Ed Hall on the history and craft of union banners
‘Banners in some way design themselves,’ says Ed Hall, significantly downplaying his own craftsmanship
Hall is a banner-maker, and three of his works – Hazelnuts do not grow on a dead planet, Will climate change be our Waterloo and We have no other home – adorned the Royal Festival Hall in 2023 as part of our Planet Summer series drawing attention to the climate crisis.
In this compelling video Hall gives an insight into the history of banners as a symbol of the people from the industrial revolution to the trade union movement, and explains how their appeal continues to endure in a digital age.
Hall also explains his own unorthodox route into banner-making from his background as an architect and trade unionist, and how that has led to him partnering with artists and arts organisations such as Jeremy Deller, and ourselves.
‘Everyone has got to be involved in this. Whatever our technology we can’t go anywhere else, we’re stuck, there is no other world. This is it.’
Ed Hall
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