Festival of britain

The idea to hold an exhibition in 1951 originated at the Royal Society of Arts in 1943, which decided that an international exhibition was held, marking the centenary of the 1851 World Exhibition ^[2] . In 1945, the government organized a committee under the command of Lord Ramsden , designed to consider the possibility of exhibitions and fairs and their impact on trade ^[2] . When the committee reported on its work a year later, it was decided to abandon the idea of ​​holding an international exhibition, since the high cost of holding it was not consistent with the fact that most of the money had to go to post-war reconstruction ^[2] . Instead, the government decided to organize a series of expositions devoted to art, architecture, science, technology and industrial design ^[3] , under the general name "Festival of Britain 1951" ^[4] .

At that time, shortly after the end of World War II, most of London lay in ruins, and restoration was urgently needed. The festival was an attempt to give the British a sense of recovery and progress and to encourage them to contribute more to the restructuring of British cities ^[5] . The organizers themselves called the festival "a single act of national reappraisal and a general confirmation of faith in the future of the nation" ^[3] . Gerald Barry , director of the festival, described it as a “tonic for the nation” ^[5] .

To advise the government, a Festival Council was created under the leadership of Lord Ismay ^[3] . Responsibility for the organization lay with Herbert Morrison , Lord President of the Council , Deputy Labor Party Leader; he appointed the Centennial Committee of the World Exhibition, consisting of civil servants, which was to outline the scope of the festival and establish a link between government departments and the festival management. In March 1948, the headquarters of the festival was founded, which was supposed to be the core of the entire Festival of Britain, the government department with its budget ^[4] . The festival was organized in Northern Ireland by the government of northern Ireland.

The UK Festival Office worked with the UK Arts Council, the Industrial Design Council , the British Film Institute and the National Book League ^[3] . Also, especially for the festival, the Council on Architecture and the Council on Science and Technology were created, which were supposed to help the festival committee in the designated areas, and the Committee of Christian churches, which was to give advice on religion ^[3] . State subsidies were allocated for organizations that made a significant contribution to the development of the festival - the Arts Council, the Industrial Design Council, the British Film Institute and the National Museum of Wales ^[4] .

Achievements in art were presented in the form of musical and dramatic performances held throughout the country ^[3] . Achievements of architecture embodied in the construction of Lansbury Estate, a new home in the London area of ​​Poplar.

The center of the festival ^[3] was an exhibition in South Bank, in the Waterloo area of ​​London, which demonstrated British achievements in science, technology and industrial design; This is how the life of the country was displayed ^[3] .

Parts of the exhibition, presented elsewhere, were self-sufficient, but they were all part of the same concept ^[3] . In Battersea, 3 miles down the river from South Bank, the Festival Pleasure Gardens was organized. Heavy industry was on display in Glasgow. Those aspects of science that were not part of the terms of reference of the exhibition at South Bank were presented at the exposition in South Kensington. The production of bedding and agriculture was devoted to the exhibition "Farm and Factory" ( English Farm and Factory ) in Belfast. Part of the South Bank exhibition was shipped on a Campania ship ^[1] , which bypassed Britain in the summer of 1951; there was also a land mobile exhibition dedicated to industry ^[3] .

England

Exhibitions

• South Bank, London
• Science, South Kensington
• Architecture, Poplar
• Books, South Kensington
• Centenary of the 1851 Exhibition, South Kensington
• British Film Festival London

Pleasure Gardens Festival , Battersea Park, London

London art season

Art festival

Wales

Wales Carnival , Cardiff

St Fagans Folk Festival Cardiff

Welsh Hillside Farm Scheme , Gwynedd

Art festival

Scotland

Exhibitions

• Sources of industrial energy, Glasgow
• Modern books, Glasgow
• Living Traditions - Scottish Architecture and Crafts, Edinburgh
• 18th Century Books, Edinburgh

Art festival

Clan Meeting , Edinburgh

Northern Ireland

Farm and Plant , Belfast

Art festival

Traveling Exhibitions

Campania Festival Ship ^[1] : England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

