Contre Bande

© Bibliothèque Municipale de Lyon

In the 1980s and 90s, younger generations in France sought cultural emancipation. There was a movement away from established institutions to study subjects like music or design, as youths gravitated towards improvisation, underground culture and the punk movement. This “counter-culture” went hand in hand with new objects like audio and video cassettes. Their format and ease-of-use rapidly made them a popular medium to spread new forms of creativity. Through the exhibition ‘Contre-Bande, Musiques alternatives et culture cassette 1980-1999’ (piracy, alternative music and cassette culture 1980-1999), the Part-Dieu library is reconstructing the spirit of these times. With illustrated handwritten letters, poems, lyrics, books, drawings, collages, photographs, ornaments, and odds and ends of all sorts, the exhibition rewinds to this not-too-distant past without indulging in nostalgia...