Persian Rugs

A photo show by James Edson — PWBC lifer and Wayward Gallery honcho James Edson showcases London skate life in new photo show and zine at our 71a gallery.

Poodles. Carving knives. Bucket hats. Neon lights. Just some sights you can expect to see in new photography zine and exhibition Persian Rugs, launching at Huck’s gallery 71a, Thursday, May 8, 6-9pm.

A synthesis of personalities and places, Persian Rugs is the third installment of a zine Wayward Gallery owner James Edson has been making to document his friends and the places they’ve been.

The show will reflect the DIYness of zine culture and the spontaneity of skateboarding, layering up high-quality prints with lo-fi black-and-white Xeroxes and Super8 projections to create the impression of “a zine thrown at a wall”. Staying tight within the crew, Persian Rugs also sees the addition of work from close friends including PWBC skater Snowy and skate photographer Joe Buddle.

We caught up with Edson to find out more.

What is your background and how has it shaped what you do? 
I’m from Sheffield and I’ve been in London for fifteen years. PWBC comes from the house we all lived in, in Brixton. Nine of us lived in a three-bedroom house so it was nicknamed the ‘Palace’ because it was a shit hole. There have been four different houses but were all the same kind of thing, and now Lev and those guys are in a house around Waterloo. I guess that’s where PWBC came from… we were all in a silly gang. Then the Wayward Gallery came about and I’ve had it for five years now. I’ve always wanted to do something like this. I got it through a friend – it was their bike workshop before. He just called me up one day and asked if I wanted to take it over because he was moving out and I’d mentioned it to him a few months earlier that I wanted a space like it. I took it over with two other people at first but we didn’t really get along on ideas, so they fucked off. I carried on and here we are.

What was the progression of the Persian Rugs zine?
I had a show two years ago, which gathered together work from the last fifteen years and was just weird, whatever, all kinds of stuff. This show is based on a zine I originally made two issues of before called Persian Rugs. When I was asked by 71a gallery to do the show it just seemed like a good way to tie it all together. I’ve been talking about doing a third issue for fucking ages and never done it. This installment focuses more on PWBC – documenting a mixture of friends and the places we have been. The zine to accompany it is going to be a bit different to the other issues as they were quite text heavy, whereas this is a visual documentation of the show. The general concept of the physical show is a zine thrown at a wall, with High quality prints on top of really lo-fi black and white Xeroxes.

Inspirations?
Friends really… and skating. That’s about it.

What do you look for when you shoot photographs? Is it natural ‘here today gone tomorrow’ documentary or more posed?
A bit of everything but mainly interesting people, whether they are visually interesting or just generally interesting. People that I like, or people that I don’t like, or just anyone.

Where did the name Persian Rugs come from?
It’s cockney rhyming slang for drugs apparently, haha.

Are there any anecdotes behind the photos? What the hell is Chewy doing in that knife image?
The Chewy photo is in Sicily – he’s sat at the breakfast table with a big tub of weed and a fucking carving knife! It was really funny and I don’t know what he was doing. Other than that it was just meant to be more behind the scenes from skateboarding without skateboarding, but there has ended up being some in there, just because there’s a couple of photos I really liked of Lucien and Karim skating.

I also wanted to include work I liked by some close friends including Snowy, Tom Rum Coke and Joe Buddle. I’m going to blow up one piece each of theirs for the show and put one in the zine as well. I’d like to have put more in but it just didn’t work out the way I wanted it to, plus it costs a lot of money to print. I just wanted to include something by other people and offer them a platform to continue working.  

Do you think skateboarding is ever close-minded – especially towards living in London and being creative?
Yeah totally – it’s full of pricks. But you’ve got to do what you got to do haven’t you? It’s better than being a Northern Stella drinking fighter. Fuck it, I like what I do. If you listened to all the negatives then you’d never do anything. It feels like some people want other people to do nothing and be stuck in the same little shit world. You’ve got to open your eyes a little bit. There are a lot of good people as well obviously, but there are definitely a lot of pricks.

Come down to see Persian Rugs at 71a Thursday May 8, 6-9pm. No guestlist, but when it’s full it’s full.


You might like

A man with long curly hair and a beard wearing a green jacket against a dark blue background with "Analogue Appreciation" text in yellow.
Music

Analogue Appreciation: Joe Armon-Jones

All The Quiet (Part II) — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s keyboardist, producer and Ezra Collective member Joe Armon-Jones.

Written by: Joe Armon-Jones

Colourful collage of album covers and record sleeves on display in a gallery or museum setting, with glass panels on either side reflecting the vibrant arrangement.
Culture

Largest-Ever Display of UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Opens at Tate Modern

Grief Made Visible — Comprising hundreds of panels made by lovers, friends and chosen family, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt returns in full for the first time since 1994 – a testament to grief, friendship and the ongoing fight against HIV stigma.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Two men sitting on a wooden structure at night.
Sport

The Ukrainian skatepark sanctuary on the frontlines of war

Krytka — In Okhtyrka, just 50km from the border with Russia, a crew of young skaters, musicians and friends gutted out an abandoned factory, filling it with ramps and music equipment to create a shelter of community and resilience.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Rustic footbridge across a river, with people crossing it on a sunny day. Warm tones and shadows suggest an outdoor, natural setting.
Sport

In Medellín’s alleys and side streets, football’s founding spirit shines

Street Spirit — Granted two weeks of unfettered access, photographer Tom Ringsby captures the warmth and DIY essence of the Colombian city’s grassroots street football scene.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Black and white image of several people in suits, some with long hair and unconventional appearances, alongside a large ship or boat model. Text overlaid: "FREAKS AND FINANCES".
Culture

On Alexander Skarsgård’s trousers, The Rehearsal, and the importance of weirdos

Freaks and Finances — In the May edition of our monthly culture newsletter, columnist Emma Garland reflects on the Swedish actor’s Cannes look, Nathan Fielder’s wild ambition, and Jafaican.

Written by: Emma Garland

Huck 79

We are all Mia Khalifa

How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.

Written by: Alya Mooro

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.