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How I’d Sink American Vogue

Patrick 26/09/07, 11:55

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Picture this: Anna Wintour has resigned. The sheer effort of keeping an immaculate bob and an unfeasibly large pair of sunglasses in place 24 hours a day has finally taken its toll. In a move that has shocked the fashion industry, American Vogue has appointed as her successor graphic-designer-turned-artist Scott King. For his first issue in charge, King decides that Vogue should have an anti-war theme. Oh, and it should also be free…

How I’d Sink American Vogue is a project that King first developed for a show at New York gallery, PS1, last year. A less likely substitute for La Wintour it is hard to imagine, but with a background at i-D and Sleazenation, King knows a bit about the workings of the style press.

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His 12 artworks featuring fictional proposals for Vogue covers ruthlessly lampoon the fatuous froth of the glossy. Take January, The Angry Issue: its main feature – 769 Things That Make Scarlett Johansson Angry At Injustice. Inside, we are promised advice on “how to dress angry”, a report on “whatever happened to New Orleans” and “how Bono saved Africa”.

Carrying on the list obsession is the May issue with 635 Poor People Upside Down, plus Karl Lagerfeld on cancer and the lost diaries of Oswald Mosely.

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Things really pick up in July when King proposes to publish an ad-free issue, which would run to all of 14 pages, but would at least come with a free “anti-capitalist paper clip” to “Jam The Corporate Machine!”

But the crowning glory has to be the November issue when King completes his descent into Colonel Kurtz-style madness to produce the final nail in the coffin: a bright yellow cover featuring nothing but a budgie, chillingly declaring that “I Am God!”

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Well, it could happen…

All images courtesy Herald St gallery, London.

Comments(45 comments)

damn, what a fu*kin bore you are.

Posted by julien redding on 26/09/07, 4:05 pm

thats brilliant. made me laugh

Posted by Nelson on 26/09/07, 4:08 pm

not sure this is his finest hour…

Posted by Rich on 26/09/07, 5:00 pm

Scott used to be my tutor at Camberwell 1 day a week, glad to see he’s still fresh and coming up with the goods. I’ve just seen his website from your link above - it made me want to quit my design job and do something on my own agin

Posted by Andy Delanoy on 26/09/07, 5:29 pm

Brilliant! That would be interesting to see if it ever came to effect…

Posted by Menos on 26/09/07, 6:24 pm

its just that its a bit situationism for beginners. nothing that wrong with it, its kind of funny, but theres not a great progression from jamie reid (whether putting up fake posters in buses advertising free bus journeys or messing around with disney iconography). theres nothing to dislike with them, they made me chuckle. maybe thats all he wants us to do. maybe thats enough. i dont know…

Posted by Rich on 26/09/07, 6:47 pm

‘Foreign’ is spelled incorrectly…

Nice ideas though.

Posted by Ben on 27/09/07, 1:56 am

This is great stuff. The old ’situationism’ cliche is tiresome. If anyone does work that has a provacative edge, or based on defacing/realigning establish medium, then bookish types always say ’situationsim’. As usual, there is far more to Scott’s work - it draws more from pop culture to shoot holes in the enclosed world that is high fashion/lifestyle. It is also funny, which makes a change in the art world.

Posted by Amelia on 27/09/07, 9:30 am

Spending too much time in Shoreditch with all those pricks from Sleaznation and I-D had a profound effect on this loverble lad from Yorkshire, and this is by far a much better option that the ‘authentic’ magazines that have been lucky enough to come in contact with Scott King.
This work has a sinister truth about it taht all its critics cant handle but it is also very funny. However if you want a real laugh check out ‘SuperSuper’ which will have you pissing yoursef dry.

PS: Is ‘Do Anything You Want To Do’ by Eddie and The HOt Rods not the greatest song ever recorded?.. or am I a workstation liberal who just isnt getting enough sex?

