May 22, 2018

Agitate!-Propagate!-’68!

A paper cutout stencil for making protest signs about ending debt

To mark the 50th anniversary of ‘1968’, a year of global protest and unrest, the Design Activism Research Hub (DARH) is staging an exhibition in the LCC Library with related events for students and staff during May. The exhibition displays visual artefacts and publications related to activist concerns in London at that time; from international issues such as the Vietnam war to those closer to home: housing, racism, workers’ rights, and of course student revolt.

The Design Activism Research Hub also ran a one-day screen-printing workshop for students from across the Design School, with the activist graphics group Propagate Collective. The workshop drew inspiration from the political visuals and techniques of the Atelier Populaire whose iconic posters were referenced by visual activists elsewhere, including the Poster Workshop 1968-71, operating in London – members of whom joined the DARH workshop. Students learned how rapid techniques and simple imagery can be effectively utilized for powerful protest graphics.

The resulting posters were installed in the library as part of the Agitate-Propagate-68! Provocations from Radical London exhibition to accompany the launch of the new book about Poster Workshop 1968-71, published by Four Corners.

Poster Workshop student participants:

Jisoo Kang (BA GMD 2), Yeo Jin Kim (BA GMD 2), Lakhi Soni (BA IVM 2), Honey Muscatt (BA IVM 2), Emilie Meyn (BA IVM 2), Rhoda Nti (BA GMD 1), Angelique Master (BA IVM 2), Claudia Hernandez (BA IVM 2), Zhang Hao (MA GMD), Kwo Guo (MA GMD), Masumi Ishii (MA GMD), Huancui Chen (MA GMD), Rong Tang (MA GMD).

Activities in May include:

  • Agitate-Propagate-68! exhibition runs from 1 to 31 May 2018 in LCC library
  • Agitate-Propagate-Reel! A 1968 themed film night on Thursday 24 May
  • Agitate-Propagate-Read! Library reading groups

 

A paper cutout stencil for making protest signs about ending debt
Screen printed white posters on a drying rack with the words "We are all foreign scum" around five people's faces
A woman with dark brown hair ried back is putting together a stencil to screenprint a protest poster
Students and workshop organisers discuss the process of creating protest posters in the screen printing studio
An anti-Trump protest poster depicting Trump's silhouette on a red background with the workds "Grad by the pussy?"
A black rat on a white paper with the red words "Even rats wouldn't live here."
A white sign with black text "Mind the Gap" and a red symbol of the UK railway sign combined with a staircase. A hanidcaped icon at the bottom of the staircase shows that railways are not accessible
A white poster with a blue anchor and text reading "here to stay, windrush"
Protest sign about solidarity, reading "we are 2gether"
Black and white geometric poster featuring a skeleton and the words "end debt"
A protest poster about the Grenfell building fire reading "Don't Tear Us Apart"
Poster about radioactivity featuring Pokémon character Pikachu