Alphabet Poster - Ron King

Alphabet Poster, Ron King, 1983. Image © Ian Dobbie

Object Details

Date of making: 1983
Date of acquisition: 1983
Technique/Process: Lettering: hand-cutting, hand-folding
Materials: Hand-made paper
Dimensions: L870mm x W610mm
Collection Number: B26

Maker Details

Birthplace: Brazil, South America
Place Trained: Chelsea School of Art, London, 1951-1956
Studio: 26 Luke Mews, London, W11 1DF, England
Link: website -->

About

Ron King claims that the alphabet is the essential ingredient in the book-making recipe. His fascination with and ingenious treatment of the alphabet is what makes his work immediately recognisable, and this is certainly true of his cut and creased Alphabet Poster.

King founded Circle Press in 1967, the output of which has included various representations and explorations of this familiar, everyday and essential set of standard letter forms. The name Circle Press was chosen to suggest his vision of a group of like-minded persons working within a shared, supportive framework, a circle which over the period of time has grown to include over 100 artists and poets. Uniting the group is the deeply held conviction that only work that reaches its optimum vitality in printed form will be published.

A more recent edition of Alphabet Poster can be purchased in the Tate Britain shop. The work most recently featured in the 2009 exhibition ‘Three by One’, developed by The Crafts Council in partnership with the Crafts Study Centre, Farnham and curated by Alison Britton.

Oscar & Ewan, Design Studio
says...

“This piece hung in the corridor at Central Saint Martins when we studied there. There were a lot of signs around the typography department but this was one of the few that had a spatial presence. Its production, from one piece of paper, is a beautifully simple and clear idea. It made you first study the overall idea and piece, and then look in depth at how each of the forms were created. It’s not overly rigid, letters face different ways and some split in the middle, giving it personality despite its strict limitations. Something we strive for in our own work.”