Edited with text by Andrew Blauvelt. Text by Greg Castillo, Esther Choi, Alison Clarke, Hugh Dubberly, Ross Elfline, Craig Peariso, Tina Rivers Ryan, Catharine Rossi, Simon Sadler, Felicity Scott, Lorraine Wild with David Karwan. Interviews by Adam Gildar, Susan Snodgrass, Elizabeth Glass.
Hippie Modernism examines the art, architecture and design of the counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s. The catalog surveys the radical experiments that challenged societal norms while proposing new kinds of technological, ecological and political utopia. It includes the counter-design proposals of Victor Papanek and the anti-design polemics of Global Tools; the radical architectural visions of Archigram, Superstudio, Haus-Rucker-Co and ONYX; the installations of Ken Isaacs, Joan Hills, Mark Boyle, Hélio Oiticica and Neville D'Almeida; the experimental films of Jordan Belson, Bruce Conner and John Whitney; posters and prints by Emory Douglas, Corita Kent and Victor Moscoso; documentation of performances by the Diggers and the Cockettes; publications such as Oz and The Whole Earth Catalog; books by Marshall McLuhan and Buckminster Fuller; and much more.
While the turbulent social history of the 1960s is well known, its cultural production remains comparatively under-examined. In this substantial volume, scholars explore a range of practices such as radical architectural and anti-design movements emerging in Europe and North America; the print revolution in the graphic design of books, posters and magazines; and new forms of cultural practice that merged street theater and radical politics. Through a profusion of illustrations, interviews with figures, including Gerd Stern of USCO, Ken Isaacs, Gunther Zamp Kelp of Haus-Rucker-Co, Ron Williams and Woody Rainey of ONYX, Franco Raggi of Global Tools, Tony Martin, Clark Richert and Richard Kallweit of Drop City, as well as new scholarly writings, this book explores the conjunction of the countercultural ethos and the modernist desire to fuse art and life.
Featured image is reproduced from Hippie Modernism.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
W Magazine
Hilarie M. Sheets
In its exploration of counterculture, Hippie Modernism: The Struggle of Utopia brings together designs for alternate communities…the mind-expanding prototypes anticipate the themes of ecology, recycling, immersive environments and audience participation which are so prevalent in the art world today.
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
Archigram's "Enviro-Pill—It's My Choice" (1969, attributed to Ron Herron) is reproduced from Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia, the catalog to the sensational exhibition opening this weekend at the Walker Art Center. "The ability of a substance such as LSD to powerfully alter perceptions and conjure alternate realities in the mind's eye set the tone for the exploration of 'inner space' by architects. Archigram's fantastical Enviro-Pill proposal induces virtual or imaginary environments in the user's mind. As industrialized societies increasingly embraced the use of pills to heal a variety of maladies, it is perhaps not surprising to find the metaphor embraced by architects who expanded the definition of their practice beyond the design of physical buildings to the creation of new worlds, spaces and environments. Read more cynically, it might be far easier to modify one's perception of the environment than to physically change it." continue to blog
These stills from Bruce Connor's 1965 film, BREAKAWAY, are reproduced from the Walker Art Center's 448-page, beautifully designed and action-packed catalogue to the museum's current exhibition, Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia. This five minute, black-and-white film featuring Toni Basil performing her first single, also titled BREAKAWAY, "is often cited as an early, perhaps even the first example, of a music video. BREAKAWAY transcends this often banal epithet with Connor's masterful handheld cinematography and precise editing, creating a seamless fusion of sound and moving image." continue to blog
In a 1970 issue of Progressive Architecture, the following text began a hand-typed page in the magazine's "Advertisements for a Counter Culture" section: "The hippies in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district are probably the most misunderstood group in current American society. Reports of narcotics arrests and various other sensationalized events, although excellent subjects for the sale of newspapers, present an inaccurate impression of the situation and people in the area. This basic lack of understanding makes cooperation on community problems extremely difficult. One of the basic principles for which this country stands is the individual's right to think and act in any manner which he chooses, while not interfering with the rights of other members of the society. The hippie in Haight-Ashbury is exercising these rights, in an attempt to develop his own concept of what a society should be. He is aware of his individual role in the community and refuses to permit his forebearers to shape his destiny. American society has been in motion since the inception of the country, changing its structure for the benefit of all its citizens, adapting to new personal and world responsibilities." This text and featured photograph by Clay Geerdes of the San Francisco "acid drag" performance collective The Cockettes are reproduced from Hippie Modernism, published to accompany the blockbuster exhibition now on view at the Walker Art Center. continue to blog
