Protect and Survive
Artist
Peter Kennard
United Kingdom, born 1949
Date1980
Dimensions23 x 16 in. (58.4 x 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.8014
DescriptionIntended only for use during an actual emergency, Protect and Survive was a civil- defense campaign orchestrated by the British government to inform citizens about what to do during a nuclear attack. It consisted of television broadcasts, short-wave radio announcements, pamphlets, and newspaper advertisements. Public interest in the campaign resulted in parts of it being released early, with excerpts broadcast by the BBC on Panorama, its current-affairs program. Rather than reassuring people, however, the campaign demonstrated the potential horrors of any nuclear conflict. The resulting cultural impact cannot be overstated: the campaign was subsequently referenced in countless films, songs, and television programs, and became a general touchstone of the era.
Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, Peter Kennard created numerous posters for activist groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In this design, he uses satire to indicate that the Protect and Survive campaign could not possibly fulfill any of its promised aims. The tagline at the top of the poster was appropriated from advertisements for the London Times.
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