Photobook publishing sees the return of a master and they’re back with a classic about the grievances of late 1960s Britain. Peter Dench finds out more
In September 1969 The Architectural Review launched Manplan: eight special issues that are unique in the history of architectural publishing. Each issue was devoted to an individual area of human activity that was considered affected by design and planning choices. Guest editors were invited together with specially commissioned photojournalists to articulate the theme of each issue. Pages of human drama often in bleak situations were a radical departure from large-format photography of architectural gems published across bright clean pages that readers had come to expect.
Manplan 1 was arguably the most impactful of the set and made a strong case for looking at planning and architecture in a more holistic way that put society first. Titled Manplan: Frustration, photographer Patrick Ward, then in his early 30s, was given a relatively open brief by series editor Tim Rock and his team to document breaking points within British society: failed infrastructure, industrial unrest, dilapidated housing and issues relating to education, transport, religion, health and leisure.
‘As far as I remember I just set out – this is before computers and sat nav and everything – and worked my way around the country. It was done in a very intense rush.
Suddenly a 70-page magazine came out of a month or six weeks’ work. I wouldn’t necessarily say 70 good pages. The overall flow worked and I was helped enormously by wonderful terse captions, you can feel the passion and anger running through the magazine,’ recalls Ward.
The opening spread of commuters cramming onto a train set a dark, gritty, grainy, oppressive, pessimistic tone. A specific matt-black ink was used that devoured light. Several pages comprised a small black & white image in a border of blackness. ‘I’m quite surprised by all the fuss that was made about it to be honest, though for me it was a very exciting assignment and to get 70 pages was an absolute dream but it faded away,’ adds Ward.
Decapitated, eyeless heads and skulls featured on the cover of all the issues of Manplan. Ward’s cover was a phrenological head with a camera lens jammed in the right eye socket and the word Frustration featured prominently across the forehead. ‘Disappointing in a way to have the whole magazine and then have the designer’s creation on the cover.
There was quite a stink about it, even as it was appearing; both advertisers and architects felt this wasn’t what their magazine should be about. I assumed that the cover to some extent was a compromise so they wouldn’t have too much of a shock when they picked it up off the doormat,’ says Ward.
City swap
Manplan has recently b
