Those of you who pay attention may know my partner Nell works at the Women’s Library in Whitechapel. Before you ask, Men ARE allowed in! It is in fact a library of women’s history rather than a library for women’s use only. It was here I saw the banners used on suffragette marches which sparked in my imagination last summer when producing the artwork for The Cribs’ Ignore The Ignorant.
I made these banners with Nell, and then shot them in the areas around Brick Lane and Spitalfields. Now me and Nell are making a new banner for the Library itself.
Nell’s skill with a needle puts me to shame and I enjoy being obsessively neat and methodical (give me anything with a system) so I prepare the type. Here’s a sneak look at the project before Nell goes to work on the lettering.
Eagled eyed people out there will spot that I’ve used Swiss921 as a starting point for the type. It’s a labour intensive process, with the cutting and pinning of letters being only half the job. The end product is always satisfactory though. Its so weighty and tactile.
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