A Critical Homage to the Lion and the Unicorn (2015)

‘England, Your England’ is a short essay by George Orwell published in 1941. The essay is divided into six parts, each reflecting on themes of nationhood, power, class, and identity. This homage was a way of rereading Orwell, taking his words and applying them to certain sites and situations in England in 2015. 

Taking the form of a reprinted dust-jacket surrounding a first edition of the book, it provided the reader with a map and a series of instructions to reread sections of the original text in certain places, at certain times, and in certain ways. It asks questions of how far we’ve moved on, how we define our little island, how we situate ourselves, and what it means to be in/of England in the present day.

It’s also important to note that this work was created before the UK-EU Referendum of 2016, which adds another position from which to read it.