Catalogue Number
NMLH.2024.12
Object Name
Poster
Title
Steel n Skin
Place
London
People
Peter Blackman; John Phillips
Date
1976
Description
Paddington Printshop was a graphic art and printmaking centre active in west London between 1975 and 1989. The Printshop worked collaboratively with members of local organisations and campaigns to create over 400 poster designs, and thousands of leaflets. The printshop was active in the 70's and 80's, producing posters on a wide range of political 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 screenprinted poster, with images and text. It is very colourful with a blue background. There is an image of a Black man playing the drums; his figure and the drums are outlined in green, yellow and red. These are the rastafarian colours. The top right of the poster says "Steel 'n' skin." Underneath the drum, there is an image of people walking over a zebra crossing; two of the people are holding drums. The bottom of the poster says "143 Abbey Rd N.W 6. 01-328 5233." Steel 'n' Skin were a
community music group, workshopand arts ensemble who worked within communities across the country, and was founded by musicians from across the UK, the Carribean and Africa. during the 1970s and 1980s, the group ran music workshops in disadvantaged communities amd schools. The group was founded by musician, communist and activist Peter Blackman, and the name comes from their use of steelpans and drum skins. This poster was produced in 1976, and was created by John Phillips.
