Posters can help us create a better world - Online lecture by Clive Russell

Third and final online lecture of the series “Europe on posters”

The power of the poster, in almost all spheres of life, has been well documented since its emergence in the 19th century. But can posters be useful in how we plan for the future? In fact, can they help us create a better future?

London-based graphic designer Clive Russell, in an online lecture organised by the House of European History, will argue posters can help do exactly that. Russell, through examples from the House of European History’s temporary exhibition When Walls Talk! and anecdotal evidence, will explore the ways with which posters can reconnect design with its social purpose and can help reimagine the role of design in a world beset with crises.

To participate please register.

Clive Russell describes himself as a friendly designer and as one half of graphic designers This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll. The company’s work inspires change, most famously in the look and feel of Extinction Rebellion and the Brixton Pound. This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll’s work has been exhibited and collected by renowned cultural establishments, including among others the British Museum, the Museum of London, the Smithsonian, V&A and MOMA.

The event will be moderated by Zorian Clayton, Curator of Prints at the Victoria & Albert Museum, specialising in 19th and 20th century posters and paper ephemera.  He has been the co-chair of the V&A LGBTQ+ Working Group for the past eight years, programming numerous special events and research projects on queer art history.  Publications include ‘The Poster: A Visual History’ (Thames & Hudson, 2020) and ‘Museums, Sexuality, and Gender Activism’ (Routledge 2020).  

Introduction by Raluca Neamu, Curator at the House of European History.

Clive Russell’s online lecture will be the third and last of the series “Europe on posters.”