Computer Arts - UK (2020-04)

GAME-CHANGING MOMENTS

B

ack in 2009 the advertising
agency Mother offered
to host an exhibition of
my work in the reception space
of its London office. I’d organised
exhibitions of my work in ad
agencies previously – usually small
displays for the creative departments

• but this one was much larger
  in scale. The entrance space was
  huge: a double-height ceiling and a
  large open area that felt more like
  an industrial warehouse than an
  ad-agency office. I went to look at
  the space and realised I needed help
  to put on a good exhibition. It was
  a great opportunity and I wanted to
  make a big impression.
  I spoke to my friend Michael
  Marriott about collaborating on
  a custom-made display system to
  show some of my printed work. At
  first I envisaged a simple structure:
  something quite modest in scale and
  affordable to produce.
  In the end we built a four-metre-
  tall wooden tower on wheels. It was
  constructed using different types
  of veneer panels that were laser-cut
  with type and graphic devices. It
  featured phrases such as “WE MUST
  HAVE THE TRUTH”, “RIGHT &
  WRONG” – all alluding to the show’s
  theme of honesty and truth.
  I was feeling playful about
  putting such messages in the
  heart of an ad agency, being gently
  provocative and poking fun at the

advertising industry (not always

known for its truth and honesty).

I’d had a few negative experiences

while working in advertising, so

I felt that this was my chance to

make a comment. I’d always had

good experiences with Mother,

though. It wasn’t my target, it

was the general perception of the

advertising industry as not always

being totally truthful that I was

commenting on.

The Mother exhibition happened

at around the same time that

I decided to do less commercial

work and concentrate on personal

projects and cultural commissions.

I’d done enough client-based work

and was looking for the next chapter

in my career. I was keen to work on

projects that I felt strongly about.

I wanted to feel like I was making a

useful contribution with my work.

The exhibition was a chance for

me to show what I was capable of.

I’d begun to feel that I was stuck in

a bit of a rut – the work I was doing

in advertising wasn’t fulfilling me.

I needed to make a leap and push

myself to make more creative work.

The exhibition went well, and

lots of people in the industry came

to the opening. It was a big night. It

felt like I’d moved on and could start

to be more ambitious with my work.

Left: Laser-cut type messaging at The Right Kind of Wrong exhibition. Above: Exhibition invitation for The Right Kind of Wrong.

“I needed to make a leap and push myself to

make more creative work”

Graphicartist﹐print-makeranddesignerAnthonyBurrillisknownforhispersuasive﹐up-beatstyleofcommunication﹒

HisworkisheldinthepermanentcollectionsoftheVictoriaandAlbertMuseuminLondon﹐theCooper-Hewitt

NationalDesignMuseum﹐NewYorkandhasbeenexhibitedingalleriesaroundtheworldincludingtheBarbicanArt

Gallery﹐theWalkerArtCenterandtheDesignMuseum﹐London﹒

anthonyburrill﹒com

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