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Made in North Korea Flexibound – 2 Oct 2017
by Nicholas Bonner (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
Product details
Flexibound: 236 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press; 1 edition (2 October 2017)
Language: English
by Nicholas Bonner (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
Product details
Flexibound: 236 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press; 1 edition (2 October 2017)
Language: English
Product description
Review
"Leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country. It is more like leaving another universe. I will never truly be free of its gravity, no matter how far I journey." --Hyeonseo Lee, defector
"Inside, I'm assaulted by the evening propaganda broadcasts coming over the apartment's hard-wired loudspeaker. There's one in every apartment and factory floor in Pyongyang." -- Adam Johnson, author of The Orphan Master's Son
"Because Pyongyang is the only North Korean city frequented by foreigners, the regime goes to great lengths to ensure that its inhabitants make a good impression with their appearance and are ideologically sound." --Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
"[D]ocuments a secretive side of a country's culture that very few ever see or experience." --Hypebeast
"Nicholas Bonner has assembled a fascinating collection of graphic ephemera from the country - everything from comic books to canned sardine wrappers and airsick bags to cigarette boxes. Steeped in Cold War-era Communist iconography and antiquated fonts, this coffee-table book reveals a country with a design aesthetic frozen in 1950s amber, and much of it is enchanting and beautiful to behold." --The A.V. Club
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a place of endless fascination... Nicholas Bonner [...] in a solid position to consider, in impressively vast detail, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's state-controlled design output... Thousands of items, from tinned food labels to invitations for state performances, many strikingly beautiful in design, are laid across 240 pages, bringing with them many hours of browsing." --ItsNiceThat.com
"An insight into the banalities of a country's whose name is synonymous with the cult of personality, political and cultural oppression, and the threat of nuclear war." --independent.co.uk
"Graphic designs used in adverts for drinks and sweets offer a hint of luxury and a break from daily monotony." --Wired
"The few examples of North Korean design seen by those outside the secretive state show a number of recurring themes... But now a different side of modern design in the country - one rarely considered by non-North Koreans - is being showcased in a new book." --CNN.com/style
"The most comprehensive collection of North Korean graphic ephemera to date." --i-D.vice.com
"Fascinating... Essays by Bonner provide an insight into daily life and culture in the country and highlight some recurring themes in North Korean design... A rare glimpse of the country's visual culture and shows how the ideology of the Workers' Party is expressed in everything from cosmetics to cigarette cartons." --CreativeReview.co.uk
"Fascinating... Beautifully produced and printed on toothy uncoated paper, with an appealing use of colour throughout, the book contextualises its content through essays and extended captions, encouraging readers to consider not only the images' visual appeal but also what they can tell us?through their appearance, style, origin and means of production?about North Korea itself." --Grafik.net
"Specialist Nicholas Bonner offers and insight into this isolated, fiercely ideological society."--The Observer
"A different side of the world's most mysterious country."--Big Issue
"Quirky and evocative... Reveals the compelling and surprisingly beautiful graphic culture of a country famous for its extreme levels of social, political and cultural control... Stunning."--New Design
"Inside, I'm assaulted by the evening propaganda broadcasts coming over the apartment's hard-wired loudspeaker. There's one in every apartment and factory floor in Pyongyang." -- Adam Johnson, author of The Orphan Master's Son
"Because Pyongyang is the only North Korean city frequented by foreigners, the regime goes to great lengths to ensure that its inhabitants make a good impression with their appearance and are ideologically sound." --Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
"[D]ocuments a secretive side of a country's culture that very few ever see or experience." --Hypebeast
"Nicholas Bonner has assembled a fascinating collection of graphic ephemera from the country - everything from comic books to canned sardine wrappers and airsick bags to cigarette boxes. Steeped in Cold War-era Communist iconography and antiquated fonts, this coffee-table book reveals a country with a design aesthetic frozen in 1950s amber, and much of it is enchanting and beautiful to behold." --The A.V. Club
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a place of endless fascination... Nicholas Bonner [...] in a solid position to consider, in impressively vast detail, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's state-controlled design output... Thousands of items, from tinned food labels to invitations for state performances, many strikingly beautiful in design, are laid across 240 pages, bringing with them many hours of browsing." --ItsNiceThat.com
