Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.25
Object Name
Poster
Title
Air-India Immigrant-Labour
Date
1972-1982
Description
The Poster Collective was a collective formed in 1971 at the Slade School of Art,  a group formed to initially produce posters in response to the miners strike and on the wars in both Vietnam and Ireland. It was formed on the basis of developing a coherent visual style, which addressed the political issues of the time. This included the armed struggles against colonialism in Africa, the struggle of women for equal rights and the continuing struggle against racism. The collective was active in the 70's and 80's, producing posters on a wide range of issues, including for educational purposes. The group was not-for-profit and used a variety of hand-printing techniques to create their posters. This is a white poster with two photographs of Indian flight women, one smiling at the camera and the other at work as a flight attendant. Black text reads :"Rajput windows and the ethereal voice of the sitar. Murals of the legends of Krishna and silks and brocades from Rajasthan. A glimpse of
India on your way to New York. AIR-INDIA" whilst the other side reads "Ash trays and the extensive dirty floors of the airport. The arrivals and departure board of Heathrow and the overalls from Acme. A glimpse of exploitation on your way to New York. IMMIGRANT-LABOUR" This poster was made to protest against exploitative practices regarding immigrant Labour by the airline company Air India, it highlights the privilege of being able to travel to faraway places while ignoring the commonplace labour injustices inflicted on immigrants from those same places.