• Southampton
• Dundee
• Newcastle
• Hull
• Plymouth
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• Belfast
• Birkenhead
• Glasgow

Land Mobile Exhibition : England

• Manchester
• Leeds
• Birmingham
• Nottingham ^[3]

In preparation for the exhibition, South Bank was rebuilt; a new public space has appeared, including the promenade where there used to be housing and coastal warehouses. The new layout of South Bank was to show the principles of urban planning ; these principles were then to be embodied in reconstructed after the war, London and the construction of new cities . They included several levels of buildings, overpasses and the lack of street mesh. Most of the South Bank buildings were built in an international style , which was not often present in Britain before the war.

The new architectural plan and exposition of South Bank was developed by the Presentation Commission of the Festival Exhibitions Management as part of ^[3] :

• Gerald Barry, CEO, Chairman
• Cecil Cook, director, exhibitions, vice chairman
• Misha Black
• J.E. Campbell, Director, Finance and Management
• Hugh Casson , Director, Architecture
• Ian Cox, Director, Science and Technology Exhibition
• E. D. Hipisley Cox, Representative, Industrial Design Council
• James gardner
• James holland
• M. Heartland Thomas, Representative of the Industrial Design Council
• Ralph Tubbs
• Peter Nibon, Secretary

The theme of the exhibition was developed by Ian Cox.

The exhibition consisted of the Upper Region: "Country", the Dome of Discoveries, the Lower Region: "People" and other exhibits ^[3] .

Top Circle: "Country"

Architect : Misha Black Theme : Ian Cox Exposition Design : James Holland

The exhibition included the following expositions:

• The land of Britain . ( Architect : G. T. Kedbury-Brown. Responsible for the topic : Kenneth Chapman. Design of the exhibition : W. Rotter.)
• Wildlife ( Architect : Brian O'Rork. Responsible for the topic : Kenneth Chapman. Design of the exhibition : F.H. K. Henrion.)
• The countryside . ( Architect : Brian O'Rork. Responsible for the topic : A.S. Thomas. Exposition design : F.H. K. Henrion.)
• Minerals of the island ( Architect : Cooperative Partnership of Architects. Responsible for the topic : Sonya Withers. Exposition Design : Beverly Peak.)
• Energy and Production ( Architects : George Grenfell-Baines and H.J. Reinferberg. Responsible for the topic : S.J. Whitcomb. Exposition Design : Wornet Kennedy and partners
• Sea and ships . ( Architects : Basil Spence and partners. Responsible for the topic : S. Hamilton Eliss and Nigel Clayton. Exposition design : James Holland and Basil Spence.)
• Transport ( Architects and Designers : Arkon. Exhibition Theme : George Williams.)

Discovery Dome

Architect : Ralph Tubbs Topic : Ian Cox Exposition : Design Research

The exhibition included the following expositions:

• Country ( Responsible for the topic : Penrose Anvin. Exposition Design : Stefan Buzards and Ronald Sandford.)
• The earth . ( Responsible for the topic : Sonya Withers. Design of the exhibition : Robert Gutman.)
• The pole . ( Responsible for the topic : Quinitine Riley and L.P. McNair. Exposition Design : Jock Kinnair.)
• The sea . ( Responsible for the topic : S. Hamilton Ellis and Nigel Clayton. Exposition Design : Austin Fraser and Ellis Miles.)
• The sky . ( Responsible for the topic : Arthur Garrett. Exposition Design : Ronald Sandford.)
• Deep space . ( Responsible for the topic : Penrose Anvin. Exposition Design : Austin Fraser and Eric Towell.)
• Wildlife . ( Responsible for the topic : Kenneth Chapman. Exposition Design : Austin Fraser and Stirlin Craig.)
• The physical world . ( Responsible for the topic : Arthur Garrett and Jen Reed. Exposition Design : Ronald Ingles and Clifford Hatts.)

