The intimate side of the in-your-face genre
By Elizabeth Merino
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Hofstra senior Mike Cicchetti’s FORM Gallery, “Up To The Front: Long Island Punk”, is a collection of 30-35 photographs encapsulating a side of the Long Island Punk scene many may not have noticed before.
The collection depicts the bands in the audience’s realm. It’s not just the members on stage playing to a non-absorbed crowd. The band members are in your face, singing, yelling, flipping you off and turning to the next person faster than you can comprehend. It’s head banging and moshing, a collection of limbs tangled in time with the song.
The black and white photos, shot using almost 20 rolls of film, capture the real essence of what Cicchetti sees as the punk scene in general.
“I want to give it a voice. It has a connotation of reluctant adolescence… It’s not just 30-year-olds, it’s a nice blend of different walks of life coming together for the same moment in time,” said Cicchetti.
Instead of photographing from the sidelines or the back of the show, Cicchetti places himself right in the middle of it. His use of film gives his pictures a “timeless aesthetic,” forcing not only the viewer to deeply contemplate the photo but themselves as well.
“I wanted to transition to something that would make me think more about what I was taking instead of just quickly clicking to get a shot,” said Cicchetti.
These bands include Iron Chic, Haverford, Dads, Tigers Jaw, Touche Amore, Gottem, Gifts, People’s Temple Project and many more at venues including The Wood Shop, Revolution Bar and Amityville Music Hall.
But shows can also be found closer to school than you may think.
“I know the people observing this kind of counterculture are hidden under the radar, but it’s happening in Hofstra’s backyard only 10-15 minutes away,” said Cicchetti.
Cicchetti, a film major and fine arts minor also enjoys portraits and street photography.
“Up To The Front: Long Island Punk” will run from Sept. 14-17 in the FORM Gallery located in Calkins Hall.