Zandra Rhodes
Dame Zandra Rhodes burst onto the scene in the late 60s with her eye-catching textiles and flair for fashion. From pleated frocks for rock stars, to royal engagement gowns, the Princess of Punk looks back at the years 1967 - 1977.
Serie: Decades
Lemn Sissay
In 1984, 18-year-old Lemn Sissay left the care system. In the ten years that followed, he published his first book of poems, performed at the Hacienda and tracked down his birth mother in Gambia. He looks back at the decade when, he says, he entered the world as an artist.
Ronnie Wood
We spoke to musical legend Ronnie Wood about his adventures in 1960’s Britain; switching bands, swapping records and crashing parties. whynow’s decades series asks established people from the arts to discuss ten years that changed them and their work. Fresh out of art school, Ronnie was flitting between the mods and the rockers, while painting canvasses and jamming with Hendrix.
Sam McKnight
Celebrated hair stylist Sam McKnight takes us on a fashionable retrospect of the coiffures and culture of the 90s. The ‘hairdresser of all hairdressers’ has styled the likes of Kate Moss, Lady Gaga and notably clipped an iconic look upon the locks of Princess Diana. Here he looks back for whynow’s ‘Decades’ series.
Franc Roddam
Franc Roddam made a name for himself with the film Quadrophenia. If that wasn’t enough, he later created the small matter of popular TV show Masterchef. Discussing, among other things, his well-known work that encapsulated an era and the need “to know what is true and what is false” in the Directorial chair, Roddam opens up about his 70s experience.
Grayson Perry
We met with potter, painter and tapestry maker Grayson Perry in his London studio to hear how his worked changed from 2005-2015. The artist explained his journey from art to television and why he chooses to work with clay and weaving.
Marc Quinn
Contemporary artist and visionary Marc Quinn has, quite literally, shed blood for his art. Perhaps his most well-known work, Self, creates a cast of his head with ten pints of his own blood, and is remade every five years. Discussing his entrance into the world of art, permanence and impermanence in his work, and his interest in how ‘art makes itself’, Quinn looks over the years 1981-91 for our ‘Decades’ series.
Jez Nelson
Jez Nelson has been a key figure for jazz in the UK, having spent years transmitting it through pirate radio stations before joining the newly licensed Jazz FM in 1989. Along the way he’s spoken to some of the greatest and most eccentric characters in jazz and performance, including Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone and Sun Ra. For 'Decades' he talks us through the years 1982-1992.
Jack Hill
Award-winning Times photographer Jack Hill has captured the conflict and suffering of war for years. In 2014, along with foreign correspondent Anthony Lloyd, Hill was double-crossed, captured and beaten by a rebel gang in northern Syria. Covering 2006-2016 for our ‘Decades’ series, Hill talks through the hardship and beauty in his work.
Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin needs no introduction. After leaving school with no qualifications at thirteen, Emin went on to become one of the leading figures of Britart. Here she discusses her growth through the 80s and her adoration for art.
