Dennis Morris
Encyclopedia
Dennis Morris is a British
photographer best known for his images of Bob Marley
and the Sex Pistols
.
In 1979, he created the logo for the band Public Image Limited (P.I.L) and the legendary and innovative Metal Box
album packaging.
He then became Art Director of Island Records and designed album covers for the likes of Linton Kwesi Johnson
, Marianne Faithfull
(Broken English) and Bob Marley
.
Mid- 1979, he replaced Don Letts
as vocalist of Basement 5, the avant-garde punk rock reggae band. He created their logo, image, photography and graphics and successfully gained a recording contract with Island Records; their albums ("Basement 5 - 1965 to 1080" and "Basement in Dub") were produced by Martin Hannett
.
He has held exhibitions worldwide (Sydney Opera House, Laforet Museum Tokyo, Contact Toronto and in galleries in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stuttgart ...).
In June 2005, the Spectrum London
gallery had a show of photographs by Morris documenting the daily lives, ceremonies and rituals of the Mowanjum Australian Aborigine
community. The gallery was blessed by Aboriginal tribe leader, Francis Firebrace, wearing body paint and tribal dress.
He was commissioned to show a new body of work at the Today Art Museum in Beijing in 2008 to coincide with the Olympic Cultural programme.
A large installation of his punk images (part of the “I am a cliché, Echoes of the Punk Aesthetic” exhibition curated by Emma Lavigne) was shown at the 41st Rencontres d’Arles (France) during the summer of 2010.
His photographs have become highly collectable, including one body of work (“Southall – a home from home”) bought by English Heritage, on permanent display at the “ Gunnersbury Park Museum ” in London.
“Growing Up Black” a collection of his photographs from the Black community in Hackney is also part of the permanent collection of the Hackney Museum (London).
The V&A Museum has also acquired some photographs from the "Growing Up Black" collection.
His photographs have appeared in numerous prestigious publications including: Rolling Stone, Time, People magazine, V magazine, GQ, I-D, Vogue and the Sunday Times, amongst others.
His work has been used in books such as:” Lipstick Traces”, a secret history of the 20th century by Marcus Griel, published by Harvard University Press; “Century”, by Bruce Bernard, published by Phaidon Press; “Punk” by Steven Colgrave and Chris Sullivan; “Rolling Stone”, The complete covers 1967-1997.
He has been the subject of various documentaries and TV programmes in the UK and America; His photographs have been used by televisions around the world.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
photographer best known for his images of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
.
In 1979, he created the logo for the band Public Image Limited (P.I.L) and the legendary and innovative Metal Box
Metal Box
Metal Box is the second album by Public Image Ltd, released in 1979 by Virgin Records.The title refers to the album's original packaging, which consists of a metal 16mm film canister embossed with the band's logo and containing three 12" 45rpm records...
album packaging.
He then became Art Director of Island Records and designed album covers for the likes of Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British...
, Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
(Broken English) and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
.
Mid- 1979, he replaced Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
as vocalist of Basement 5, the avant-garde punk rock reggae band. He created their logo, image, photography and graphics and successfully gained a recording contract with Island Records; their albums ("Basement 5 - 1965 to 1080" and "Basement in Dub") were produced by Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
.
He has held exhibitions worldwide (Sydney Opera House, Laforet Museum Tokyo, Contact Toronto and in galleries in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stuttgart ...).
In June 2005, the Spectrum London
Spectrum London
Spectrum London was a London art gallery which showed contemporary figurative painting, photography and sculpture. It staged Go West, the first commercial West End show of the Stuckists, and a retrospective by Sebastian Horsley...
gallery had a show of photographs by Morris documenting the daily lives, ceremonies and rituals of the Mowanjum Australian Aborigine
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
community. The gallery was blessed by Aboriginal tribe leader, Francis Firebrace, wearing body paint and tribal dress.
He was commissioned to show a new body of work at the Today Art Museum in Beijing in 2008 to coincide with the Olympic Cultural programme.
A large installation of his punk images (part of the “I am a cliché, Echoes of the Punk Aesthetic” exhibition curated by Emma Lavigne) was shown at the 41st Rencontres d’Arles (France) during the summer of 2010.
His photographs have become highly collectable, including one body of work (“Southall – a home from home”) bought by English Heritage, on permanent display at the “ Gunnersbury Park Museum ” in London.
“Growing Up Black” a collection of his photographs from the Black community in Hackney is also part of the permanent collection of the Hackney Museum (London).
The V&A Museum has also acquired some photographs from the "Growing Up Black" collection.
His photographs have appeared in numerous prestigious publications including: Rolling Stone, Time, People magazine, V magazine, GQ, I-D, Vogue and the Sunday Times, amongst others.
His work has been used in books such as:” Lipstick Traces”, a secret history of the 20th century by Marcus Griel, published by Harvard University Press; “Century”, by Bruce Bernard, published by Phaidon Press; “Punk” by Steven Colgrave and Chris Sullivan; “Rolling Stone”, The complete covers 1967-1997.
He has been the subject of various documentaries and TV programmes in the UK and America; His photographs have been used by televisions around the world.
Books
- (1999) Bob Marley: A Rebel Life: A Photobiography, 1973-1980. Plexus Publishing. ISBN 0859652688.
- (1996) Destroy: Sex Pistols 1977. Creation Books. ISBN 184068058X.
- (1999) "Southall - a Home from Home". Olympus. ISBN 1840680547