Next exhibition: White Noise in Chaumont May 26 – June 10
//Build-your-own poster adverts for Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True in music papers published July 1977.//
Selection has started on the Barney Bubbles presence at this summer’s group exhibition about the visual language of music, White Noise: Quand le graphisme fait du bruit (When graphics make the noise) at the 23rd International Poster & Graphic Design Festival in Chaumont, France, from May 26 to June 10.
I have supplied the text for the catalogue and last week met co-curator Sophie Demay to start the exhibit selection; Sophie is creating White Noise with Étienne Hervy, the Chaumont festival artistic director and former editor of French graphics magazine Etapes.
//Back cover, Third, Big Star, Aura Records, 1978.//
//Front, Left Book Club publication + Blockhead watch.//
White Noise also incorporates exhibits by contemporary artists and graphic designers Laurent Fétis, James Goggin, Shoboshobo, Experimental JetSet (who are collaborating with Sonic Youth) and Studio Moniker.
Bubbles’ work will have the largest presence in terms of volume of exhibits, but we want to ensure that it’s “not a history lesson”, as Sophie says.
I am also not keen to repeat the exploration of the creative and commercial production phases in my 2010 show Process, so we have come up with an approach relevant to today’s designers, particularly those engaging with music.
//Inner, cassette sleeve, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Get Happy!!, F-Beat, 1980.//
//Cover variants, Almost Blue, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, F-Beat, 1981.//
//Front cover + inner, A Case Of The SHakes, Dr Feelgood, UA, 1980.//
//Pages, The Ian Dury Songbook, Wise Publications, 1979.//
//Left: Front cover, The Parkerilla, Graham Parker & The Rumour, Mercury, 1978. Right: Cover + booklet, Xitintoday, Nik Turner's Sphynx, Charisma, 1978.//
//Pages from Oz, November 1971, including (left) advert for Hawkwind's X In Search Of Space.//
From time to time I’ll be reporting on the progress of setting the show up.
Read more about the 23rd Chaumont Festival Of Poster & Graphic Design here.