PORTFOLIO

COLLECTION 1: The London Underground Magazines

 



 
For my first collection I chose to explore the influence on the London Underground magazines of the 60s counterculture by recycling their and observing their relevance today.
The messages these magazines are conveying are on an emotional and artistic level. Nova magazine was a women's glossy magazine that spoke out about a woman’s true power she has always had but the fear behind a woman’s power is what caused their initial oppression, the magazine discussed careers, politics, sex, birth control, race, affairs and sexuality. The magazine ended up having more male readers than female. 
Drugs are always going to be taken by some youth, it’s a time of exploration for many but a lot of the experiences of drugs is what shapes lessons and beliefs and mental state but bad events keep occuring to us as teenagers because of the lack of knowledge we get, if drugs were not treated as such a taboo subject that is unspoken between a teenager and an adult then we are left to discover them for ourselves which is what can lead to bad experiences, I don’t think they should be encouraged but they should be more spoken out about, this is why I chose this print from the 1967 issue of Nova, to address the power drugs can have to consume one.
 Oz magazine is remembered as causing the longest obscenity trial in UK history, speaking out about topics of abortion, sex, equality, rights and drug use. There were protests of support flooding the streets of London at this time, Icon John Lenon writing the song ‘God Save Oz’ who then changes it to ‘God save Us’. 
Oz magazine’s editors were actually sentenced for letting people share their views of a constraint world, speaking out for their own human rights. The underground magazines were a fundamental factor for the radical changes that brought us to where we are now. We all have a choice to be whoever we want to be online through our social media. Social media has become very ego fueling based in my opinion with such a negative impact on many peoples’ mental health where we feel like we have to act in a particular way for attention in a world of ‘notice me’ in attempt for relevance in the world. We all have our own account to do whatever we want and can be literally whoever we want to and share any views, opinions and beliefs we have. Rather than unspoken competition against one another and how we portray ourselves for approval, we should use it more as a source of unity with one another.
If we all used social media in a positive way in our world like supporting and listening to each other rather than separating from one another, we would be able to help issues so much more in our world today.
COPYRIGHT-
 
All images are owned by Nova and Oz magazine. I have no intention on passing the magazine's images as my own but only to share the magazines. By recycling these pages I wish to carry on their legacy at a time where it’s more relevant than ever. 
 
Amanda Lear Nova Cover Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive
© Martin Sharp for Oz 

ANCIENT WORK