A collection of magazines and prints are layered on top of one another. A red magazine cover reads “Point.51” above a photograph of a person in a beret.

Memes, cowboys, books and displays fonts: Things is back!

For us, the presents continue into the new year as we unwrap all the goodies you’ve sent us over the last month in 2020's first edition of Things.

Words: Charlie Filmer-Court
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Date: 8 January 2020; Things
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Let’s face it, January isn’t the best month around. It’s cold, it’s dark and it’s full of the guilt of failing your New Year’s Resolution in the first week. There is an upside though! For us the presents continue well into the new year as we unwrap all the goodies you’ve sent us over the last month in 2020’s first edition of Things.

This month’s round-up includes a device to help us communicate more succinctly, a celebration of the over application of hazard tape and a book dedicated to the humble meme.

If you would like to contribute to next month’s Things, please send your designs to this address.

A blue hardback book titled “Bill Cunningham: On the Street”. The cover features a gold illustration of a person on a bicycle, holding a camera to their eye. Smaller gold text reads “Five decades of iconic photography”.

An open book shows a series of street style photographs. On the left, three smaller images feature people in dramatic black outfits, including a long cape and a voluminous skirt. The right page shows a larger photo of two people in avant-garde clothing, one wearing a red checked coat and the other in a sculptural black garment.

A person in a long black coat and hat rides a Segway across a New York City street. Yellow taxis and a black car are stopped in traffic beside them, in front of “The Crown Building”.

Bill Cunningham: On the street

“The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been. Always will be” – Bill Cunningham

Having photographed fashion on New York’s streets for over 40 years, Bill Cunningham amassed quite the archive before his unfortunate passing in 2016. This book of his work takes us on a tour through the decades, charting the changes in fashion and the city itself over almost half a century. It includes many of his most famous photographs from his weekly New York Times column, as well as a number of previously unseen images unearthed from his personal collection. Accompanying the photographs are a number of essays from those he photographed and worked with, including one of his favourite subjects, Anna Wintour.

A red magazine cover titled “Point.51” features a person in a dark suit and beret holding a flag. Text at the bottom reads “Britain” and “The people of an island facing an acute identity crisis”.

An open book displays four photographs. These include a statue overlooking a city, a stone arch bridge, a line of people in uniform, and two people working on bicycles in a workshop.

An open book showing two photographs from a political rally. The left page shows a group of people holding signs and a blue flag, while the right page shows a person standing on a stage with their arms raised.

Point.51 : Issue 02

Point.51 is a new photojournalism magazine that explores a different theme in each issue. Britain is the latest subject to be put under the lens, with articles exploring difficult contemporary topics such as Scottish Independence, EU membership and the demise of industry. There is a mixture of long form photojournalism accompanied by a purely photographic feature, which in this issue documents how important locations from British history look now.

The cover of a book titled “The Memeing of Life”, with the subtitle “A journey through the delirious world of memes”. The cover features a collage of meme subjects, including a Doge, a gorilla and a surprised person, set against a starry space background.

An open book shows a black page with the words “DICKS DICKS DICKS DICKS DICKS OUT” in bold white type. A small black and white photo of a gorilla is pasted over the text. The opposite blue page reads “THE STORY OF A FALLEN GORILLA AND OTHER ANIMALS WHO WON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF A GENERATION”. Below this is a cropped black and white photograph of a gorilla.

An open book features a page titled “IN CONVERSATION: BAD LUCK BRIAN”. On the left, a grid of black and white school portraits is shown, with one figure circled in black ink.

The Memeing of Life: A Journey Through The Delirious World of Memes

The internet gets blamed for ruining everything, from the demise of bookshops, cinemas, newspapers, it’s usually the internet’s fault. This is probably true, however the internet has also helped contribute to endless technological advances that have been of benefit to mankind, and memes. The Memeing of Life is a compendium of some of the most famous memes out there, and is designed by Kind Studio in South London. It’s written by Angus Harrison (formerly of Vice), who has provided in-depth analysis on favourites such as Harambe, The Distracted Boyfriend and an exclusive interview with Bad Luck Brian.

A spiral-bound notebook lies open on a grey concrete surface. Three white pages each feature a bold, black geometric letter “A”.

A spiral-bound sketchbook open to two pages, each featuring a bold, black geometric character. The abstract shapes resemble stylised letters on a plain white background.

Felix Salut

WOW, COD, OMG, MAP, NFL. These are just five of the 17,576 three letter acronyms (TLA) you can make with this display from Felix Salut – add in the numbers as well and there are a possible 24,336 combinations! The Amsterdam-based experimental design studio’s idea is to strip things back and provide a desktop equivalent to text speak, its simplicity helping you to communicate succinctly.

A book cover featuring a central photograph of a person wearing a black leather hood and a long, cream-coloured fringe mask. The image is set against a background of oversized, vibrant red flower petals.

An open book shows two photographs side by side. The first shows a row of ornate western shirts on hangers, and the second shows four people wearing cowboy hats and shimmering outfits.

