Know UNESCO

Art Education: an international Survey
UNESCO, Paris, 1972

Jennings

There were 25 Jennings novels written for children by Anthony Buckeridge between 1950 and 2004. It seems slightly odd to me that the author's political sympathies lay with the Left but he chose to write about the humourous antics of private schoolboy J.T.C. Jennings and his chum Darbishire. It also seems unusual for Armada to have staged photography for the covers of these 1970s reissues, rather than standard issue artist illustrated covers such as Richmal Crompton's contemporary Just William books did. 

Photo covers were usually reserved for television or film tie-in editions, and unlike William Brown, Jennings never made the jump to TV. My warped view of the world can't help wondering about the erotic possibilities of the imagery for those of a certain persuasion. Operation Yewtree have been informed.

Also, why Tippex out the book prices if you've got nothing to hide?

Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles

Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles
BBC, 1972

I don't find Reyner Banham a particularly likeable individual but there are plenty of good things in this film about Los Angeles architecture, including a brief visit to the Eames House (Case Study No.8) in Pacific Palisades, possibly my favourite modernist architectural environment. Plus a chat with artist Ed Ruscha at an old-skool drive-in about his responses to LA architecture through his photobooks of Sunset Strip and paintings of gas stations.

I haven't read Banham's book on Los Angeles but I suspect it would be an interesting companion to Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's seminal text Learning from Las Vegas, Banham's Modernism versus Venturi's Postmodernist approach.

Both cities were exemplar studies in the state of American architecture in the 1970s. As Banham was from Norwich and Venturi Scott Brown were a Chicago-based architectural practice, I wonder whether it took an outsider's perspective to appreciate what was going on with super-highways and the 'decorated shed'.

The film also has me laughing every time as Banham's appearance always seems so unlikely he looks like the world's worst under cover cop, and reminds me of Peter Seller's Inspector Clouseau in one of his more ridiculous disguises. Can you spot the Banham?