Caitlin Akers


Remember The Portland Bois? for b-Side Festival 




In September 2018 I was comissioned by OSR Projects to create a series of prints for b-Side Festival on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. 

Whilst researching Portland and reading the website of chronicler Geoff Kirby, I was particularly interested in a story about local youth gang, the ‘Portland Bois’ circa 2010 and there ubiquitous tag, which appeared in a spate of vandalizations. The texts for the prints were pieced together from bits of local gossip and newspaper articles about the gang, in addition to snatches of Portland folklore - challenging the audience to rethink pre-conceived ideas about the gang, and to embrace the gang’s acts of defiance as something that has become part of the fabric of Portland. 


There were four posters designs, each a limited of run of 300, Risograph printed. They were distributed in various places around the Island such as Quiddles Cafe, Royal Manor Theatre and The Aqua Hotel for festival goers to pick up and keep.