Bottom Circle: People

Architect : Hugh Casson T. Topic : M. Hartland Thomas Exposition Design : James Gardner

The exhibition included the following expositions:

• The people of Britain . ( Architect : H.T. Kedbury-Brown. Responsible for the theme : Jacquette Hawks. Design of the exhibition : James Gardner.)
• Lion and unicorn ( Architects : R. D. Russell, Robert Gooden. Responsible for the topic : Hubert Phillips and Peter Stookley. Design of the exhibition : Robert Gooden, R. D. Russell and Richard Gayat. Comments : Lori Lee .)
• Homes and gardens . ( Architects : Bronek Kats and Reginald Vaughn. Responsible for the topic : E. Hippisley-Cox and S. D. Cook.)
• New schools . ( Architects : Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew . Responsible for the topic : B.V. Rove. Exposition design : Neville Conder and Pacins Clifford.)
• Health ( Responsible for the topic : Sheldon Dudley and Nigel Clayton. Exposition Design : Peter Ray.)
• Sport ( Architects and designers : Gordon Bovier and Ursula Bovier. Responsible for the topic : B.V. Rove.)
• The coast . ( Architects and designers : Eric Brown and Peter Chamberlain. Responsible for the topic : E. Hippisley-Cox.)

Other “lower” (downstream) exposures

• Tv ( Architect and designer : Wells Cotes. Theme : Malcolm Baker Smith.)
• Telecinema . ( Architect and designer : Wells Cotes. Program and fashion show : J. D. Ralph and R. J. Spottieswood.
• Pavilion for the centenary of the exhibition of 1851 . ( Architect : Hugh Casson. Exposition Design : James Gardner.)
• Shot Tower . ( Architecture and Design : Hugh Casson and James Gardner.)
• Design review . ( Exposure Design : Neville Conder and Patches Clifford.)

South Bank Special Exhibition Buildings

Skylon

An unusual aluminum-coated steel cigarette-shaped tower supported by cables, Skylon was the "Vertical Sign" that became the symbol of the Festival of Britain. It was founded at an altitude of 15 meters above the ground, and the peak at an altitude of 90 meters. The frame was dressed in aluminum blinds that shone at night. The tower was designed by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuelli, and manufactured by Painter Brothers in Hereford , England; installed between Westminster Bridge and Hangeford Bridge . It had a steel lattice frame tapering at both ends of the tower; three cables thrown over steel beams supported it. The tower was going immediately vertically, but later the ball was raised higher ^[6] . Skylon was shot in 1952 by order of Winston Churchill , who saw in it a symbol of Labor rule ^[7] . The tower was dropped into the Thames, and then dismantled and sold for scrap ^[8] .

Royal Festival Hall

Designed by Leslie Martin , Peter Moreau and Robert Matthew of the Department of Architects of the SLG, and built " Holland, Hannen & Cubitts " for the Council of the London County . The building was pledged in 1949 by Clement Attlee, the then prime minister, on the site of the Lion Brewery built in 1837 ^[9] . Responsible for the development of the design in late 1948 was appointed Martin. He designed the egg-in-box structure; he used this term to describe the separation of the curved space of the auditorium from environmental noise. The official opening took place on May 3, 1951. It was planned that a concert on this occasion would be held by Arturo Toscanini , but due to his illness this was done by Malcolm Sargent and Adrian Boult ^{[10] [11]} In April 1988, the building was declared an architectural monument, becoming the first such example from post-war buildings.

The Festival Pleasure Gardens festival was conceived as an easier, more entertaining part of the festival. He was in Battersea Park a few miles from the South Bank exhibit. The festival included:

• an amusement park that ultimately survived all other parts of the exhibition and later became known as the Battersea Fun Fair, which closed only in the mid-1970s.
• A miniature railway designed by Rowland Emett, about 450 meters long; it passed through the south of the gardens, there were stations at the southern entrance to the park and at the western end of the road;
• Restaurant "West End" with a terrace over the river;
• Foaming Fountains (recently restored);
• a wine garden surrounded by miniature pavilions;
• a rainy weather pavilion designed in such a way that concerts could be held outdoors;
• amphitheater for 1,250 people, later used as a circus;

Most of the buildings and pavilions were designed by John Pieper ^[12] . The festival of pleasure gardens received as many visitors as the exhibition at South Bank. It was run by a specially created private company. financed by loans from the Festival Board and the London County Council ^[4] . Since these expenses were not covered on time, it was decided to leave this part of the festival valid after the end of the Festival of Britain.

