according to Jon Colclough, vice- president of creative strategy at Mass Appeal, which produces the show.
“We wanted to raise the profile of the culture and put it in a place like the Hall of Lights that shows how far hip-hop has come in 50 years,” Colclough told Artnet News.
Colclough described the experience as a “visual mixtape” in homage to the genre that will be educational for casual followers, but filled with “easter eggs” for hardcore fans. It will include never-before-seen images taken by photographers like Joe Conzo, once portrayed by The New York Times as “the man who took hip-hop’s baby photos”, as well as never-before-seen footage from the Sony archives.
“We hope it appeals to everyone, not just hip-hop purists. But if you’re just a casual fan, you’ll come away with educational knowledge,” he said.
The Hall of Lights in New York. Photo courtesy of Alexander Paterson-Jones for Hall of Lights.
Hip-hop grew as a musical genre and culture after a birthday party DJ Kool Herc threw in New York’s Bronx borough in August 1973. Mass Appeal has spent the past five years developing a platform called Hip Hop 50 to celebrate the legacy of the genre. .
“Hip Hop Til Infinity” is just the first release Mass Appeal intends to take elsewhere and focuses “more on national storytelling around hip-hop in the United States,” Colclough said.
“You wouldn’t expect to see hip-hop in a place like the Hall of Lights,” he added. “I don’t think people understand that hip-hop is a global phenomenon and not just music.”
Colclough said the show’s visuals were about an hour long, while noting that 50 years was a lot to cover during that time. The exhibit producers worked with DJ Clark K on the musical score, with physical objects set in place to complement the visual images.
He added that the benefit of having an immersive exhibit – usually reserved for the likes of Vincent Van Gogh And Gustav Klimt— is the ability to “transform people across time and space.”
“We can take them to the west coast. We can show them the 1970s and what was happening when hip-hop was born to how people now collaborate to make music,” he said. “He’s an amazing medium. It’s a bit of a choose-it-yourself adventure. This is not meant to be a historical look.
“There’s something beautiful and irreplaceable about being able to recreate how someone first heard their favorite song,” said Caitlin Jackson, Marketing Director of Hall of Lights. She added that tickets will be timed every half hour, although guests are welcome to stay as long as they wish.
“We hope people are out here at 9 a.m. dancing in space, taking it all in and moving through it,” she said. “If you linger in one area, you’re going to miss the beautiful content and photography throughout the space.”
Mass Appeal has also teamed up with Sotheby’s to auction off a diamond and ruby ring designed by rap legend Tupac Shakurwhich is expected to fetch at least $200,000.
“Hip Hop until infinityis on view at the Hall of Lights, 49 Chambers St, New York, from July 26 to September 16. The tickets are now on sale.
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