Black Dogs

Artist Collective based in leeds. Investigated self-sufficiency in the form of a DIY Survival Guide as part of the Art in Unusual Spaces programme in empty shops round leeds.

In their words:

"Gaze at A0 prints of crucial life-tips such as 'How to Make a Finger Puppet', 'How to be a Cheap Skate', 'How to Make a Sweet and Sour Stir-fry' and so forth. Leave empowered and ready to subvert the world."

Above are images from the presentation of the DIY Survival Kit at Leeds Students Union on 21st Nov 2009.

These are A0 prints, each describing something that can be done DIY for a self-sufficient life. Interesting stuff!

Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon

Hierarchy Designs

Old school visual of capitalist hierarchy! Artist unknown, taken from a facebook group. We rule, we fool, we shoot at you, we eat for you, we work for all and feed all.

Pictogram version! Proper nice idea, looks a little squashed tho. Artist not specified again, taken from the same facebook group.

Domestic Violence Leaflet!

Flyer with information on domestic abuse and advice on how to react to it. Nice high impact cover. Not sure about that gradient like, but the house design with logo at front door is really interesting.

Jonathan Barnbrook - 9/11

the bar code cliche is getting a bit old, but i like the minimal use of colour.

Passenger jet used to start war, fighter jet used to end war. Doesn't really make sense when you look at it like this, does it?

It cost $3 for the stanley knife used to hijack the planes that crashed into the two towers but $47, 000, 000, 000 for a single missile used on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Evolution!

Jonathan Barnbrook - N. Korea booklet

Good old fashioned juxtaposition is a running theme across double page spreads in this Barnbrook booklet that was dropped over North Korea with the intention of informing citizens of the totalitarian regime.

I couldnt see the difference for a long time, it made me laugh when i did though. Just seems a little extreme to be distributing in such an intensely authoritarian state.

Ultimately, its all just anti-propaganda. The (once again) juxtaposition of two similar images conjures up negative connotations of the regime, which is massively anti-religious.

Leeds Postcards

Despite the fact that they never reply to my constant emails and suggestion of my my designs, leeds postcards are still impressing me every so often. A lot of the time i see what they've got on the print and i'm unimpressed.

Good old fashioned tory bashing is making a popular comeback though.

this is absolutely genius.

Good old Guy

Woodcuts by Masereel

I love these woodcuts. they're from a book called "the city" and work as a social commentary of city life in the mid 1920's.

• The first motorcars and the first awareness of pollution in city atmospheres

• proletarian icons are also used, which suggests early sovietism

• The wealth divide and homelessness

• fear created by occurances such as murder

• Mundaneness of a working class and possibly soviet lifestyle.

The style of the illustrations themselves is of great appeal to me. the monotone stamp effect is something i've been interested in for a while but never really experimented with.

Monoprinting this week?