Independent Group
The Independent Group (IG ) was an English artist association, which was founded in 1952 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA ) in London by Lawrence Alloway, Alison and Peter Smithson, Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi, Reyner Banham and others.
The Independent Group (IG ) was a rather loose association of architects, sculptors and art critics and discussed early thoughts of including trivial culture, such as advertising and mass media in the concept of art. Here, the concept of Pop Art in 1956 was born.
The narrow circle of the artists group consisted of about 20 members. The focus was not the final exhibition, but the appropriation of knowledge about sources, contexts and effects. It initially dominated the demonstrations, in which Eduardo Paolozzi presented his Bunk collages. He pulled no structural principle into consideration, but was without comment a rapid succession of projected collages that were collected from magazines, popular literature and product advertising.
This kind of talk was decisive for the entire pop direction. Paolozzi and his Independent Group members were aware of this deeper meaning, but claimed to only want to exhibit favorite pictures.
The first lectures were - devoted more technological issues, such as - with the exception of the Paolozzi Body designs, machine aesthetics and helicopter design. Won only later aspects such as fashion, science fiction, pop music and Hollywood movies in importance. More and more members of the Independent Group were dedicated to the diverse manifestation of mass culture.