Did you notice the links between the Summer 2026 Issue 12 front cover and the Summer Party poster?
As the Summer Party at the Ritz was alien themed, I searched for ‘futuristic architecture’ to create a sci-fi look. One of the buildings I loved the most was the Museum of the Future in Dubai, which, alongside the Ritz, appears on both the poster and Issue 12 front cover.
Museum of The Future
The Museum of The Future, designed by Killa Design and engineered by Buro Happold, opened in 2022. The impressive building is covered in three quotes by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, written in flowing Arabic script that form the windows and facade of the building. The quote translations resonate with the ethos of Geddon PZ, so I was excited to include it.
"We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone."
"The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it."
"The future is not something that's written in the stars, it's something we make."
Ritz Penzance
I needed to get a photo of the Ritz without cars in front so I could create the queue of aliens outside. I happened to bump into my friend Stefan one day and he reminded me that the roadworks for the Globe meant there were currently no cars at the top of Queen Street. It was perfect light so I ran straight down and got the photos I needed!
Statue of Liberty
As I was looking into architecture, I also looked into statues and how they could add a humanlike quality to the front cover. I liked the contrast of messages between the Statue of Liberty and Banksy's Flag Man.
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) is a copper-clad statue that was gifted to the United States by the people of France. It was built in Paris in 1884 before being shipped in disassembled pieces to New York aboard the French ship Isère. It was completed in 1886.
The Statue of Liberty once stood as a welcoming beacon of hope for immigrants arriving in the United States. During the 19th and 20th centuries North America actively encouraged immigrants to move there to expand their nation by populating the land and building their infrastructure into the country that it is today.
Banksy’s Flag Man (Blinded by the Flag) appeared in central London in April this year. The life-size sculpture and plinth were installed in the early hours of the morning using a low-loader truck, a crane, and a crew wearing high-visibility vests.
A man dressed in a formal business suit marches forward on a stone plinth with a large flag blowing backwards and blocking his vision. His blindness means he is unaware that his next step is off the edge of the platform.
Banksy hasn’t provided an artist’s statement regarding the meaning of the piece, leaving the work open to public interpretation. Observers and art critics have reviewed the statue as a critique of blind nationalism and the danger of letting devotion to a symbol or a political figure obscure reality and lead us blindly into a crisis.
Westminster City Council decided to keep the artwork accessible for public viewing rather than take it down, though this may not be a permanent decision.
John the Baptist
Also in April this year, Yew Boy’s John The Baptist appeared on Market Jew Street. I was walking down town with my friend Emily when I froze in panic as I saw a man lying on the street with security stood with him. Emily said, “it’s not real, his head is in the flowerbed!” But then as we continued our way downtown, we passed the legless man outside Tesco, and it all felt a bit too like it could have been real!
John the Baptist was a 1st-century Jewish prophet and major religious figure in Christianity and Islam, known for baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan and acting as his forerunner. He was executed for publicly criticising King Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, his own brother's former wife… I mean, it does sound a BIT like local drama!
John the Baptist is considered the patron saint of our town. ‘Penzance’ comes from the Cornish word ‘Pensans’, which translates to ‘holy headland’ or ‘holy head’. Old heraldic authorities interpreted ‘holy head’ as the head of St. John the Baptist on a platter, so when Penzance received its Royal Charter from King James I in 1614, it adopted a common seal featuring the head of John the Baptist. Which is why you'll see him around town if you know where to look!
The art installation was created as a dig at the rusty planters on Market Jew Street, which I actually think look pretty nice now the plants have grown, but they caused a lot of division and controversy for months when they were first installed. Regardless, I loved the art installation and thought his modern orange tracksuit was hilarious. Sadly John was promptly removed by security and his location remains unknown. It felt cohesive to include a local artist alongside a hugely well known artist such as Banksy, alongside globally recognised Lady Liberty.
The First & Last
I wanted a bit more of Penzance in there, so I included this photo of the currently unoccupied First & Last pub. I love that on the cover the seagull on the lamppost is in front of the Museum of the Future.
For some reason I love this view from under the A30. I always take a photo of it as I think it has so much potential for great collages. Here is one I was working on before the front cover.
Rollercoasters
The rollercoasters were images from Unsplash, a site where you can get copyright free images from independent photographers. This one was by Zitesh Kaushal.
The inspiration came from a brilliant 7 year old autistic child I work with who loves rollercoasters. We’d been talking about them a lot at the time I was working on this issue.
The Summer Party poster
The Summer Party Poster featured of the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, alongside the Ritz.
The ‘Earth Sucks’ girl was from Jeremy Scott's Spring Summer 2014 collection. The theme was ‘Teenagers from Mars’, showcasing a 1950s youth rebellion look with a futuristic space-age aesthetic.
Aliens, not AI
Other aliens from the Summer Party poster were cut outs from Pinterest, catwalks, Temu listings or Instagram. There are too many to include but I had to sieve through a LOT of ai generated imagery to find original images.
I wanted some alien images to act as realistic inspiration for people's costumes, which they did - one person came covered in silver car alloy paint! I do not recommend this, he smelled very flammable and is still a bit silver today apparently!
Didn’t make the final cut…
These buildings were among the ones researched and played with but didn’t make the cut. The Cube in Berlin, and Neuer Zollhof in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Below are some edits that were explored in the process of creating Issue 12. It takes a lot of trying things out in different sizes, combinations and making sure text will fit over the top.
If you've read this blog, thank you! Please leave a comment and say hi and let me know what you'd like to see more of in future posts!
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