Architecture

The architects of the festival tried on the example of the restructuring of South Bank to show what can be achieved by applying modern urban planning ideas ^[13] . The style of the festival (also called "Contemporary" in English Contemporary ) ^[14], under the influence of architecture, interior design and typography of the 1050s, combined modernism with the vagaries of Englishism. The influence of this style is felt in the planned cities , cafes and offices of the fifties. The new city of Harlow and the rebuilt center of Coventry are considered rebuilt in this spirit of "light construction, picturesque location and the presence of works of art" ^[15] ; Coventry Cathedral , built in 1962 by one of the festival's architects, Basil Spence, was named The Festival of Britain at Prayer ^[16] .

The exhibition was about research related to construction, urban planning and architecture; their application could be seen in the layout of buildings, public space, streets of Lansbury Estate , Poplare (in honor of former Labor leader George Lansbury ). Construction plans for this area of ​​social housing appeared in 1943. By the end of the war, more than a quarter of the buildings in the area were destroyed or seriously damaged. In 1948, the Architectural Council decided that it would be good to hold this part in Poplar, since it is not very far from other exhibits of the Festival. Despite problems with financing, work began in December 1949 and was already ending in May 1950. Due to the wet winter of 1950-51, work was suspended, but in February 1951 the first houses were commissioned and settled ^[17] . The exhibition opened simultaneously with other expositions of the festival on May 3, 1951. First, visitors went to the Construction Research Pavilion, dedicated to housing problems and their solutions; then to the Town Hall, a large red and white marquee. The Town Planning Pavilion described the principles of town planning and the needs of planned cities; a mock-up of an imaginary city called Avoncaster was on display ^[17] . Then the visitors examined the houses of Lansbury Estate. The audience disappointed - only 86,426 people visited the exhibition, which is small compared to 8 million who visited the exhibition at South Bank ^[17] . The reaction from business professionals was warm; some criticism was received by the small scale of the spread of new ideas ^[18] . The efforts of the municipal authorities were aimed at building high-density social housing, rather than building on the Lansbury model. These buildings, however, were popular with residents ^[17] .

Misha Black, one of the festival architects, said that the festival brought a large audience to architectural modernism, but among many professional architects, the prevailing opinion was that festival projects were not innovative. The critic Rainer Banham questioned the originality and Englishism of the festival's style and even the question of its influence ^[19] . The young architects of 1951 were disdainful of him. It was called “Modern Style”, and the article of the editor in the journal “Architectural Design” in 1955 bore the epigraph: “When I hear the word“ Modern ”, I grab onto the revolver” ^[14] .

Design

The exhibition at South Bank included “Design Overview”, which presented an “illustrated report on the achievements of modern British industry”, showing “a high level of design and craftsmanship achieved in a wide range of products” ^[3] . Exhibits were selected from the lists of the Council for Industrial Development (DPR), which included products selected by appearance, finish, workmanship, technical efficiency and cost-effectiveness of production ^[3] . The festival organizers followed the concept of "Good Design" - a rational approach to product design in accordance with the needs of the modern world. This was partly a consequence of the fact that during the war it was necessary to produce special, more practical furniture, as well as the exhibition held by the DPR in 1946, “ Britain can do it .” A list of suitable exhibits was handed over by DSS to its successor, the Design Council.

Design, science and industry united the Model Group of the Festival, which approved the displayed textiles, wallpapers, household items and exhibits based on X-ray analysis ^{[20] [21]} . The idea of ​​showing the molecular structure of samples using X-ray crystallography was proposed by Helen Megau, a leading crystallographer at the University of Cambridge. After listening to a report by Dorothy Hodkinson at the Society of Industrial Artists , Hartland Mark Thomas, one of the leaders of the SPPR leadership, picked up the idea by creating the Festival Model Group. Heartland Thomas was a member of the UK Festival Show Expert Group and one of the coordinators of the list of exhibited designs. He equipped the Regatta restaurant, one of the temporary restaurants in South Bank, for the experiment: all the furniture was decorated with a structure obtained by X-ray analysis. The design was based on the crystal structure of hemoglobin , insulin , kaolinite , mica and others. Most of the work received was presented in the Dome of Discoveries as part of an exhibition on the structure of matter.

