Just received my copy of the spectacular In Loving Memory of Work: A visual record of the UK miners' strike 1984-85 curated by Craig Oldham. It's a wonderfully designed by Craig Oldham and Aaron Skipper, and published by A Unified Theory of Everything.
The wrap around cover is extra special as it's made with coal dust and the design throughout is exceptional. The bold typography and strong use of colour reflects the 'agitprop' and political topic perfectly. On top of that the use of stickers on the board cover is a great touch. As with many grass roots and community lead acts of resistance, design and production was on the cheap, often hand made. The primary point being that it could be easily disseminated, thus photocopies, fly posters, stickers and buttons are at the heart of the visual language.
The book treats it's subject with sensitivity. It's not just a visual history, it engages with the people and events. It's humane design.
There's also this great film showing the production accompanied by a poem by Pete Currie.
It's an awesome book, tackling a tough time in the UK through the visual record of one of it's most important political struggles. It's the record of those who lost, a record of Thatcher's UK at it's most divided. If you are too young to remember, or just not familiar with the events, take a look, and read around a bit. It's extraordinary what the UK government got away with and the institutions it coerced to support it. The BBC's 'specially' edited coverage of The Battle of Orgreave alone is beyond shocking. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jul/18/turningbacktime
Find out more and get your copy here: http://www.inlovingmemoryofwork.com/
Publisher: http://utoepublishing.com