Born in 1963 I can’t say I’m a sixties child, I haven’t experienced the free love, I wasn’t part of the flower people. I do however remember as a little boy participating in Vietnam protest marches alternately shouting “Johnson murderer!” and “Nixon murderer!” In a sense I have a connection here with the sixties and the Provo movement as it took up its intellectual role of militancy. Doing this the movement laid a groundwork for the early 1970’s with its anti-establishment/anti-state left wing and anarchic political movements, as well as the less intellectual civil protest movements.
Atelier Populaire – Oui Usines Occupees
The collage in MOVIE★INK. AMSTERDAM is inspired by that small time frame 1967-1972. In the spirit of the Paris revolt of May 1968 I’ve made a collage without “designing” it first, but by just doing and changing while filling in the wall space affichista style. It’s really the only way to exhibit protest posters, they should not be contained in frames. The base of the collage consists of political posters from Paris 1968 with quite a few of the famous ATELIER POPULAIRE. The Atelier Populaire upheld the motto that the posters they made were for the cause only. This meant that the posters were not to be collected or kept, not even as a historical object of the times. In a way I disobey their cultural directive, purposely expressing my wish to disagree. The French 1968 posters are accompanied by posters from the US, UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. Some of them accentuate the earlier days of hippie flower power (WAR IS OVER), others highlight the revolutionary movements in other countries and there are also a few posters of the PROVO movement itself.
Luddites ’69
Stem Kabouter
The cultural poster section of the exhibit focuses on the events of the period 1967-1972. Roger Corman picked up on the change in atmosphere in the post-Altamont youth culture with WILD ANGELS and GAS-S-S-S. Furthermore there are posters of movies that are widely considered to be typical for “the times“ (please click link). On view are lobby cards from MEDIUM COOL and HEAD, posters from LA VOIE LACTEE by Luis Bunuel, Z by Costa-Gavras and MADE IN THE USA by Godard among others. In a later blog entry there will be a complete overview of all the posters in the exhibit.
GAS-S-S-S-S, US onesheet
Made In USA, French poster
For an impression on “How the wall was won”, here a short impression. All you need is two cans of magnet paint and a battery of magnets.
