The following press release was sent to the website…
April 1st 2002 – Tribute to Neo-Jocquais 1975 – 1977 Royal College of Art London.
Neo = pref: greek <neos. new> new : recent. new and different. b. new and abnormal.
Jocquais = jockey. To direct or manoeuvre with skill or cunning: to move gradually or adroitly; to manoeuvre for position or advantage: to utilise trickery.
The sub Neo-Jocquais movement was co-founded by Steve Fairnie and Ray Bruce in 1975 at the Royal College of Art London.
The collaboration between two RCA undergraduates culminated after numerous excursions and events over a previous 12-month period. (See Neo-jocquais roots and influences)
The origin of the Neo-Jocquais movement preceded the original London Punk scene and considered itself an intellectual expression of confrontation and creativity.
An analogy could be drawn with the Situationist movement of the 1960s where the spectacle became oneself, liberating the human soul from the confines of capitalism and media conditioning.
Neo-Jocquaism meant creating and manipulating situations in life as a creative and dissident force.
A recognisable attire was chosen for its simplicity and directness comprising of a plain white baseball cap and “John Lennon” type round sunglasses. Facial hair was optional.
The movement often congregated in local London Public Houses near the Royal College to dumbfound and astonish the regulars with its prodigous alchohol consumption and intellectual and sometimes deliberate moronic banter often culminating in banning and expulsion.
While the movement went widely unrecognised it staged a number of strategic and creative events.
The premiere of Neo-Jocquasim presented itself at Bryan Ferry’s (nee Roxy Music) famous London Black and White Party which was strictly invite only.The movement had gained the the date and time of the event and planned an uninvited appearance. Meeting in their customary attire at a nearby pub they planned their evening’s collaboration. Security at the exclusive party was slight and the movement’s members gained access because of their attire and RCA credibility. The party was crowded with London debs and celebs although Bryan Ferry luckily could not be found all evening. With their white caps and dark sunglasses the Neo-Jocquais could easily be recognised in any location. As the evening progressed introductions were made and one of the movement’s co-founders misplaced their sunglasses in a toilet bowl while being suddenly violently ill. This caused tremendous uproar and a thorough search was undertaken for the said member and missing sunglasses. The events of the evening astounded the invited guests who insisted on leaving phone numbers etc with the present Neo-Jocquais members. One invite led to afternoon tea with a famous London heiress and the movements creative and artistic merits were discussed in detail.
Creative:
Collaboration on numerous creative projects were many: ranging from 16mm Film to Artwork Design.
Example: Controversy 14th February 1975:
The RCA Valentine’s day Neo-Jocquais dance poster conspiracy:
This created controversy and outrage as it depicted a hooded man with ‘Rapist’tattooed on his leather headgear.The poster was not withdrawn surprisingly and the Neo-Jocquais were reviled for their bad taste and appalling insensitivity. Publicity and exposure were garnered however for future endeavours.
Mixed Media:
The experimental Film ‘There’ featuring one of the Neo-Jocquais members in different London locations travelling incognito.
A list of additional Neo-Jocquais projects and archives will be published soon with original artwork and manifests.
Sincerely.
Vanelia Madison
Art Historian and Archivist
Westcoast Institute of Contemporary Art.
Vancouver BC
Canada
For more information about the Neo-Jocquais movement, contact Ray Bruce on raygunvirus@yahoo.ca . He will be glad to forward details of events and history.