Filmmaker and writer Adam Scovell delights in remixing and reworking the photographic techniques and film stock of the past to disturbing new ends. In his latest work, a trailer for a nonexistent 70s TV series of J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise, he captures the novel’s atmosphere with brutal relish. Here he talks about Ballard’s impact on the television of that era.
Happy Ballard Day everyone! It seems every year we celebrate this holiday, the world has become more Ballardian. This year’s (hopefully) going to be hard to beat, with the scientific community announcing the dawn of the Anthropocene, a 24 hour news cycle that makes it nigh on impossible to discern fact from fiction, and a reality TV star becoming President of the USA.
Today is #BallardDay, J.G. Ballard’s birthday and 4th Estate’s annual celebration of all things Ballardian. This year we asked our staff – as well as some famous Ballard fans – to tell us about the Ballardwerks that had the greatest effect on them. From ecological SF early works like The Drowned World to the near-future mystery of Super-Cannes, their choices are testament to a writing career that flourished for almost 50 years…
Today is what would have been J.G. Ballard’s 85th birthday. To celebrate, we have quite the Ballardian line-up on the site. Here, though, is a very special piece written by none other than David Cronenberg…
David Pelham is responsible for some of the most iconic Ballard cover art of all time, designing a number of his paperbacks during his tenure as Art Director at Penguin. He was kind enough to share some of his memories of that time for our #BallardDay celebrations.
Today would have been J.G. Ballard’s 85th birthday, and we’ve been thinking long and hard about what might be a suitable gift for you, the reader. So, here’s what you could win (and it won’t take much on your part). Read more…
J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise has inspired adaptations and homages in all forms of media, from the films of David Cronenberg to the artworks of Jenny Saville to the music of Hawkwind. But none are as original, funny and, well, bonkers as Lego Loki’s quest to build every scene from the novel out of Lego bricks. We asked Loki why and how he set about his quest, and after putting his campaign to cause Lego Ragnarok on hold for a moment, he stomped across the Bifrost bridge and agreed to tell us all about it…
Today is the 40th anniversary of the publication of what the Times calls J.G. Ballard’s ‘finest novel’, High-Rise. The compelling and unnerving tale of what happens when life in a luxury apartment building descends into chaos, High-Rise has never been more relevant, in a world where luxury flat advertisements capture the Ballardian essence far more completely than any earnest filmmaker ever could.
The 40-year milestone for this key Ballard text is being marked next year, with the release of Ben Wheatley’s film version starring Tom Hiddleston. As Ballard’s proud publisher, we’re fondly looking back at the designs which have graced the book over the years…
