Blast101

  • Leanne McAtamney
In 1914, Wyndham Lewis wrote the Blast manifesto. Armed with his gang of peeved postmodernists, together they verbally dismantled society. Satirical, bold and original of its time, the Blast manifesto is a window that peered into early twentieth century culture with cynical eyes. Using the terms Blast and Bless, the manifesto highlighted the right and wrong, the good and bad with radical intentions and furious humour.

The Graphic Design students of The University of The West of England took Lewis’ framework and catapulted it into 2015, 101 years on. Blast 101 is a 90 student-strong opinion on current socio-political issues. Where Seafarers and France met on the pages of Blast, Wetherspoons and Zero Hour Contracts are lambasted in this modern interpretation. Scathingly poetic in content, Blast 101 reads like a sour love letter to society. The five main subjects covered in the book coincide with the significant areas of contention in this years General Election; Immigration, Power, Community, Healthcare and Education. Today, opinion can sit on the fence and promises are broken, Blast 101 draws its own line with a verbal battering ram.

The re-working of Blast,101 years later seems like a rightful claim for these students to have undertaken. Being the first year to suffer the tripling of university fees and now are weeks away from graduating into a shifting political landscape once more, Blast 101 seems like the perfect time to debate these frustrations. Blast 101 asks you consider whether mincing your words does in fact get you anywhere. With a powerful publication, supporting website and launch event where “opinions will be voiced, authority will be questioned and votes will be cast” these students are certainly voicing theirs.