"An insight into the banalities of a country's whose name is synonymous with the cult of personality, political and cultural oppression, and the threat of nuclear war." --independent.co.uk
"Graphic designs used in adverts for drinks and sweets offer a hint of luxury and a break from daily monotony." --Wired
"The few examples of North Korean design seen by those outside the secretive state show a number of recurring themes... But now a different side of modern design in the country - one rarely considered by non-North Koreans - is being showcased in a new book." --CNN.com/style
"The most comprehensive collection of North Korean graphic ephemera to date." --i-D.vice.com
"Fascinating... Essays by Bonner provide an insight into daily life and culture in the country and highlight some recurring themes in North Korean design... A rare glimpse of the country's visual culture and shows how the ideology of the Workers' Party is expressed in everything from cosmetics to cigarette cartons." --CreativeReview.co.uk
"Fascinating... Beautifully produced and printed on toothy uncoated paper, with an appealing use of colour throughout, the book contextualises its content through essays and extended captions, encouraging readers to consider not only the images' visual appeal but also what they can tell us?through their appearance, style, origin and means of production?about North Korea itself." --Grafik.net
"Specialist Nicholas Bonner offers and insight into this isolated, fiercely ideological society."--The Observer
"A different side of the world's most mysterious country."--Big Issue
"Quirky and evocative... Reveals the compelling and surprisingly beautiful graphic culture of a country famous for its extreme levels of social, political and cultural control... Stunning."--New Design
About the Author
Nick Bonner studied landscape architecture in the UK. During a study trip to China in 1993 he visited North Korea and subsequently set up Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, specializing in tourism to the DPRK. Since 2001, Bonner has produced three documentaries on North Korea and a feature film.
$39.96
Printed in North Korea: The Art of Everyday Life in the DPRK
Nick Bonner
4.8 out of 5 stars 11
Hardcover
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
36 customer ratings
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Mina Bowater
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2017
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Nicholas Bonner has given us a wonderful insight into this 'difficult for us' country through his extraordinary collection of graphics that he collected over his 25 years association with North Korea. It is a must read for those people who want to get an understanding of this extremely 'communist' country not least the submission of the individual to the collective whole, which in reality has been the norm for them for the last 2000 years it has been an ally of China. At last I can understand how deeply embedded this value is into their psyche but also how easy it was for communism in its purest form to take root in both countries, graphically illustrated by the chapter Gymnasts must not Dance from Mass Gymnastics in Korea published in 2002 on p208. With North Korea being such a problem to the Free World it is a timely publication to help us understand them just a little bit more.
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Francisco Salgueiro
3.0 out of 5 stars InterestingReviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2019
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The author of the book is one of the first westerners to live in North Korea that organized travels to the country. It has a collection of his personal items (chocolate wraps, posters, etc) that he stored over the years. Each has a small text. Overall it is interesting.
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Shazzarooni
5.0 out of 5 stars For the traveller who has everything!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2018
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Having been to North Korea with Nick Bonner, it seemed only fitting that I should buy his book as well. Plus it was a nice reminder of all the interesting ephemera I encountered whilst there. The designs are very different to what you see at home and have a certain naive charm.
I love the book and its funky coloured pages. Certainly one to display on the coffee table.
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Angela
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, vibrant bookReviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 June 2018
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Fantastic collection of packaging from North Korea and a really lovely, well-made book. Colours are vibrant, cover is eye catching and the information inside is well laid out and really interesting.
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Tina Raymond
5.0 out of 5 stars Good ValueReviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2019
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Thank you
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