This isn’t just about football. About the decades of wilful ignorance of racial abuse against Black players, from football associations and fans alike.
And it’s not just about football hooligans. Yobs and drunks - the ‘bad few apples’. Nor is it just about the politicians, happy to fan the flames of discrimination as long as it suits them, reducing antiracism to an empty gesture.
This is about EVERYONE. This is about a society struggling to come to terms with racism, when it can barely admit it EXISTS.
"In the West, the proverb see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil means to turn a blind eye to something that is legally or morally wrong. The original meaning of the expression is that one should avoid evil.”
Take that how you want.
"Design has to work, art does not.” - Donald Judd. This is a great insight I got from an old @virgilabloh Harvard lecture.
It illustrates that though there are many overlaps, fundamentally design and art are serving different functions.
To my mind, design is forever searching for problems to solve, whereas art is the solution to problems we can’t define. One is intention, the other is expression.
BC Empire Windrush is a typeface I've created inspired by the iconic lettering on the HMT Empire Windrush, the British service passenger ship that brought one of the first groups of postwar Caribbean immigrants to the United Kingdom.
The Windrush docked in Tilbury, England, on 22 June 1948, bringing workers to help fill post-war UK labour shortages.
The arrival of the 500 plus Caribbeans, was a landmark in time and core to the formation of modern Britain today.
This typeface pays tribute to their sacrifice, and the legacy of their journey. The hand-produced lettering on the front of the ship, has been recreated as a full, all-caps typeface, incorporating much of the idiosyncrasies and character of the words themselves.
This font is priced at £7.30 GBP, to commemorate 73 years since Windrush docked.
Read more & download here: https://bunbury.co/bc-empire-windrush
Today I’m honouring the life and legacy of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz - also known as Malcolm X - on what would have been his 96th birthday.
His light is a constant source of inspiration for me - as a human rights activist, Black leader, spiritual teacher, and arguably one of the greatest orators of our time.
Today, his legacy continues to influence multiple generations of intellectuals, writers, activists and leaders.
“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
NO SPACE FOR RACISM… My latest work for #BlackOutdoorArt, hosted by Brotherhood Media.
One thing that always disturbed me in discussions about racism, is the idea that it’s just part of the landscape. An Unavoidable aspect of society. A permanent fixture, that we just have to learn to live with.
But what if we simply rejected this assertion? What if we simply didn’t allow racist ideologies to fit within the spaces we influence? Whether media space, public space, our social circles, or even headspace.
The billboards are currently live in London, including Brixton, Bethnal Green, New Cross, Peckham and Mare St, Hackney.
If you come across one, please share and tag @gregbunbury! All support makes it possible for us to continue the project.
The Black Outdoor Art campaign is hosted and made possible, from billboards donated by Brotherhood. Time lapse captured by Dom Murphy.
Joining me on this episode of Design For The People, is artist, photographer, performer, consultant and self-proclaimed artivist, janet e. dandridge.
Over a fascinating career residing between Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Paris, France, janet has combined art, photography, theatre and performance, to encourage awareness and discourse around ideologies that perpetuate injustice.
We discuss what it means to be an artivist, building a structured practise, investing, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and the importance of self-care.
Design For The People is a podcast hosted by Greg Bunbury (@gregbunbury), in conversation with the inspiring minds, using design and creativity towards social change.
Find more episodes at http://bunbury.co/podcast
Audio versions of the podcast available on every major platform:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2PsNcGc
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3miP2W3
Stitcher: https://bit.ly/31JOgIl
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3cJY9fc
Inspired by the slogan of John Lennon & Yoko Ono's 1969 peace campaign, "War Is Over (If You Want It)", this design flips the message for the war we face today - the cultural war - and the continuing battle against racism. It reframes the idea of racism as a societal norm, that we all should somehow accept, and places the onus on our individual beliefs and attitudes. "Racism Is Over (If You Want It)".
100% organic tee, ethically and sustainably produced. Design by Greg Bunbury. Click here to cop.
This sustainably produced tee celebrates the achievements and contributions of immigrants across the world. Those who left poverty and conflict, for the chance of a brighter future. And though they faced more conflict in these new worlds they found themselves, they still managed to build families, communities, businesses and industries.
From the Caribbean migrants that helped to pull Britain through post-war recovery, to see their children now sitting in Parliament, to the scores of refugees risking everything to get to Europe, throwing themselves into the void for the hope of a better life.
Immigrants - and us, their descendants - are not invaders, or trespassers. We are not other. We are not aliens, we are astronauts.
Click here to get yours.
Concept and design by Greg Bunbury (@gregbunbury).