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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Alison Jackson, Jeremy Deller, Yinka Shonibare and Liam Gillick

Election 2010: Poster politics

Poster politics: Alison Jackson
Alison Jackson: 'During the first TV debate it was striking how much Brown was trying to align himself with 
Clegg. I wondered what might be happening behind the scenes, and came up with these scenarios.' Download a PDF of this poster
Photograph: Alison Jackson
Poster politics: Bob and Roberta Smith
Bob and Roberta Smith: 'I don’t want to tell people how to vote. The important thing is just to get involved in the whole jamboree – by voting, yes, but also by finding satirical messages to deface posters with.' Download a PDF from makeamark.org.uk
Photograph: Bob and Roberta Smith
Poster politics: Liam Gillick
Liam Gillick: 'Ironic, postmodern posters are not what we need: the most important thing is to remind voters what the party stands for, and to encourage them to vote.' Download a PDF from makeamark.org.uk
Photograph: Liam Gillick
Poster politics: David Shrigley
David Shrigley: 'This poster doesn’t express my strong personal support, although of the three of them, I would like Brown to win.' Download a PDF of this poster
Photograph: David Shrigley
Poster politics: Gerald Scarfe
Gerald Scarfe: 'I used to find drawing Brown quite dull because he’s a dour personality – a big blob with ears. I draw Cameron in his Bullingdon outfit, because he’s so desperate not to appear to be a toff'
Photograph: Gerald Scarfe
Poster politics: Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger: 'I hope people look at this and see that there are real choices. I’m sick of people saying, "Oh, they’re all the same." They’re not, and it’s up to us to see the differences.' Download a PDF from makeamark.org.uk
Photograph: Mark Wallinger
Poster politics: Jeremy Deller
Jeremy Deller: 'This poster is anti-Conservative rather than pro-Labour. Rupert Murdoch is the most powerful lobbyist there is in this country and a vote for the Tories is effectively a vote for him and his world view . He once said in an interview that his main hope and reason for supporting the war in Iraq was oil at $20 a barrel, which says it all really. It's ironic that it's his papers that get most upset when British troops are killed in these conflicts, having helped send them there. That 'Back to the 80s' poster that Labour unveiled must have been made by a Tory sympathiser, it was that bad. There were worse things about the 1980s than sports cars.' Download a PDF from makeamark.org.uk • This article was amended on 28 April 2010. The previous version was the author's draft, which we published by mistake in the Guardian and on guardian.co.uk. The version above is the final version.
Photograph: Jeremy Deller
Poster politics: Maggi Hambling
Maggi Hambling: 'Every morning I paint the sea, and I am always reminded of how remarkably small I am. It is a very humbling experience, and I think a bit of humility wouldn’t go amiss with our politicians.' Download a PDF of this poster
Photograph: Maggi Hambling
Poster politics: Richard Wentworth
Richard Wentworth: 'I didn’t want to leave people with the cheesiness of a bad joke about “labour”, but I did want to remind people that they are born into a political space.' Download a PDF from makeamark.org.uk
Photograph: Richard Wentworth
Poster politics: Yinka Shonibare
Yinka Shonibare: 'I’m just celebrating the fact that, in this democratic system, anyone can stand. I like me, you see, so I assume everyone else will.' Download a PDF of this poster
Photograph: Yinka Shonibare
Poster politics: Martin Parr
Martin Parr: 'I chose “Vote for Britain” rather than any particular party because that’s the whole point. This is neutral and ambiguous and loaded.' Download a PDF of this poster
Photograph: Martin Parr
Poster politics: Goshka Macuga's election poster
Goshka Macuga: 'I made this with the designer Fraser Muggeridge. It’s double-sided: the “Left Right Forward” panel is the front, and the blue side is the reverse. The front reflects the confused picture we have of UK politics right now. The quote on the back of the poster is to remind us about the roots of democracy. It’s from a speech Pericles made to the Athenians during the Peloponnesian wars. He’s speaking about the impossibility of doing justice to the brave men who have lost their lives in the war. But he’s also reminding us of the respect given in Athens to those involved in politics, something that today we have all but lost.' Download a PDF of the front of the poster and the back
Photograph: Goshka Macuga
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