Three decades of punk culture to see in 20 days. This is the proposal of the duo Sardine and Tobleroni this October.

Those who see punk rock as a mere musical genre are disappointed. The exhibition “We love 77”, by the visual artist duo Sardine & Tobleroni, wants to prove the opposite.

“The year of punk” - this is how the guitarist of The Parkinsons and member of the now extinct Tédio Boys, Victor Torpedo, defines this mythical 77 that is part of the name of the first art exhibition of this style. In addition to the musical projects, in addition to Tiguana Bibles and Blood Safari, Victor Torpedo plays Sardine, the visual artist who, together with Jay Rechsteiner (Tobleroni), does what they both call Conceptual Art Brut.

Irreverent names that mark the history of punk culture appear on the Sardine and Tobleroni screens, such as The Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones or Patti Smith, but also post-punk bands such as The Libertines, Joy Division, Gang of Four or Sonic Youth that continue to prove that this style is not dead.

The famous Swiss chocolate and the typical sardine inspired artistic names of those who were colleagues in the portfolio five years ago at a multimedia course in London. Graphic design was a common interest, but not the only one. “A painting project was born out of the fascination with the punk style and its influence on popular culture,” says Victor Torpedo. References such as Andy Warhol or Marcel Duchamp marked the beginning of the artistic journey of this unusual duo. Pop art invades the screen, which is divided in half — Sardine paints the right half and the left is up to Tobleroni.

And because punk was born to demand, to create an attitude and impose it on society, “the inertia of the student movement, but also the lack of cultural initiative of the mass of Coimbra, in general” worries Torpedo.

The influence of the Tédio Boys - with great success in the United States of America, greater than what they had in Portugal - is what Victor Torpedo considers to be the reason why Coimbra is often referred to as the “city of rock”. She was chosen to host the event, which stands out not only for its exploration of punk at the level of the visual arts, but also for publicizing its historical aspect through films screened at the House of the Arts of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation and the States Club, such as “Punk Attitude”, by Don Letts, last Saturday, the 8th. There's even room for bands. The Ten O Seven, The Ricky C Quartet, Vic Godard and the Subway Sect, and Paul Collins Beat honor the legacy left by others from that 70's.

The year of 77 revived on screen, screen and stage.

Rita Lucas
October 11, 2011
 

The “We love 77” program also includes concerts, at the Discoteca States, by Vic Goddard and The Subway Sect, Ten O Seven, Ricky C Quartet, Paul Collins Beat and by The Parkinsons, a punk rock band from Coimbra, who perform at the opening.

Screening of films and documentaries “mythical and illustrative of the dynamics, social impact, and contexts surrounding the punk movement over the last few decades”, by directors such as Don Letts, Amos Poe, Derek Jarman and Julian Temple.