Ruth Ewan / From Unrecorded Future, Tell Us What Broods There / Woodblock print

2008
Woodblock letterpress poster, signed, dated and numbered
67.6 x 45.7cm
Edition of 10
 
A series of short proclamations from the writings of Gustav Spiller (1864-1940), a Hungarian immigrant who became a leading figure in the transatlantic pacifist, humanitarian and ethical movements in Britain. As organiser of the first Universal Race Congress of 1911, held at the University of London, he attempted to raise awareness and counter the work of the burgeoning eugenics movement. Spiller’s publication, Poems of Human Service (The Utopia Press, London 1927) was distributed freely, without copyright, with the instruction that the contents be ‘freely reproduced’.
 
An interest in radical and revolutionary ideas resonates throughout Ewan’s work, which takes many forms including performance, installation and printed matter. Her practice often examines overlooked or forgotten areas of political and social history, giving prominence to activists and radical thinkers from the past, and highlighting their continued relevance today.