An important role in the design of the Festival was played by inscriptions and graphic images, which were managed by the Expert Group on Typography ^[22] . The font for the Festival, “Festival Titling” ^[23] , was specially designed by Peter Boydell. The basis was the capital letters of the grotesque ; the developed font was three-dimensional so that it could be used in the typography of exhibition displays ^[24] . The inscription font in the Royal Festival Hall and the temporary building in South Bank is a powerful oblique squared font developed by Gray and her colleagues Charles Hasler and Gordon Cullen ^[22] ; this was then written in Gray's Lettering on Buildings (1960) ^[25] . The font used in the Lion and Unicorn Pavilion was developed by John Brinkley ^{[26] [27]} .

The main artist of the Festival was Abram Games , who created the logo - the Star of the Festival .

Art

The exhibition at South Bank exhibited works by contemporary artists such as William Scott ; the works of Victor Pasmore , John Tannard , Felix Topolsky and John Pieper , as well as sculptures by Barbara Hepworth , Henry Moore , Lynn Chadwick , Jacob Epstein ^{[3] were} shown.

During the summer, independent art exhibitions were held as part of the Festival of Britain ^{[28] [29]} :

• Aberdeen Festival July 30 - August 13
• Bath Assembly May 20 - June 2
• Belfast Arts Festival May 7 - June 30
• Brighton Festival July 16 - August 25
• Dumfries Arts Festival June 24-30
• Inverness Festival June 17-30
• York festival
• Cambridge Festival July 30 - August 18
• Canterbury Festival July 18 - August 10
• Liverpool Festival July 22 - August 12
• Norwich Festival June 18-30
• Oxford Festival July 2-16
• Oldborne Music and Arts Festival - June 8-17
• Perth Art Festival May 27 - June 16
• St. David Festival July 10-13
• Swansea Music Festival September 16-29
• Worcester Festival September 2-7
• Bournemouth and Wessex Festival June 13-17
• Welsh Bard Festival in Llangollen July 3-8
• UK Cheltenham Festival of Contemporary Music July 18 - August 10
• Shakespeare Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon April - October .

Within the framework of the London Art Season, exhibitions were organized specially for the Festival of Britain:

• “An exhibition of 60 large canvases prepared by the Festival of Britain” (“60 paintings for '51”), Suffolk Galleries, organized by the Arts Council ^[30] ;
• Exhibition of works by Hogarth and Henry Murov, Tate;
• International Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Battersea Park;
• "Pictures of Modern Britain," New Burlington;
• Exhibition of Exhibitions, Royal Society of the Arts ^[29] .
• 2 exhibitions at the Whitechapel Art Gallery : Black Eyes and Lemonade and East End 1851 ^[31] .

Barbara Jones and Tom Ingram organized the Black Eyes and Lemonade exhibition, which featured British pop and folk art. In the same year, Jones wrote a book about the popular art of Inexperienced art , in which she spoke about taxidermy, fairs, river motor boats, tattoos, jewelry in shops, waxworks, toys, shops, festivals and funerals ^[32] .

Cinema

In 1948, the British Film Institute received a request from Herbert Morrison: they should consider the possibility of supplementing the Festival through films ^[33] . An expert group was formed, which was to identify topics and distribute sponsorship money for filming films. Over a dozen different documentaries were created for the Festival. Over a dozen documentaries were created for the Festival, including:

• Air Parade sponsored by Shell Film Unit
• “Family Portrait” , directed by Humphrey Jennings ^[34]
• Lfdbl ( David ), Wide Pictures
• “ Water of Time ”
• "Forward of the Century" ( Eng. Forward a Century ).

