MOONSTRIPS: Eduardo Paolozzi and the printed collage 1965-72 │ Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge → 7 June 2015

Secrets of Internal Combustion Engine, 1967

“Sr Edwādo Pâlotsi z cnsidrd t b wn v ɖ fwrunrz v Britiš pop āt. An xibišn v hiz vîbṛnt n xentric prints hz ôpnd at ɖ Fitswiłm Myziym, Cembrij, ẇč wz an ŕli ṣpwtr v hiz wrc.

Ɖ printd c̣lāž wz an integṛl pāt v ɖ practis v Sr Edwādo Pâlotsi (1924-2005). Ẇn h wz growñ p in Līʈ, Edinbra, cutñ p n leyrñ imijz fṛm maġzīnz wz wn v hiz ŕli amyzmnts. H cntinyd t dveḷp ɖ mīdı̣m at Snt Mātin’z Scūl v Āt n ɖ Slêd in Lundn n ɖen lêtr muvd on t wrc wɖ printstydioz, crietñ scrīnprints n liʈgrafs. Ẇl wrcñ wɖ ɖz technīcs, h wz olso crietñ sculpčr. Hiz public sculpčrz cn b fând in Edinbra n Lundn, nôtbli hiz čunci bronzôd t Sr Îzac Nytn at ɖ Britiš Lîbrri (1995) n ɖ dnamic mzeic at Totnm Cwt Rôd undrgrând stêšn (1982), ẇč hz md našnl nyz hedlînz rīsntli, bcz it hz cm undr ʈret jrñ modnîzešn v ɖ stêšn.

Ɖ brît, olmst ilctrifayñ, culrclašz ɖt fīčr in ɖ Totnm Cwt Rôd mzeic r ivoc̣tv v ɖ prints dspled in ɖ xibišn. Leyrñ-p imijz fṛm maġzīnz, h juxṭpozd hiz intrest in tecnoḷji, sayns n histri wɖ rcŕñ popculčr ʈīmz v ṣlbṛti, fast fūd n advtîzñ. Ɖ printd c̣lāžz dspled in ɖ xibišn r têcn mnli fṛm ɖ tu siriz, Mūnstrips Empîr Nyz (1967) n Jenṛl Dnamic F.U.N. (1970), wɖ adišnl wrcs fṛm Clâd Atomic Lboṛtri (1971) n Bunc (1947-52).

Bunc, a siriz v 45 printd c̣lāžz, wz xibitd at ɖ Instityt v Cntmprri Āts in 1952. Īvn at a fwd-ʈncñ gaḷri, ɖ mīdı̣m v printd c̣lāž wz cnsidrd uncnvnšnl n uṇxptbl az āt bcz v ɖ fôtgrafic prôsesz involvd. Pâlotsi c̣laḅretd wɖ printstydioz fr ɖ wrcs, nôtbli Idišnz Alecto n Celpra Stydio. Ɖt sem yir, Pâlotsi côfândd ɖ Indipndnt Grūp, a grūp v ātists n ʈncrz hu bgan t dbet ɖ c̣ližn v hî n lo culčr in āt n ssayti. Pâlotsi’z stêṭs az a revlušnri ātist v mdrṇti wz ɖen smntd ẇn, in 1956, h tc pāt in ɖ seminl Ẇîtčapl Gaḷri xibišn tîtld Ɖs z Tmro, ẇč z creditd wɖ ušrñ in ɖ Britiš popāt muvmnt.

Ɖ tîtl Bunc z têcn fṛm a qôt fṛm Henri Fōd, hu wns sd: Histri z mr or ls bunc. Fōd wz a pṛgresv hu std fr maspṛduẋn n cnsymrizm, culčrz ɖt wr dominetñ America n ẇč fasinetd Pâlotsi. H intṛdyst ɖs Fōdist consept t āt: hiz c̣lāžsiriz wr printd in a standd išu v 100 n īvn pacijd in a nīt box. Ɖ box fr Bunc dspled in ɖ xibišn z md v trnzlūsnt nion-pnc plastc, rflctñ ɖ plêfl atityd v ɖ prints insd. Ɖ frst print fṛm ɖ box v faxiṃlīprints šoz ɖ priti pṛpwšnz v ɖ fês v Holīwŭd actṛs Lūsīl Bwl oṗzit a Mini Mâs pâdrñ hr nôz, a tin v Ẇît Star tyna, a frūtplêt n a glas v jūs.

Pâlotsi’z intrest in Americn culčr cntinyd in ɖ siriz Jenṛl Dnamic F.U.N, a pwtfolio v 50 fôtoliʈgrafs n scrīnprints crietd btwn 1965 n 1970. Ɖ prints r a plegrând fr Dizni caṛctrz n dînr-stîl fūd n drnc. Čildṛn, Americn landmācs n Holīwŭd starz ol congṛget, selbretñ ɖ entṛns v mīdia t ɖ modn êj.

Pâlotsi hd bcm obsest wɖ YS popculčr at an ŕli êj. Hiz Itałn pẹrnts, frst-jeṇrešn imigṛnts, ônd an îscrīm šop in Albtstrīt, Līʈ, ɖt sold cnfẋnri, ciġrets n siṇṃticits. Pâlotsi inʈyziastcli c̣lctd ciġretcādz v popylr spwtștarz n Holīwŭd actrz, n fṛm ɖ êj v for h went t ɖ lôcl siṇma, ẇr h abzwbd ɖ glits n drama v ɖ scrīnstarz. Holīwŭd starz pop p acrs Jenṛl Dnamic F.U.N; rocstar Rici Nelsn in a pnc šrt n a clasic-lcñ Iliẓbʈ Têlr wɖ prpl lips n grīn îz apir sîd bî sîd in a print tîtld An Empîr v Sili Sttistcs … A Fêc Wor fr Public Rlešnz.

It wz’nt jst ɖ subjctmatr v ɖ mūviz ɖt inspîrd ɖ yuñ Pâlotsi; ɖ šāp cutñ n clipñ tecnīcs fṛm filmsìnz wr olso an inflụns. H stātd t cut ât hiz fevrit imijz fṛm maġzīnz n, ẇl h wz nt ebl t pin ɖm p on hiz bedrūm wōlz – ɖ onli imij alaud wz a fremd Mdona wɖ a crūsifix – ɖ insîd v hiz cubḑorz wz ɖ sīcṛt ynivrs v hiz imajinešn. A fy pêjz fṛm wn v hiz nymṛs scečbcs r dspled in ɖ xibišn, šowñ hiz hymṛs leyrñ stîl juxṭpozñ ppl, objcts n txt.

Ẇl Americn popculčr wz a vižl obsešn, Pâlotsi réd n rsrčt wîdli on histri, sayns n filoṣfi, ẇč wz ẇ h prifŕd t cwl hmslf a sriylist, rɖr ɖn a popātist. Ɖ siriz Mūnstrips Empîr Nyz, crietd btwn 1965 n 1972, šoz hiz intrest in histri v āt n āṭfact. Mici Mâs z juxṭpozd wɖ Mîc̣lanjlo’z Dêvid in Ɖ Silcn Wrld v Mîc̣lanjlo (1967). A blac on gold prôfîl v Dêvid lcs īst t Yṛp, ẇl Mici Mâs fêsz west twdz America, n a cātūniš grūp v Ijipšn figrz prizîdz ovr ɖm bʈ. In a print tîtld Donld Duc Mīts Mondrian (1967), Donld z simplifîd intu pix̣letd blocs n Mondrian’z sqr culrz pop in brît pnc n yelo.

Az wel az āt, txt wz an impwtnt cmponnt v Pâlotsi’s wrc. Prints fṛm Jenṛl Dnamic F.U.N, Hâ t spend tîm in Holīwŭd n Temprri Vẹriešnz in Xpirı̣nst Tîp cnsist mostli v paṛgrafs v sml-print txt fṛm ɖ pêjz v a maġzīn. Pâlotsi olso dzînd a cuvr fr ɖ litrri jrnl Ambit, ẇr hiz frend JG Balād wz prôzeditr. Ɖ 1967 cuvr dspled in ɖ xibišn šoz ɖ c̣lāžd imij v a fuzi blac ġrila claspñ a wmn in a wedñdres, cut ât v a 1950z idišn v Vôg. H cntinyd t contribyt t ɖ jrnl wɖ imijz taclñ ṗlitcl subjcts sč az advtîzñ, ɖ Vietnam wor n Jaṗnīz tecnoḷji.

Pâlotsi’z printd c̣lāžz spīc ɖ lanĝj v tecnoḷji, caṛctrz r pix̣letd n patnz lc lîc flašñ srcitbwdz. Ɖ prints Hî Lîf n Memri Corynits (bʈ 1967) r pyr jı̣mtric dzîn. Uɖr wrcs fīčr fast cars, hî-spīd trênlînz, rôbots, astṛnwts n spêsšips, šowñ Pâlotsi’z fasinešn wɖ man n mšīn.

Ɖ Ʈiyri v Reḷtivti, dspled at ɖ entṛns t ɖ xibišn, z an xampl v wn v Pâlotsi’z ilctrifayñ jı̣mtric dzînz wɖ multipl grafic strips v pnc, yelo n orinj. Ɖs print wz prčist bî ɖ Fitswiłm Myziym in 1967 fr £34 fṛm ɖ printstydio Idišnz Alecto. Ɖ histri v ɖ myziym’z aqizišnz v Pâlotsi’z wrc z an ingejñ adišn t ɖ xibišn. Ɖ folowñ yir, ɖ myziym aqîrd ɖ siriz Mūnstrips Empîr Nyz n lêtr, in ɖ 90z, Pâlotsi dnetd hiz drwn dzînz fr ɖ Totnm Cwt Rôd undrgrândstêšn mzeic.

At a tîm ẇn Pâlotsi’z public āt hz cm undr ɖ našnl spotlît, ɖs xibišn priznts a bold vižl têst v hiz leġsi az a sriylist popātist, n šoz hiz impwtns t ɖ dveḷpmnt v Britiš āt. Ẇl hiz printd c̣lāžz wr an uncnvnšnl mīdı̣m at ɖ tîm v ɖer pṛduẋn, ɖe repriznt a prsnl pāt v hiz practis, ingrend sns čîldhd n dveḷpt frɖr bî hiz fasinešn wɖ tecnoḷji.”

Harı̣t Ʈwp, STYDIO INṬNAŠNL, 6 Māč 2015