Festival Of Britain, The: Land And Its People, A

Description: The Festival of Britain in 1951 transformed the way people saw their war-ravaged nation. Giving Britons an intimate experience of contemporary design and modern building, it helped them accept a landscape under reconstruction, and brought hope of a better world to come. Drawing on previously unseen sketches and plans, photographs and interviews, The Festival of Britain: A Land and Its People travels beyond the Festival's spectacular centrepiece at London's South Bank, to show how the Festival made the whole country an exhibition ground with events to which hundreds of the country's greatest architects, artists and designers contributed. It explores exhibitions in Poplar, Battersea and South Kensington in London; Belfast, Glasgow and Wales; a touring show carried on four lorries and another aboard an ex-aircraft carrier. It reveals how all these exhibitions and also plays, poetry, art and films commissioned for the Festival had a single focus: to unite 'the land and people of Britain'.

Review: This highly successful exhibition, which amazingly took place throughout the UK although centred on London's Southbank, underscored Britain as the most creative nation in the world and at a time when it was smashed, grey and desolate. It demonstrated British talent in not only architecture and design but sculpture and painting, literature, poetry, theatre and music - all activities that had lain pretty dormant during five years of grim and damaging war. The great thing about the exhibition was that it demonstrated that there was a better life to be lived which could be achieved by intelligent creativity and pointed the way to a better quality of life. This made people happy, cheerful and optimistic and made even a spam sandwich taste quite good - well not really - but it put a smile on visitors' faces. Some of them even cried with excitement and it demonstrated that the UK had the ideas and know-how to create a modern world. As the book admirably demonstrates, much of the credit must go to the Government of the time and the two people given day to day control. Gerald Barry, a newspaper editor, and Hugh Casson, an architect and designer ran the show and selected outstanding creative people who were responsible for every tiny detail. They were quite clear about what they wanted to achieve and were backed by the socialist politicians and most of the civil servants. They saw the Festival as a great opportunity to demonstrate that the country was not down and out but filled with energy and creativity which could be the UK's strength in the future. It succeeded for those people who were not politically biased or cynical and Britain's subsequent success in the creative world can be directly linked to the Festival - it was a turning point for the UK. This book does a wonderful job of describing what went on behind the scenes and why the exhibitions were such a great success. What a shame it was not written before the Millennium disaster as it really is a perfect primer on how to create an inspirational festival. It shows that dedicated leadership knew how to select and direct the best team of creative people, encourage their talents and correct them when necessary without losing their energy or enthusiasm. Why Churchill, who I always thought rather admired creativity, wanted to smash it all down as soon as possible, especially the Skylon, I never really quite understood. That is why every politician of every party, every architect and designer and every creative person should read this excellent and intensely researched book from cover to cover and look for the next Barry, Casson and Morrison if ever another Festival appears on the horizon. Full marks Dr. Atkinson, you have researched and written a really useful book. p.s. I worked on the Southbank site for several weeks before the exhibition opened so I have firsthand experience of its wonders! -Sir Terence Conran

Author Biography: Harriet Atkinson is Research Fellow at the University of Brighton. She is co-editor, with Jeremy Aynsley, of The Banham Lectures (2009), and contributor to the Encyclopaedia of World's Fairs and Expositions. She has written for various art and design journals as well as for The Guardian and The Independent.