Organised by The Margate School
" The pun is generally considered as humour of a low order - the poor cousin to wit and satire.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The pun has a long and enviable pedigree in sharpening the mind and focusing the attention, not only in the fields of entertainment, politics and the arts, but also in the theatre of war. It has for centuries been a refined and elegant means of expressing emotions and ideas, suggesting in its subtle, often humorous way, that the interlocutor would do well not to take things at face value. "
This lecture, and the accompanying exhibition seeks to reinstate the pun as a mirror to our mores and demonstrate that a well constructed pun, whether aural or visual can amuse and enlighten simultaneously.
This lecture will also be live via Zoom for those unable to attend in person, the passcode is 266333: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83578765264?pwd=TldKci9hcEhhV0ZIb3Vpb1hHU2RpQT09
The work on show is constructed by hand, each character being struck by an engineer's punch onto high quality art paper. The greatest care is given to line length, spacing and the underlying implications inherent in the word or phrase. The seeming simplicity, almost banality of the finished designs, belies the rigour and elegance of their execution.
Chris Plato is a graphic designer, typographer and educator whose artistic concerns lie in language and its expression through typographic, filmic and written forms. In tandem with building a reputation as a teacher and lecturer of graphics, typography and moving image, working with students in the UK and abroad, he founded and ran during the 1980’s and 1990’s, his eponymous design studio in the City of London, undertaking graphic and promotional design projects for individuals, businesses and corporate clients.
His current design practice focuses on engaging with artist groups, especially those with an ecological focus such as The Arborealists, who are obsessed with trees. Plato’s obsessions are sound, language, letterforms and humour, all of which are well represented in his design works, song lyrics, flash fiction and film scripts, the latter of which he has self financed and produced three.
Born in South East London in the mid 1950’s, he lived on mainland Europe for a number of years. He currently resides on the English South Coast with his wife but no pets - as everybody else has a dog.
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