On the 15th October, down at the Old Shoreditch Station, RWD magazine and DECA London came together to celebrate RWDs 10th Birthday! The exhibition is going to be running until the 21st and it’s something that should be experienced not only by those who are into UK urban culture, but people who want and need to learn more about it. Bui Mushekwa headed down to the station to part-ayyy!

The first time I picked up RWD Magazine I was in year eight or nine at school, I was in shock. I’d seen nothing like it, and where I lived, there was a serious lack in ‘urban-ness’. Looking back, my friends and I thought we were the shizznat because we were reading this magazine not a lot of people knew about it.

Being at the exhibition launch on Saturday made me feel nostalgic and very cool, when I arrived, it was relatively empty but the dons of urban journalism, Ms Chantelle Fiddy & (RWD Editor) Ms Hattie Collins we’re on the decks, blending as they pleased and I could tell from here on, the vibe was going to be a very nice one. This may or may not have had to do with the Free Bar (whose effects I care to not discuss. One word – waved.) Definite crowd pleaser, hats off to whoevers idea that was!

The Old Shoreditch Station is a very edgy art space, from the outside, you wouldn’t know what to expect. The exhibition was split into two sections; the upstairs was where the main pictures were. That set up was awesome, because alongside the pictures, there were quotes from the likes of Dizzee Rascal & Skepta.

Downstairs had a sitting area, kind of like an old football stadium, and there was a dance floor and also a stage/ makeshift bedsit looking place - which was pretty cool. (I’ve never seen anyone DJ by the kitchen sink before)

Performances-wise, I really have to give it up to the DJs, Rattus Rattus from Urban Nerds who were around most of the day and fully causing a madness. My personal favourite set came from FAB (former members of Heartless Crew) Bushkin who provided the right mix of comedy and good vibes, while DJ Fonti played banger after banger. Massive props go out to Manga, J2K and Target from Roll Deep, Devlin & Mz. Bratt for awesome performances too.

As a whole, the event was a success, and I would really recommend everyone to go and visit the exhibition at least once, RWD magazine got me interested in the UK media arts, and was always a source of inspiration. Here’s to the next 10 years!

Check out the images from the exhibition here: http://www.rwdmag.com/2011/10/photo-blog-welcome-to-deca-deca10/

WORDS: BUI MUSHEKWA