Featured image is the cover of Oz magazine no. 8 (1968), designed by John Goodchild with Virginia Clive-Smith. Reproduced from the Walker Art Center's exceptional Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia, Oz was the magazine that best represented the psychedelic culture of 1960s London. Like its Australian progenitor, it was notorious for covering "taboo topics like abortion, police harassment, homosexuality, and immigration policy. From its original incarnation, the British Oz carried on with its biting satire and focus on the underground, musical and countercultural scenes. Martin Sharp’s art direction transformed the publication from its gritty black-and-white origins to a technicolor extravagance, utilizing commercial offset lithography with vibrant Day-Glo inks and special fold-out or wraparound posters. The magazine commissioned many talented artists, including photographer Robert Whitaker, designers Hapshash and the Coloured Coat and Barney Bubbles, and illustrator Stewart Mackinnon." Just as the Australian Oz faced obscenity charges, the London edition faced censorship for promoting “homosexuality, lesbianism, sadism, perverted sexual practices and drug taking.” continue to blog
One of America's greatest activists, pacifists and civil disobedients, Sister Corita Kent was the midcentury master of silkscreen printing, right up there with Andy Warhol. Almost entirely used for commercial signage and advertising in 1951, when she began experimenting with the technique, by the early 1960s Kent had converted serigraph printing to her preferred medium and developed a signature style combining Pop art, devotional passages and urgent social messages. Through her public actions and artworks, she promoted peace and social justice, while directly addressing problems - like poverty, racism and military aggression - that are more relevant than ever today. Kent's 1969 poster "manflowers" is reproduced from Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia, published to accompany the exhibition opening this week at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive. continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 9.5 x 11.75 in. / 448 pgs / 200 color / 80 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $55.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $72.5 ISBN: 9781935963097 PUBLISHER: Walker Art Center AVAILABLE: 11/24/2015 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: WRLD Export via T&H
Published by Walker Art Center. Edited with text by Andrew Blauvelt. Text by Greg Castillo, Esther Choi, Alison Clarke, Hugh Dubberly, Ross Elfline, Craig Peariso, Tina Rivers Ryan, Catharine Rossi, Simon Sadler, Felicity Scott, Lorraine Wild with David Karwan. Interviews by Adam Gildar, Susan Snodgrass, Elizabeth Glass.
Hippie Modernism examines the art, architecture and design of the counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s. The catalog surveys the radical experiments that challenged societal norms while proposing new kinds of technological, ecological and political utopia. It includes the counter-design proposals of Victor Papanek and the anti-design polemics of Global Tools; the radical architectural visions of Archigram, Superstudio, Haus-Rucker-Co and ONYX; the installations of Ken Isaacs, Joan Hills, Mark Boyle, Hélio Oiticica and Neville D'Almeida; the experimental films of Jordan Belson, Bruce Conner and John Whitney; posters and prints by Emory Douglas, Corita Kent and Victor Moscoso; documentation of performances by the Diggers and the Cockettes; publications such as Oz and The Whole Earth Catalog; books by Marshall McLuhan and Buckminster Fuller; and much more.
While the turbulent social history of the 1960s is well known, its cultural production remains comparatively under-examined. In this substantial volume, scholars explore a range of practices such as radical architectural and anti-design movements emerging in Europe and North America; the print revolution in the graphic design of books, posters and magazines; and new forms of cultural practice that merged street theater and radical politics. Through a profusion of illustrations, interviews with figures, including Gerd Stern of USCO, Ken Isaacs, Gunther Zamp Kelp of Haus-Rucker-Co, Ron Williams and Woody Rainey of ONYX, Franco Raggi of Global Tools, Tony Martin, Clark Richert and Richard Kallweit of Drop City, as well as new scholarly writings, this book explores the conjunction of the countercultural ethos and the modernist desire to fuse art and life.