Several feature films were also planned, but only one was shot on time - The Magic Box, a biographical film about movie pioneer William Frieze-Green .

In South Bank, a building was specially built for the screening of Telecinema films , by the architect Wells Coats ; documentaries, experimental films using stereophony and stereoscopy, and new inventions in television were shown there. It was one of the most popular attractions of the Festival, attracting 458 693 visitors ^[33] . At the end of the Festival, the hall was transferred to the BIC, and only members of the cinema club could attend it; in 1952, the National Cinema was opened there ^[33] .

Films were an integral part of the South Bank exhibition, used to explain production processes, scientific and technical topics. Also used were educational films at the Dome of the Discovery, the South Kensington Science Fair, and a traveling festival exhibit.

They have become part of the UK Festival and various film festivals such as the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Bath and Glasgow festivals.

Science

A new wing was added to the Museum of Science to host the Science Exhibition . The first part of the exposition spoke about the physical and chemical nature of matter and the behavior of elements and molecules. The second part, “The Structure of Living Beings,” examined animals and plants. In the third part, visitors could learn about the latest areas of scientific research and their relationship with the previous parts. For example, “penetrating rays coming to us from space, from space and stars, as well as a number of objects from the electronic brain to the processes and structures on which life is based” were presented there ^[35] .

A lot has been done in connection with the Festival, including:

• The village of Throwell , Nottinghamshire , was elected the “Festival Village” ^[36] .
• Commemorative crown ^[37] , stamps and souvenirs, both official and unofficial ^[38] .

Over 5 months, more than 10 million payments were received for visiting 6 major exhibitions ^[39] . The most popular was the South Bank exhibition, which was visited by nearly 8.5 million people, more than half of them from outside London. The Pleasure Gardens Festival attracted 8 million visitors, 3/4 - residents of London. About 900,000 people visited the festival ship, which made parking in 10 cities. A land traveling exhibition that visited 4 cities attracted about half a million. More specialized exhibitions attracted less visitors: an architectural exhibition in Poplar 87,000 people, a book exhibition in South Kensington - 63,000.

The idea of ​​holding the Festival has become part of the political game and problems ^[2] . Although Herbert Morrison said he did not want the Festival to become a political event ^[40] , he was associated with the Labor Party, which won the 1945 parliamentary election and opposed the Conservative Party ^[2] . New Casson said: “Churchill, like the rest of the Tories, was against the Festival, which they (quite rightly) considered the vanguard of socialism” ^[40] . Churchill called the upcoming Festival of Britain "three-dimensional socialist propaganda" ^[2] .

In his essay on the festival, Michael Frein described him as an enterprise of “a radical middle class, virtuous people; readers of the News Chronicle, The Guardian and The Observer ; sign the petition; the backbone of the BBC ", which he called" Herbivores. " In Frein’s vision, “The Festival was the last and almost posthumous work of Herbivore Britain“ BBC News “,“ Crown Film Unit “, a sweet diet, Ealing comedies , Uncle Mac , Sylvia Peters ”. By creating the Festival, Herbivores “deserved the contempt of Predators, readers of the Daily Express ; Ivlinov Vo ; castes of directors of directors ” ^[41] .

Some prominent members of the Labor Government believed that the Festival was a Labor event that would contribute to their success in the next election; Clement Attlee , leader of the Labor Party, wrote to Morrison that Labor would benefit from the Festival’s success in the 1951 fall election. Labor lost the fall elections. Churchill's dislike of the Festival led to his first act as prime minister in October 1951 ordering the dismantling of the exhibition at South Bank.

• Banham, Mary and Hillier, Bevis. A Tonic to the Nation: The Festival of Britain 1951. - London: Thames & Hudson, 1976. - ISBN 0-500-27079-1 .
• Conekin, Becky. The Autobiography of a Nation: the 1951 Festival of Britain. - Manchester University Press, 2003.
• Rennie, Paul. Festival of Britain 1951. - London: Antique Collectors Club, Ltd., 2007 .-- ISBN 978-1-85149-533-7 .