JF x

Posted by Jim Fry on 27/09/07, 9:33 am

what about a scottish issue,my mate graham knows marty pellow really well and he s looking for something to do just now,you could start him on something simple like reveiwing shortbread

Posted by brian sweeney on 27/09/07, 9:43 am

I thought these were great in their own right; but when you put them in the context of what most magazines are concerned with nowadays and how complacent the industry is, it makes even more sense. From working in magazines he’s even got the hand-wringing tone of the coverlines exactly right; I kept thinking of i-D’s anti-Iraq war issue, where contributions to a special feature included… a Dries van Noten shirt, dripped in ‘blood’. (Jesus christ…)
Keep at it Scott. May the spirit of Essex pub rock be with you…

Posted by Cracker on 27/09/07, 9:57 am

“situationsim” is an easy tag for the semi-aware “coffee book table” knowlege types who inhabit the world these days…Scott’s work deserves more credit than being lazily tagged….while most people are happy to tow the line and work within the confines of accepted good taste I.e other peoples ideas, at least Scott is willing to get out there and take the brickbats as well as the deserved aclaim…for the critical? go back to skimming myspace to make sure you’ve ticked all the boxes that make you feel secure in your fashionable world.

Posted by kenneth on 27/09/07, 10:16 am

Oh Rich! Whoever you are, you really don’t get it! Firstly if you knew the first thing about the Situationists, you would know that there is no such thing as ‘Situationism’ … there are only ’situations’. What King has done is undoubtedly influenced by Jamie Reid etc. … but so what? What King has done is re-apply a strategy that existed long before Guy Debord and his chums were born … IT’S CALLED SATIRE. To my mind, King has made a completely contemporary piece of art that works! It’s about now! How many graphic designers can seriously consider their work to be about anything other than pattern making … never mind social commentary? King has always been the best of his generation … and his move towards ART (that is ‘away from graphic design’) tells you everything you need to know about how boring graphic design really is. Graphic design never deserved Scott King … Keep going, Mr. King!!!

Posted by Michael on 27/09/07, 10:23 am

This is extremely TIRESOME.
Although once a protagonist of agitative graphic communication, with a lot of potential - King let it slip through his fingers and has failed to progress with his schoolboy antics in the last 7 years… Repeating the same messages, trying to establish himself as ‘artist’… Scott has been left out of the loop for so long, can we really say his comments have the same substance as they did in 1998?
Maybe its time to become a a full time teacher.

THE KING IS DEAD

MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW ORDER

Posted by lee on 27/09/07, 10:43 am

whatever

Posted by Rich on 27/09/07, 10:51 am

Really, I’d love to see each of these covers front a real issue of each mag - like a full magazine. No, they’re not all idle, some say ’situationist’ prods - they’re more real than the ridiculous, sensationalist plop-plop that magazines like Vogue actually foist on the unwary.
Myself, I’m writing this from the outskirts of Colchester where I work as a dental technician, so, re Lee’s comment above that ‘Scott has been left out of the loop for so long’, I don’t know what loop one has to be in these days to hit the mark and be deemed worth taking notice of. Maybe the London graphic design/creative loop is more of a ‘noose’, that King would be better advise to remain apart from.
Funny, but there was a time, I remember, when so-called style mags did actually connect with the rest of the country, and did attempt to involve words and images not confined to Hoxton or wherever. i-D, The Face and even Sleazenation were, I remember edited and designed by people who didn’t seem to be that trendy at all.
Me and my mates back in Norwich felt we were always one step ahead of them in matters of musical taste and dress.
They were just have-a-go numpties from the provinces, weren’t they, getting busy with apple macs and blagging all the free crap Cava they could get at pretend posh parties and designer sales?
Anyhow, Scott King has always seemed to have a pretty perky sense of humour to me, as can be seen from these Vogue wee-wee takes. And at the end of the day, how many funny graphic designers/artists are there around?
I bet I have more of a laugh here at the dentists in Stanway than you designer types in London get in a studio or wherever you doodle.
Back to Scott. I once took a train into the Smoke for an exhibition of his and bought myself a print of his. And there aren’t many pieces flying around creative review I’d fork out for.
At the end of the day Scott always seems to do something refreshing - have a poke at the establishment and the big guns while keeping it good looking, thought provoking and funny.
And that’s not easy, I reckon.
Can’t wait for Scott to design something for the Olympics. Got to be better than that badly drawn Picasso-ish representaion of Sally Gunnell dressed in pink they’ve got.
All power to his elbow.

