Dazed recruits creatives to spread some much needed positivity

Everyone from Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett to Wolfgang Tillmans and Massive Attack’s 3D have donated original artworks to Dazed’s Covid-themed poster campaign, with proceeds going to the Barts Charity

If there is one principle that coronavirus has reinstilled in the creative community, it is the power of the poster. Since the virus took hold last month, we’ve seen campaigns and PSAs ranging from British Red Cross focusing on the importance of kindness to Annie Atkins’ less conventional pandemic poster series.

The latest of these poster-shaped initiatives comes from Dazed Media, which has teamed up with creatives from the worlds of art, design, fashion and music on its new campaign, #AloneTogether.

Based on a brief to inspire and imagine the possibility of new worlds, explore humanity in the present climate, and demonstrate the power of art as a medium for political messages, the campaign includes contributions from famously political creatives including Vivienne Westwood, Katharine Hamnett and Peter Kennard.

Other contributors include photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, Massive Attack’s 3D, illustrator Polly Nor, fashion designer Christopher Kane, Extinction Rebellion, and Dazed co-founder Jefferson Hack with Forthcoming Studio’s David Wise.

All of the signed artworks have been put into a prize draw, and people entering are asked to donate £10 or more to Barts Charity, which supports the work of frontline staff at Barts Health NHS Trust.

Dazed is also asking its audience to create their own posters, and will be spotlighting some of the best entries on its Instagram Stories.

“There is a long history of political protest and creative resistance being expressed through poster design, illustration and graphic art. Whether they are posters intended for the street or for the screen, this inspiring collection gives voice to artists’ social, political and personal reflections,” says Hack.

“Art at its most significant is, as [Marshall] McLuhan reminds us in his writing, our ‘early warning system’ for culture. Part warning, hope and inspiration, these posters are beacons for future action and connection.”

See all of the posters here and enter the prize draw here; dazeddigital.com