Having run away from his Devonshire home at the age of seventeen, Judy Blame arrived in Manchester via London. It was the tail-end of 1977 and Manchester visionary Tony Wilson was finalising his blueprint for what would soon become Factory Records. It was here, amongst the nascent Madchester scene that Blame felt at home. Surrounded by the likes of Peter Saville and Malcolm Garrett and a thriving DIY punk scene, he discovered an aesthetic and attitude that would later shape his distinctive aesthetic.

In 1978 Blame followed Garrett down South. From Manchester’s Hacienda to the peacocking night crawlers of London clubs such as Heaven and Taboo, Blame immersed himself in an underground culture that mirrored his free-spirited nature. A product of the early-80s London squat scene, Blame found himself amongst flamboyant faces such as Boy George, Princess Julia and the late Leigh Bowery, and it was here that he really began creating. Utilising found objects such as safety pins, buttons, bottle tops, keys and plastic bags, Blame resurrected these everyday items into glimmering charm-like assemblages – galvanised armour for a generation of DIY magpies – which would become a trademark of his prolific output.

“Amongst the nascent Madchester scene that Blame felt at home. Surrounded by the likes of Peter Saville and Malcolm Garrett and a thriving DIY punk scene, he discovered an aesthetic and attitude that would later shape his distinctive aesthetic.”

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