Boombox

This iconic portable stereo is making a return in the form of The Boombox Project, an exhibition by American photographer and filmmaker Lyle Owerko.

Opening tomorrow at Whisper Gallery, the exhibition will feature contemporary fine-art portraits of an array of vintage boomboxes, which Owerko has spent years collecting and photographing.

Some of the 27 portraits have been on show since the beginning of the month at London’s art and music venue XOYO.

As the main message of The Boombox Project is about gathering and community, ‘it makes sense to have it as accessible as possible in both a traditional gallery setting and as part of a live concert venue,’ says Owerko, who adds that ‘the combination makes the project louder and more inviting to the history of the Boombox.’  

Owerko, who owns over 50 vintage boomboxes, had had a boombox in his life from a very young age. ‘The XL sized prints come off loud, bold and unforgettable – just like the Boomboxes were back in the day,’ says the artist.

Last October Owerko published a book about the boombox and his photo series called The Boombox Project: The Machines, The Music, and The Urban Underground.

The exhibition demonstrates that the boombox is relevant today. It ‘still holds up as a visual and object of rebellion continuing forward as big part of today’s youth culture,’ Owerko says.

The Boombox Project will run from 9 December to 15 January 2012 at Whisper Gallery, 27-28 Eastcastle Street, W1W