The Modernist #50

The ‘north’ is subjective.

the modernist is produced out of Manchester and, as such, we consider ourselves to be northerners. However, to our Scottish cousins this is nonsense: to them we are mere soft, southern Jessies.

As such, perhaps it’s best not to get too hung-up on geographical perceptions of what is or isn’t northern, and instead settle upon the maxim that ‘the north’ is a feeling.

In this issue of the modernist we travel the globe, largely within the northern hemisphere. Scotland features heavily, with articles about locally-based artists Eduardo Paolozzi and Charles Anderson, the textile designer Bernat Klein, the tower-blocks of Aberdeen, and models of the North Sea oil rigs.

Further afield, Phil Griffin takes us to one of the world’s most northerly inhabited places on earth, Barrow in Alaska, whilst Mantra Mukim couldn’t be much further away, climate-wise, with his look at the planned suburbs of Delhi, India.

We also couldn’t avoid an article about our hometown, in which David Dunnico uses a famous photograph of Coronation Street character Ena Sharples to tell a story of post-war urban redevelopment and social housing that was played out in towns and cities all across the country.

As an (in)famous Salfordian once said: HIT THE NORTH!

It also cannot have escaped your attention that we have hit the major milestone of 50 issues. We are very proud of this significant event but we could not got this far without the contributions of the countless writers, photographers and designers who have given their time and talents so freely over the years to get us to where we are today. A big thanks must also go to you, the readers, who continue to support our humble little magazine.Thank you.

60 pages b&w and colour200mm x 200mmPerfect bound