I object

by Ian Hislop, Thomas Hockenhull

This inspiring volume assembles a remarkable global collection of 180 objects that showcase the human instinct to challenge authority. Across millennia, dissent has been an essential ingredient in the development of human civilization, acting as a driving force behind social and political change. In I object , satirist Ian Hislop, along with co-writer Tom Hockenhull, gathers together some 180 objects that people have created, adapted, and used to mock and attack the status quo in societies as varied as eleventh-century bc Egypt, sixteenth-century England, and late twentieth-century Afghanistan. The objects―ranging from explicit symbols of dissidence such as badges, posters, prints, and ceramics, to items that contain hidden messages, such as wooden doors from Nigeria, a cotton kanga from Kenya, or a postage stamp from China―illuminate lost or forgotten moments in history, and give voice to those who have no other way to express their views safely. The book is organized into three the first looks at overt challenges to authority, from defaced coins to visual satire; the second explores how subversive messages, codes, and metaphors can be concealed in, for example, clothing and jewelry; the third investigates the role of the artist as activist. I object is a celebration of the wit and ingenuity of those who have questioned the establishment, told through the objects they left behind. 190 illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 15, 2019

Reviews

[ghostly_bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAWPILE 7.00
4 STARS

I find it hard to rate non fiction but I did enjoy this one- the photography was top notch and the way the stories were told were easily digestible.
I loved the little inserts of wit by Ian Hislop but this was much more about the exhibition that the book was recording.
Non Fiction Pick for December 2024.

[Siobhan Markwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really accessible account of artefacts in the British Museum Collection that shine a light on the rebellious, irreverent or salacious feelings of ordinary people. From John Bull farting in the face of George III, posters showing an exasperated and exhausted husband arriving home to chaos as his wife gallivants around campaigning for votes for women to the Indian Goddess Kali dancing adorned with a garland made of the heads of Victorian colonials all the objects allowed their makers to vent their frustration with their oppressors despite not being able to do this in actuality. There are pictures of some truly beautiful objects such as the carved wooden doors that surround bicycle riding Europeans with the powerful tribal spirits of the Yoruba and posters from the Syrian uprising against al-Assad but in many cases the charm of the objects and images comes from the courage and honesty of their makers, who often ran serious risk of fines, imprisonment or death to produce and show them. Bhagat Singh was executed in British Colonial India for, basically setting of a loud firecracker in the Indian Assembly and threatening to follow up with a real bomb. His trademark Fedora-style hat became a symbol of the strand of less-passive resistance than Ghandi's better-known one. In Iran, women stand on public phone boxes holding their hijab suspended above them on the end of a long stick in protest at the compulsory veiling policy of the Islamic republic. Imprisonment often results. The Yellow Umbrella's that came to symbolise the pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong served as protection from the sun, rain and also, alas, the pepper spray and tear dust of the Chinese army. The book celebrates the indomitable human spirit that refuses to lie down under the boot of oppression in silence. Sadly, many more of these objects are likely to be made, and progress towards justice and equality does not proceed as many of us hope, but in the long term, I hope objects like those explored in the book continue to chip, chip away at despotism.

[Bookwormthings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed the exhibition but I am really glad I have read this book, and sorry I missed the exhibition.

Necessarily selective this is a capsule of the different ways in which those who are being "done to" have registered their less than complimentary feelings towards the "doers". Minor subversions, major subversions, it's all here.

[Cara L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of rather juvenile white men but that's museums for you. Also plenty of interesting stuff, I particularly enjoyed the textiles - Palestinian scarves, Afghan rugs, and a rather beautiful image of Kali, and Banksy's cave painting raised a giggle. ☺️

[Martin Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my normal sort of book, but the catalogue of an exhibition at the British Museum. Well not quite a conventional catalogue, but a useful guide to subversiveness! It could usefully have had more detailed photographs of some of the stuff, but it was a helpful additional element to get the best out of the exhibition.

And yes (and why I included it in my Goodreads feed), the catalogue stands up reasonably well in its own right and not just as an adjunct to the exhibition itself.