Posted by Steven Writtle on 27/09/07, 3:20 pm

i must say i am very fed up with some of these coments. i am scott kings mum and he told me to look at this blogg site as if it were a good thing. most of what i have seen is very critical. don’t these people have nothing else to do? Our scott went to art college to get away form the lack of opputunitys in our town. so to have these snobby graphic designers critisizing his work really gets me fumming! scott told me to look up this stuff and now i wish i hadn’t not! if i could ever get my hands on that lee or rich who have made comments aboyut our scotts work i would probably ring there bloody necks! our scott is not a perfect but he is my son and i resent any body saying otherwise. when he looks at himself in the mirror in a morning at least he can say -THERE IS A MIRROR - AND I AM THE PERSON IN THAT MIRROR -wich is a lot more then these pen pushers can probabuly say!

Posted by Marion on 27/09/07, 3:52 pm

Scott is one of the few artists working who are enjoyed by the supposed elite and the man in the street (or at least the latter’s very impressed whenever I show him any). If he signed up with Steve Lazarides he’d make a fortune. The Vogue series is a reflective work, sure, but that’s part of its appeal - and given Scott’s more socially-concerned work, made long before certain others popularised polemic, we should maybe let him have said personal moment.
I like the Vogue series anyway.

Posted by Steve Beale 'A Have-a-Go Numpty from the Provinces' on 27/09/07, 4:15 pm

so you’re bored of watching countdown and googling your own name then scott?

Posted by Rich on 27/09/07, 4:22 pm

I really can’t do with pompous twat art critics, they’re just so predictable. Rather than inflict a jealous tirade of meaningless crap one should not only SEE the work but assess the mind set behind the covers. Having followed Kings work for a number of years I feel this latest offering is yet another triumph - As instantly recocnisable as Kings work is,he yet again manages to provide a refreshing deep thought provoking experience.

Posted by Dale Marwood on 27/09/07, 4:44 pm

im writing this on toilet paper scott , and posting it up the chimney in the hope that it reaches you .. mia and i are weeping and sleeping and not much else. she made me some chowder, but then it made me sick to my stomach and i got dehydrated, and had to just lay on the tiles drifing in and out of consciousness whilst mia pawed at my ear.. im just hoping that i dont have to read anymore comments from people who really should probably be writing witty comments about michael bentine’s cock on popbitch… then i might get well again x

Posted by weymes on 27/09/07, 9:24 pm

It’s all got a bit confusing, which is how I imagine Scott likes it.
In terms of a ‘usable’ legacy, the Situationists only really left us two techniques and a big idea¬- the derive, detournement and the possibility of an immanent critique. Where you position Scott King in all this¬ I’m not sure if it really matters¬. Take the theory and rinse it for all its worth, that’s what I say.
These pieces are weird, they’re speculative detournement. It’s not like he’s the Art Director of Vogue. Not like the good old days when Crash regularly ‘detourned’ Sleaze. Scott is super sensitive to the power of context and very aware of the different roles he plays. Is this an example of an ‘artist’ playing at being a ‘designer’ playing at ‘situationism’? Essentially, bathing in his and our own feckless inertia- frankly that’s a way more sophisticated engagement than the one that opened up these comments.

Out of interest, didn’t Terry Jones leave his job at Vogue to set up ID? There’s a nice circularity.

Posted by Nic Hughes on 27/09/07, 9:34 pm

Another work of genius from the Northern King.

As a fan of Scott’s for many years, I would put this latest offering up there with his best. To sum up his work overall I would have to say…visually stunning, thought provoking, politically incorrect, sometimes a bit wacky, but best of all…bloody funny.

So when misguided fools like the ones here have a go, I almost take it personally. Like when someone says your new haircut makes you look fat or your lifelong footy team is wank.

Once or twice when talking to strangers about art I’ve heard “Ah, so you like Scott King’s work, do you?”…followed by the knowing smile of a wonderful secret shared.

People, we are walking the same streets as an art master….we may just have to wait until he cuts his ear off and dies or something until anyone realises it.

Ramjet. x

Posted by Ramjet on 28/09/07, 8:38 am

It’s amazing to see the virilant response to 2 comments that were rightly critical..

This is a comical parody, but to print it out-stick it in a gallery and call it ‘art is pushing it I feel. It’s all a bit too easy to start calling this a ‘deep thought provoking experience.’… I like a lot of Scotts work but have to admit there seems to be a lot of hype over substance…

The new work with Jonathan De Villiers is wonderful.

Posted by Spike on 28/09/07, 1:25 pm

Oh I meant virulent of course, before the wild dogs of the blog tear me to peaces..

