Simon Wheatley is launching the iPad edition of his book, Don’t Call Me Urban! next week. Released in 2014, it captured some of grime’s most candid moments, and documented the scene through a selection of shots which aimed to tell untold stories of urban life. The book was a result of collecting pictures collected form the summer of 1998 to January 2010, and according to Wheatley, posed an important cultural moment.
“Musically, Grime represents the moment when London discovered its authentic response to what had become the major genre on its streets – hip hop. Socially, I felt that the time of grime – which is ongoing – is one of both rebellion and conformity. The youth have rebelled against authority in a way that has never been seen before, in an era of severe community breakdown.”
The book details some of the voices of the culture, and Wheatley’s portraits of Giggs and Crazy Titch have now become infamous images of the artists. In the time since the release of the print edition, Wheatley has been making films, and the digital iPad edition has seven films of its own, exploring themes of gentrification, looking at the effect of the Olympic village and featuring music from Novelist.
The launch event for the digital edition will take place on the 28th July at the Apple Store in Covent Garden.