The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ Turned Into Art

Vinyl copies of The Beatles’ seminal self-titled record has been transformed into an art exhibition in the band’s hometown.

New York-based artist Rutherford Chang has collected more than 1,000 well-worn copies of 1968’s The White Album and turned them into an art installation at the FACT center in Liverpool, England.

Chang initially became fascinated with the way fans lovingly decorated the plain cover using methods from stickers to scribbling, and has put them on display in the style of a retro record shop.

He says of the show, “There are all kinds of things written on them and they provide an interesting snapshot of the last half century. It was an album I bought by chance as teenager, and then years later I saw a second album. That’s when I realised every copy was unique. I’ve read breaking-up letters written by girlfriends or boyfriends. I’ve seen love letters and poems, drawings – you can imagine. I’m interested in the White Album as a cultural phenomenon.”

Visitors to the gallery are invited to donate their own copies of the album to the exhibition. Venue representative Jen Chapman adds, “In the city that created the world’s most famous band, we hope there will be lots more albums collected – and lots more personal stories about the White Album discovered.”

The exhibition opens tomorrow.

Photo Credit: TheBeatles.com

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