This was a high risk mission because a few weeks ago I fell on my arse on this slippery tree-lined road with such a thud a couple a street away turned back to check on me, but the barbed fencing on the right made me stop urgently and take a picture.
A national ICON!
My friend Charlie read this article (The Insane History of Polish Movie Posters) the other day and ended up sending me a print of one of them, because he knew I’d like it, and he was obviously right. I was so excited to display it I whacked it on the nearest available surface, hence why it’s currently hiding behind M&S vouchers. I didn’t clock this initially, I was so taken in by the colours, but from the top of the stairs (and a little bit in this picture too) it looks like a face. It’s great.
I promise not to turn this into a Polish Poster Blog, but another one of my favourites is the poster for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” by Franciszek Starowieyski. I have a print of it somewhere. I’ll level with you – it’s quite ugly! You’d think one of the keystones of good design is that the item is pleasing to look at, and this is anything but, so how exhilarating that an artist has the freedom to create something which doesn’t conform to that expectation? I think it catches your attention, which makes it very effective nevertheless. For a start, when I saw it on eBay I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I purchased it.
Here’s the article, and I recommend reading it if only to find out the fascinating reason behind why communist Poland had such a vibrant movie poster design culture.
The Midland Hotel was allegedly coveted by Adolf Hitler, who maintained a keen interest in architecture, as a possible Nazi headquarters in Britain. American intelligence speculated that the area of Manchester around the town hall was spared from bombing during the Second World War so as not to damage or destroy the Midland Hotel.
Midland Hotel, Manchester – Wikipedia
If he knew how long it would take them to find a room with working AC he’d change his mind I think.