Sharing Harmony

Sweet Harmony is a touring arts exhibition that premiered at Saatchi Gallery in London in July 2019. Since then it has partnered with The Warehouse Project in Manchester, ADE in Amsterdam and the V&A in Scotland, making it the most dynamic rave culture exhibition in the world. During Sweet Harmony’s run at Saatchi Gallery, it hosted over 50 live DJ sets including Carl Cox, Lisa Loud and Skream, as well as dance music collectives such as Secretsundaze and south London’s Co-Select.

One Thursday evening during the same summer of 2019, photographer Alex Watson came to Sweet Harmony for an after hours opening. Watson wasn’t aware that an underground rave collective had taken over the exhibition’s Rave Room as part of a series of late night events. When he discovered the Rave Room he grabbed his camera and started capturing and photographing what he found. This photograph from Watson's first visit to Sweet Harmony was unplanned and unposed. Watson was never commissioned by Sweet Harmony to photograph their series of late night events. But his skill in capturing authentic moments through his mastery of light and shade, meant they invited him to create a story around the raves hosted that year.

Here you can see Shawcross’ earliest concept sketches, setting out what would be required. Following this are some initial designs of how the piece would be installed within the exhibition’s first run at Saatchi Gallery in London.

Designs of Golden Lotus (Inverted) 2019 being installed

In the same way that rave culture subverts failed industrial spaces, Shawcross’ sculpture transforms a failed and forgotten 80's sports car into a joyous gesture of rebellion. The car, a 1981Lotus Elite, has been stripped of its engine and typical functions, instead serving as a symbol of 1980s materialism literally turned turned on its head. With a soundtrack by the Scottish producer Mylo booming out of it as it rotates, Golden Lotus (Inverted) portrays the captivating and anarchic ability of rave culture to subvert the norm.

In April 2018, Les Imaginaires by Marc Ippon de Ronda opened at Centre Pompidou. De Ronda had worked with Seth Troxler multiple times before, providing creative elements for DJ sets in Ibiza and around the world. Together with Catherine Lefere from ATO Design, de Ronda and Troxler began to develop an installation that was built around ideas of reflection and immersion in colour, inspired by his show at Centre Pompidou.