Censored!

2018
V&A
London

Censored! was a temporary display at the V&A that marked fifty years since the Theatres Act came into force, abolishing state censorship of the British stage. It examined the regulation of theatre in the 17th century through to the time of Kubrick’s provocative A Clockwork Orange and the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen, as well as censorship’s role today. Barnbrook was commissioned to design the display and accompanying graphics.

The exhibition design is built around panels made from horizontal bars, that obstruct the visitors’ vision as they navigate the space. The exhibition graphics are centred around the colour blue, referencing the censor’s blue pencil, as well as the censoring bar that conceals sections of large photographs of key pieces from the exhibition.

Typography plays a key role in the exhibition graphics. The museum’s voice is set in a contemporary typewriter typeface, juxtaposed with that of the press and public. The latter manifests as quotes of anger and fury dotted around the exhibition.