Publications « Oysterpress

Hall of Femmes: Ruth Ansel by Hjärta Smärta

We are proud to present the first publication within the project Hall of Femmes, a series of books on female graphic designers.

Hall of Femmes is a project initiated by the design studio Hjärta Smärta in 2009 with the objective of bringing female graphic designers and art directors into the spotlight. After a few years as graphic designers, they started looking for female role models, but always felt they lacked women in the buisiness to look up to, and whose sucesses they could aspire to.

In March 2009 they went to New York to meet up with a few lady giants of the design world and these conversations are currently being transformed into a series of books. During their trip they started a blog (In Swedish).

The first publication features the legendary art director Ruth Ansel. In the 60’s, when she was just 24, she and Bea Feitler became co-art directors of Harper’s Bazaar, in the 70’s she was the art director of The New York Times Magazine, and in the 80’s Vanity Fair. Each time she was the first woman in that position.

In October last year they invited Ruth Ansel to Stockholm to give a lecture on her career and show her work to a Swedish audience. The lecture was met with tremendous enthusiasm, it was sold out and got a lot of attention in the media.

Within Hall of Femmes they are planning to launch a series of books (published by Oyster Press), arrange lectures and exhibitions and collaborate with the design schools for educational purposes.

Hall of Femmes: Ruth Ansel. OP 002. Editor: Ika Johannesson. Typography and design: Hjärta Smärta. Pages: 72. Size: 130 x 230 mm. Language: English. ISBN: 978-91-978827-0-5. Published: April 2010. Price: 150 sek.

Diggers and Dreamers by Love Enqvist

For a number of years Love Enqvist has studied the long-term thought inherent to Utopia. He has visited and observed many of the intentional communities that live today, and this has led to a both personal, often beautiful documentation. He has also taken a look at the communities that did not survive and at the rich literature that exists on intentional communities. “Diggers” is referring both to an English 17th century movement by the same name and to hippies in the 1960’s. Photos are taken at the Open City of Ritoque (Chile), Christiania (Denmark), Auroville (India), Eclectic City (Brazil), Findhorn (Scotland), Arcosanti (USA) and many more.

Includes an essay by Felicity D.Scott.