Punk rock’s classic era is a little like World War II: It was a violent, tumultuous chapter of history that is often romanticized today. Due to some iconic images, people may think of it as happening in black and white. Ulf Hammarkärr, a graphic designer from Sweden, is helping to change that last part, one image at a time. On his Instagram account, he’s been digitally colorizing vintage photos of the punk and hardcore scenes, concert pics mostly but also staged and candid photos of the musicians themselves, including Minor Threat and Youth Of Today. Noisey’s Dan Ozzi recently spoke with Hammarkärr to find out how and why he’s been doing this. For the artist, this project seems to be about taking images from the past and making them appear alive again.
Some people have told me that seeing the photos in color have made them realize that it’s actually stuff that happened and not just historical images of something that’s been very romanticized and idolized. I think that’s very much a question of generation. I’m 28 years old, so I’ve never had a black and white TV; I’ve always seen stuff in color.