This weekend marks the end of the Rip it Up: The Story of Scottish Pop exhibition.
This is the first major exhibition dedicated to Scottish pop music, exploring the musical culture of the nation over more than half a century, from influential indie pioneers to global superstars.
The exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in Chamber Street, Edinburgh , which closes this Sunday, has been visited by a host of Scottish music stars including Shirley Manson, Clare Grogan, Sharleen Spiteri, KT Tunstall, Richard Jobson, Barbara Dickson, Fish, Karine Polwart and members of Franz Ferdinand, Young Fathers, Idlewild, Biffy Clyro, The Pastels, BMX Bandits, Average White Band, Del Amitri, The Rezillos, Finitribe, The Vaselines and Josef K among others.
Exhibition curator Stephen Allen said: ‘It has been an absolutely fantastic run. The response to the exhibition from music fans and artists alike has been terrific. It is a unique exhibition and I’d encourage everyone to come and visit before it ends on Sunday.’
Exhibition contributors have praised Rip It Up, including Shirley Manson of Garbage who described it as: ‘a marvellous exhibition honouring Scottish pop music.’
Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand said: ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before… it’s really well done.’
Clare Grogan of Altered Images agreed: ‘I have been in Scotland a lot through the summer and it’s been fab to bump into so many people that have visited the exhibition and loved it!’
And Duglas T Stewart of BMX Bandits said: ‘I think they’ve done a great job and it’s a very fun exhibition. I’m very pleased BMX Bandits are part of it. Go see it.’
Stephen McRobbie of the Pastels, who played to over 1200 people at the Museum Late event on Friday evening, said: ‘It’s really nicely presented, a lot of thought and work has gone into it. There have been so many incredible records from Scotland and it’s good to acknowledge that, and it’s fantastic to get something like that in the National Museum of Scotland, it’s a triumph.’
Rip It Up puts music in the spotlight, featuring archive footage and new interviews with artists and musicians along with iconic costumes, memorabilia, instruments and props from musicians including Lulu, Midge Ure, Simple Minds, Annie Lennox, Gerry Rafferty, Alex Harvey, Texas, Runrig, Teenage Fanclub, Orange Juice, The Poets, Optimo, the Fence Collective and many more. The vast majority of the objects on display have been lent to the exhibition by the artists themselves and in many cases have never before been on public display.
The exhibition is accompanied by a book of the same name written by Vic Galloway, who also presented a documentary series for BBC Radio Scotland. Over the course of the exhibition, there has also been a major TV series and popular events within the Museum, at Leith Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival and at Summerhall.
Both the exhibition and the National Museums Scotland programme of events are sponsored by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers.
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