Posted by Spike on 28/09/07, 1:28 pm

virulent responce, comical parody (nice phrases), as is pompous twat - if the hat fits…
For the thought provoking comment, my appologies - I should pointed out for those still in 1st grade that the required level of thought may be a little taxing. Best stick with the finger paints….

Posted by Dale Marwood on 01/10/07, 5:16 pm

Touch a nerve?…
My point exactly, a deep experience…. like your posts.

Posted by Spike on 01/10/07, 5:27 pm

*yawn*

Posted by fazyluckers on 03/10/07, 12:35 pm

I love it. I’d hire you.

Posted by Tselentis on 03/10/07, 9:30 pm

RICH IS GOD!

Posted by paul on 04/10/07, 1:49 pm

I bet Rich doesn’t watch Countdown - I bet he watches Deal Or No Deal.

Posted by scott King on 04/10/07, 1:50 pm

Scott King saved my little girl from drowning in a lake in
Goole.

Posted by Gail on 04/10/07, 1:57 pm

I met scott once at an art opening in London.
He asked if i would like to take the seat he was sitting on. i was heavily pregnant at the time. He didnt have to do that for me and i will remember it for as long as i can. Even though i didnt get to say thankyou at the time,
i would like to let Mr.King know that Scott Mason is 5 years old now.
and thankyou.

Posted by Wendy Mason on 04/10/07, 2:09 pm

I’d say in these times when everyone’s clamouring for a ticket for Frieze on Wednesday night rather than going to hear Tony Benn speak then even a harrumph of indignation is worth a tick in the box.

Posted by John Marchant on 08/10/07, 12:50 pm

Hi Mrs King!
Wouldn’t worry about the timbre of some of the posts. The hazards of negotiating your way home after a Friday night out in Goole should eclipse the perils of a few less than complimentary remarks. He’s more than able to absorb criticism, it’s opinions he has trouble with in my experience. Opinions are for helping to decide what shoes to buy.
I can endorse your ‘Mirror’ observation and might add, you may have inadvertently provided Scott with a concept for his next project.
Does he ever answer his phone?
Hope everyone is fine (Is Dave still fishing?)

All the best

Tom

P.S. Christine likes your Vogue covers Scott

Hi Paul, get well soon and get in touch when you feel up to it.

Posted by Tom on 27/10/07, 4:25 pm

TOM - GET IN TOUCH! I WAS THINKING ABOUT YOU THE OTHER DAY. X

Posted by Mrs King on 29/10/07, 12:08 pm

I bet most of these blooming people are frustrated graphical designers. they should get real jobs and stop crying about the new olyimpics logo design. i wish our scott would just pack it all in a nd come home. london is full of drug dealers and amy whinehouse.

Posted by Mrs King on 22/11/07, 1:39 pm

I’m pretty sure that budgie already guest-edited an issue of Paris Vogue…

Posted by greg.org on 29/02/08, 5:24 am

Funny, clever, and visually sharp. I agree that it seems perfectly at home as a witty satire designed for internet consumpiton. However, i’d really enjoy seeing a gallery show ripping on the vacuous nature of fashion glossies. So… well done.

Posted by Punchy on 29/02/08, 10:03 am

That was simultaneously the most ridiculous and the most amazingly funny thing I’ve seen all day.

Posted by zoe on 29/02/08, 5:09 pm

just like to add that right now Scott King has an exhibition at the Kunstverein in Munich.. see http://www.kunstverein-muenchen.de if you’re interested.

Posted by Michael on 03/03/08, 12:19 pm

I *heart* him.
I think I have found a new “mentor”.
I’ve long wanted to express the shallow nature of fashion rags today, he has succeeded where others have failed miserably.

Posted by Jean on 03/03/08, 3:29 pm

I wish he’d come home.

Posted by Mrs King on 07/05/08, 10:04 am

Why? where is he?

Posted by Action Man on 07/05/08, 12:30 pm

At first glance of the article, I actually thought that ol’ Scotty Dog had really become Art Director on American Vogue. Nothing would surprise me now. Scott has been a friend of the family for around 20 years, even though we’ve not heard from him for a while. It’s good to know his work raises such critical debate - and great to find out which magazine he is set to conquer next…

(p.s. Marion, good on yer and keep at ‘em)

Posted by Tom Campbell on 26/05/08, 3:08 pm

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