An open book shows a photograph of a person from behind, wearing a yellow jacket and a wide-brimmed hat. The back of the jacket reads “KENROC” in black capitals. They stand on a dusty ground facing a white truck under a cloudy sky.

Annie Forrest: Giddyup

This photobook by Annie Forrest captures the cowboy spirit that has been transformed and modernised by Canadian musician Orville Peck. Peck and his band have championed an old-world aesthetic which is always present in the photographs, meaning you can expect tassels, bolo ties, spurs and cowboy hats a-plenty. The photographs were taken during Peck’s North American tour, combining images of a fast-paced musician’s lifestyle with tender moments experienced on the road.

The cover of Loupe magazine features a grayscale image of a classical sculpture of a person. The title “LOUPE” appears at the top, with the words “NATIONAL IDENTITY” and “ISSUE 10” printed across the bottom.

An open book shows two photographs side by side. The left page shows a close-up of a jagged white cliff face, while the right page shows two people standing on a grassy cliff edge overlooking a turquoise sea.

An open book shows a spread with photographs and text about Gibraltar. One image shows a plain white building with a red door, while another shows a multi-storey apartment block with balconies and palm trees.

Loupe

This is the tenth issue of the independent photography magazine Loupe, which as of this year will now be available to buy. This issue’s theme is National Identity, a subject that is explored throughout the magazine in some rather striking ways. Brexit is obviously included in here too, this time in the form of Olli Hellmann’s entertaining series of people peering over the white cliffs of Dover. The theme is also explored outside of the UK, with articles covering the unique identity of Gibraltar and an exploration of masculinity in Sicily.

A black and white magazine cover titled “The Happy Reader”. A person wearing a dark coat with a white collar looks at the camera while holding an open book.

An open book shows a black and white photograph of a sparse room with a desk and bookshelves. A person sits outside a window, reading a book.

An open book shows a photograph of a cluttered, dimly lit apartment filled with art and furniture. A large portrait of a person leans against a wall on the right, while the caption below reads “World of Interiors”.

The Happy Reader

A feature with Grace Wales Bonner adorns the cover of The Happy Reader this month. The fashion designer, whose clothes come with a reading list of their own, discusses her literary influences with writer Ben Okri in this issue. Within the beautifully laid out pages you can also find still lifes by Dutch photographic duo Blommers/Schumm, and a recollection of a nightmare from Jarvis Cocker.

The cover of a book titled “This Book is Anti-Racist”. The bold, colourful typography is surrounded by playful illustrations of people in various poses against a dark background. Smaller text below reads “20 lessons on how to wake up, take action and do the work”, credited to Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurélia Durand.

An open book shows a page of text alongside a page of activities. The left page features a pattern of diverse hands reaching upwards and the heading “AND STILL, TODAY, EVERY DAY IT LOOKS DIFFERENT.”

An open book showing a colourful illustration of three people sitting together. To the left, two pages of text discuss the history of the Loving family and the League of Coloured People.

This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action and do the work

This illustrated guide to race, history and society combines historical context with practical information on how to eradicate racism. The book is written by Tiffany Jewel, a US-based writer and racism educator, and is aimed at young adults in the hope that it will provide them with the tools to deal with the issue. Accompanying the text are vivid illustrations that bring the pages to life by Parisian-based Aurelia Durand.

A black booklet with a white border lies on a textured grey surface. Centred text reads “work | around”, with “Pentagram Papers 49” printed in small letters at the top.

An open book displays a series of photographs of cars. Some vehicles are partially covered in translucent plastic sheets, while one red car is covered in white soap suds.

A page from a book with a dark grey background. Centred white text reads, “Once there was a car, a lamp post, a door and an armchair, sitting by a road.”

Pentagram Papers 49

“Once there was a car, a lamp post, a door and an armchair, sitting by a road.” This is the quote on the inside cover of this edition of Pentagram papers, and to be honest it’s one that says all you need to know about this selection of photographs. Featured are streets punctuated with discarded furniture, bird poo-covered cars and buggies hanging from road signs. London appears heavily in the book, providing another reminder to us of why we love it so much…

A rectangular package wrapped in yellow and black hazard stripes. A white circular sticker in the centre reads “#HAZARDOGRAPHY”.

A fan of Polaroid photos scattered on a concrete floor. The top image shows a yellow and black striped object resting on a grey stone ledge.

Four photographs are scattered across a grey concrete floor. The images show fragmented, colourful urban scenes including a red train and a dark statue.

Hazardography

This is a project by Munich-based creative, Jez Owen, who was inspired by the reckless abandon with which people use Hazard tape to fix things. Initially based on found examples of this in everyday life, Jez joined in on the fun himself, creating his own objects and leaving them in unpremeditated places. The result: hazard tape-wrapped pineapples, cutlery, suitcases and cups in some rather unexpected urban locations.

Further Info

About the Author

Charlie Filmer-Court

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Charlie joined It’s Nice That as an editorial assistant in December 2019. He has previously worked at Monocle 24, and The Times following an MA in International Journalism at City University. If you have any ideas for stories and work to be featured then get in touch.

cfc@itsnicethat.com

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