!WOWOW! is a collective based in Peckham, London, with members from various disciplines including fashion design, film, music and photography. Formed in 2002, !WOWOW! have intentionally defied definition in order to retain an organic form and (lack of) organization, preferring to remain ambiguous as an entity. The !Wowow! phenomenon began as the name for an art-disco some friends put on in the back room of a pub called The Joiners Arms in Camberwell, South London. They continued sporadically, and in 2003 held a series of warehouse parties under the name Wowow Boys in New Cross, London, that have been credited with kicking off what’s been dubbed the ‘new rave’ scene in Britain, led these days by bands like the Klaxons.
Loosely organised around artist Matthew Stone, the core group includes include fashion designer Gareth Pugh, performance artist Millie Brown, video installation artist Adham Faramawy, and other graduates of Camberwell, Goldsmiths, Central St Martins, The Royal College and Slade Universities. The group also includes Ben Schumacher, Lennie Lee and Fayann Smith, otherwise known as K-tron.
From the outset, the group specialized in the occupation of ‘renegade art spaces,’ squatting commercial properties including a derelict theatre, a tile warehouse and an ex Kwik-Fit Garage chain outlet, and turning them into party, exhibition and temporary living and studio spaces. Until 2006, the group was based in an occupied artist run space in Peckham. They have since staged events at Area 10, a state funded project space in warehouses at the wharves in Peckham. !WOWOW! have created a culture reminiscent of the Pop Art era in 60s New York where trashy art and music warehouse parties had their first heyday. In recent years, the group have promoted numerous art events and parties in London and Berlin. They are also known as The Children of !WOWOW!
> www.myspace.com/childrenofwowow
> www.myspace.com/artshaman
> www.cultgeist.com
Appearances:
> CTM.08 > THE CHILDREN OF !WOWOW!
