Alvin Purple

1974

Pulp Literature PR 9612 H665 A48 1974

Sydney: Scripts Publications

In 2004 some 80 third year Design students were asked to repackage for a modern audience a Pulp title from the Australian Pulp Fiction in Special Collections. On being tasked to read and reinterpret historical material (much of it slightly salacious) they discovered that the collection is invaluable for those curious about print history, material culture, and book culture. Many of the titles were lurid and their covers illustrated with brushes and paint by some of the best in the business. The re-packaged results had a ‘coolness’ about them, no doubt derived from the tools and technology used by the students. This project highlighted the essential need for critique and deconstruction first and for the students to read, write, and synthesise their impressions of the texts before moving to design. Would these interpretations appeal today? That is in the realm of speculation.
(Chosen by Ralph Lawrence, designer, Dunedin)