Fuchsia Millevoi

Design can influence public perception, but great design can change it. From campaign designs to protest symbols, ‘Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-2018’ explores the impact of graphic design in political and social movements over the last ten years. There are three distinct sections in the exhibition – power, protest and personality – which explore how design is used in politics to change public perceptions. It starts off with the Obama campaign’s unofficial, but hugely popular, ‘Hope’ poster by Shepard Fairey, which is later compared to the failings in the design of the Remain campaign’s materials. Social media is also explored as a platform that’s taking political movements to unprecedented audiences. Designs, symbols and hashtags like #MeToo can gain momentum quickly and designers from varied social and cultural backgrounds are capitalising on this.  From the raised fist, a symbol of hope and courage used in the Black Lives Matter campaign, to the ‘Gay Clown Putin’ poster, an image of defiance used in protest against the Russian government’s crackdown on LGBT+ propaganda, these symbols manage to express so much more than words: they are the embodiment of protest. And if you don’t think using a rubber duck as a protest symbol against government corruption could ever gain momentum, well, you don’t live in São Paulo. Popular culture and humour in design are also important, with numerous takes on political leaders through satire, parody and cartoons seen throughout th

Opera’s more than voluptuous women belting out high notes – it’s also a masterclass in Europe’s social, political and cultural history. The V&A explores these aspects of opera – from its origins in Italy to its wildfire-like spread in Europe – through the lens of seven operatic debuts in seven different European cities spanning a period of 400 years. It’s time travel, opera-style. Each premiere is set in a distinct section of the new Sainsbury gallery, which follows a circular route designed to make you feel as if you’re backstage. The exhibition begins in Venice in 1642, with the first opera ever publicly performed – Monteverdi’s ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’. It’s a scandalous libretto and the embodiment of a very liberal yet vanity-obsessed society. There are elaborate red velvet courtesan outfits on display along with Renaissance-style paintings and some very unusual string instruments. From Venice, the exhibit moves to London in 1711 where Handel’s ‘Rinaldo’ caused a stir for being performed in Italian, and it’s here that opera is showcased as the place where art, music, design and theatre collide – in a maelstrom of passion, dazzling costumes and spine-tingling castratos. The piano that Mozart performed ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ on in 1787 is on display in the Vienna section. It’s a real highlight, together with his account of opera’s prevalence in Viennese society and the high fashion worn by guests at the concert. The premiere of Strauss’s politically and sexually charged

We are all Californians. That’s the bold statement that the Design Museum’s new exhibition makes as it examines how Californian ideals have affected our everyday lives through technology. The exhibition traces the progression of design in California from the 1960s to the present. It reveals how design was heavily influenced by counterculture movements. Hippies, surfers, gay activists and black activists – all united in their quest for freedom – used design to promote their respective causes. The ideologies of those countercultures were the unwitting precursors to the start-up ethos of Silicon Valley and the technology that we have today. Freedom is the dominant theme. It’s explored from five different angles: movement, perception, expression, self-reliance and association. The ‘Whole Earth Catalog’ is on display, a self-sufficiency magazine that has been hailed as the original Google. Other highlights include Black Panther posters by Emory Douglas circa 1969, the hand-stitched ‘rainbow flag’ by Gilbert Baker and some impressive Syd Mead ‘Blade Runner’ concept art which fittingly explores the consequences of technology on society. The centrepiece is the juxtaposition of a replica Captain America chopper from ‘Easy Rider’, a symbol of escapism and individuality, with the Waymo self-driving car, a symbol of ridiculously advanced technology and equally terrifying hands-free jokes. From skateboards to iPhones, it’s hard to deny that California has influenced and changed the world

Revolution is a powerful word, and this exhibition – commemorating 100 years since the communist uprising in Russia – is about civil unrest, propaganda and disenchantment. It starts in a chandelier-lit foyer with images of Tsar Nicholas II and the bourgeoisie. The first-edition Communist Manifesto written by Marx and Engels (published in London) inconspicuously sits amongst maps of the former Russian empire. As you descend the staircase the exhibition winds its way, like a red snake, through the events leading up to, during and after the revolution. There are film projections of life during the rule of the Tsar, curios and audio accounts of the tension felt by civilians in Russia because of the anti-royal sentiment during WWI. Photographs show the impact of the war efforts on everyday life – starvation, poverty and growing resentment. It’s heavy stuff. The highlights are images from political satire magazines and the propaganda posters that depict the stark divide between the White Army (capitalist) and Red Army (Lenin’s socialist Bolsheviks). The White Army propaganda is rare and worth seeing, with its heavily symbolic design. Trotsky is depicted as the devil incarnate and the Red Army as a dragon, death itself, a skeleton and pretty much anything hellish you can think of. There are also some interesting socialist and avant-garde artworks on the opposing side bolstering the Bolsheviks to even things out. Post-revolution, the propaganda changes to ascribe God-like status to L