Punks 1979–1983 - Virginia Turbett

Punks 1979–1983 - Virginia Turbett - Café Royal Books

Virginia Turbett’s first photo assignment was the Sex Pistols shooting their Pretty Vacant video. She spent the next ten years photographing for Sounds, Smash Hits, The Face and ID: the music, the fans and fashion of the punk, heavy metal, mod, new romantic, reggae, 2-tone and electro pop scenes. Her work took her to the USA and Europe photographing for features on hundreds of bands and solo artists including The Clash, Blondie, Iggy Pop, Prince, U2, Andy Warhol, Frank Zappa, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, the Jam, Madness, David Bowie and Duran Duran.

Virginia also has an archive of social reportage work. She photographed people from many walks of life often in areas of the country suffering deprivation, unemployment and the impending end of industries that had sustained their communities eg. the closure of shipyards on the Clyde and the final days of Billingsgate Market. She covered many political events including Rock Against Racism, Anti Nazi League, Right to Work, demonstrations, marches, and conferences.

• 32 pages
• printed in the UK
• staple bound
• 14cm x 20cm

About Café Royal Books:

"Café Royal Books is the idea of Craig Atkinson, an artist and lecturer. Our first title was published in 2005.

Craig wanted to create a way to make artwork accessible to a wider audience. The solution needed to be small, functional, open to collaboration, affordable, and work independently of galleries. These ideas remain at the heart of what we do.

We’re a small family-run publisher based in England, next to the woodland, dunes, and windswept beaches of the North West coast — we’re always inspired by the vastness, calm and energy of this environment. 

We make weekly publications, focussing on documentary photography linked to Britain and Ireland, printed and bound locally by a small 170 year old printing company. Libraries and museums around the world collect the books, so the work will remain preserved and accessible for many years. Our books don’t need batteries, or screens. We hope they will be used, create conversation and be passed down through family generations."

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