Seana Gavin
Photographer | Artist
It started with the revival of fluorescent sports jackets. Then came rectangular sunglasses, Nike Air Max, leather trench coats, shell suits, mesh vests and black bombers with that classic luminous orange lining. Over a gradual period, the aesthetic of 90s fashion seeped into today’s dance music era and became visually synonymous with that of rave culture from almost three decades ago. In the case of Photographer and Artist Seana Gavin, she has lived through the most hedonistic moments of this period and created a tangible snapshot of such a time in the form of her new book, Spiralled.
Spiralled is a segment of Seana’s teen and adult life spent weaving in and out of Europe’s DIY and off-the-radar music scene. Having upped sticks from Woodstock in New York as a child, Seana flitted between parties in her new London-based location, soaking up the sounds and atmospheres of illicit rave culture as a youth. Feeling at home in the depths of a dancing crowd, she found her tribe as parties, festivals and gatherings of all kinds remained constant. Capturing points of chaos, confusion, euphoria and spirit, Seana built up a stacked collection of material and continued to develop her style while studying at Camberwell College of Arts. As her eye evolved over the years, Seana established herself by exhibiting psychedelic collage work while honing in on her photography skills.
With a fly-on-the-wall approach, Spiralled pulsates with energy. Described as a ‘visual diary of travels and unravels through Europe in the nineties in the company of a sound system’ the book brims with verve and ignites a sense of curiosity within the viewer. From the pair of milk-bottle legs poking out from a pile of record bags to a hazy post-dawn crowd hanging around a field with a PA dotted in the distance, Seana accompanies the collection with diary entries, flyers and ephemera to paint the full picture of 90s rave culture and all that came with it.
As an artist, Seana’s schedule has been affected by Covid-19 but this year has allowed her to spend more time in the studio, which she talks about below, as well as sharing a memory from a derelict factory in Spain - not from the 90s…
Photo: Seana Gavin
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it? What was the music vibe at the time?
New Years day, Badalona 2000/2001. It was such a memorable party for me. It was held in an abandoned factory near Barcelona and lasted a week. There was such a good vibe and so much effort had gone into creating the environment for the rave with huge neon totem poles, back drops and a clock which set off flames at midnight. Most of new years eve itself was a blur but I remember exploring the warehouse in the morning and was lucky to capture this shot.
It was a multi sound system party. There was a side room that played hip hop, dancehall and jungle. But overall it was a hard techno vibe.
How have you been over the last few months and what is life currently like in London?
For the past year I haven’t been fully living in London. Before lockdown I was still in the city half the week but then since March I have been mainly in the village where I now live in Oxfordshire. These last few months I felt very lucky to be there with lots of green space which kept me sane.
Life this year has been full of contrasts. In some ways I have been really enjoying a slower, more simple, pure life. We have started to grow our own vegetables and my studio is at home. This time has forced us to stop, and appreciate the small things. For the first time in my life I have gotten to know my neighbours and they have been really helpful to me. And it has been a surprisingly good productive time for me in the studio without distractions.
But there have also been moments of anxiety over Covid, especially in the beginning when I was adjusting to this new reality. And I have really missed my friends in London, there have been moments when I have really craved being with a group of mates on a night out. I was born in London and lived there for the majority of my life so it has been a big adjustment for me to not be in the city. But London is not itself at the moment, the atmosphere feels different there. It feels disjointed. So many people I knew there want to leave. It feels like all the benefits of living in the city aren’t as accessible - eating at restaurants, clubs, events, going to private views. These things aren’t happening in the same way.
When London's club culture was alive and kicking before the pandemic, did you feel connected to the scene or detached because of how significantly nightlife, events and festivals have evolved over time, particularly with the addition of iPhones, Instagram and various strains of social media that have trickled down into electronic and live music?
I agree that the contemporary obsession with our smart phones and social media does stop you from being in the moment and lose your self awareness. There are too many people holding up their phone recording an act on stage or being too busy taking selfies. That's what I think is great about Berghain in Berlin, I really approve of the fact they confiscate your phone for the night when you enter.
So I guess I had felt more detached to London club culture in recent years. For a while I knew people that would take over basement bars in east London to put on monthly nights. But then suddenly something shifted and it felt like the area was taken over by tourists and students, so people moved on to less gentrified areas like Tottenham. For me in the past 5 years I would most likely end up on a dance floor by pure chance - usually it would be a house party or an after party for an art event.
Your new book Spiralled circles back to 1993 and documents parties, raves and festivals which you frequented all over the world. How did you find the experience of putting the book together?
I came out of the scene in 2003 after the tragic loss of my best friend at a party in France. So for a long time I emotionally buried the material in the book. In the last few years I became aware of the increase in interest in ‘90s rave culture. And realised not everyone had first hand access in same way as I had to the underground scene I was involved - so it felt like time to share my lived experience. I was lucky to have been offered a solo show at galeriepcp in Paris last summer. That is the first time my material had been shown to a broader audience. So when it came to the book I had already begun to organise some of my negatives and pull together relevant diary entries.
Going through it all brought up a spectrum of emotions - nostalgia for a time that was lost, joy, laughter, sadness for the people that were no longer with us. But it also reminded me of the energy and excitement I felt from being on the road and travelling with the sound systems across Europe. Overall It has been a healing process. And as I wasn't able to have a physical book launch I ended up being united with a lot of people via social media that I hadn’t seen in 15 years. So it ended being a bit of an online reunion which has been great.
In terms of music, have you been listening to any tunes or specific artists that have added some colour to your day-to-day life during this strange year?
I’ve been listening to a variety of music. When I’m in the studio I like to have something in the background so listen to - a lot of digital radio like NTS. But my guilty pleasure during this time has been feel good nostalgia from the 80s and 90s - Grace Jones, Prince, Massive Attack. And for some reason found myself listening to some old school brit pop like Paul Weller and Blur. I think I have really been craving hearing music from that era when the world was more pure and innocent compared to our 2020 troubles.
At this moment in time, how do you feel about the future?
Everything is uncertain. It is hard to plan at the moment, we need to be very organic and go with the flow more. I’m hoping this year will create positive change in society and how we live. But I don't think things will be normal for another year or so. So we have to learn how to live with the presence of the virus.
What’s the one thing that has remained a constant source of comfort or escapism for you over the year so far?
Going for long walks in nature and being outdoors as much as possible.
Seana's previous works are all available here. Follow her below: