The Museum of Unrest: An Invitation to Join a Conversation

Abstract

In 1975, Pippa Smith and I set up Paddington Printshop, a community graphics centre in west London with the unattractive invitation “Come to our unheated semi-derelict factory and homemade press to promote your cause on the following condition: nothing sexist, racist, or commercial”. It worked: within days the place was full, and soon numerous printshops, based on our DIY model, sprang up around the country. The Printshop was an educational resource. The first thing I learned was to listen – a skill notably absent from my fine-art training. The second realisation was that our role might extend beyond designing posters.

The Printshop became an incubator for new organisations and resources locally, nationally, and internationally. Things didn’t change overnight, but during the 80s demand for posters waned. Rebranded as London Print Workshop, we turned to providing resources for artists, alongside the continuation of our community activist role.