Born in Sussex in 1946
Aubrey 'Po' Powell attended school in Ely, Cambridgeshire. On leaving school, he met Storm Thorgerson and members of the then fledgling Pink Floyd in Cambridge and struck up friendships that have lasted to the present day. He and Storm co-founded the album cover design company Hipgnosis in 1968 and conceived their first album cover for Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets.
Hipgnosis created some of the most innovative and surreal record cover art
of the 1960s, 70s and 80s for the biggest bands and musicians of the era including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and 10cc.
For fifteen years Hipgnosis thrived as one of the best known photo design companies and latterly movie makers, creating timeless rock iconography.
"Suddenly we were doing album covers. We were in business; by the time we were twenty-two we were in business, and then it just happened, it took off from then on. Yes, it was a battle and I loved every minute of it." Aubrey Powell
Po and Storm kept hold of much of their original Hipgnosis source material
and so have been able to draw on their fantastic archive to produce a number of stunning editions over the last fifteen years. Boxes full of photographs, printed and often cut up into collage; strips of negatives showing alternative views of some of our most familiar music iconography; a precious archive of material that shaped our collective visual culture.
All of this original imagery provides a rich resource from which to embark on producing limited edition prints.
BROWSE PRINTS BY PO AND HIPGNOSIS
That they chose the LP cover as their canvas
in no way denigrates the aesthetic and creativity of this work, in fact it meant that it was seen and loved by millions that otherwise would not have encountered it. It is creative photography, performance, surrealism – it is art.
Since parting company with Storm in 1982
Po has been involved in film making, first as a producer and writer and then as director. Over the last 20 years he has directed documentaries, live shoots and corporate films. His association with Pink Floyd has endured: he was the art director for the cover of their latest releases The Endless River and The Later Years: 1987–2019 as well as curator for the epic exhibition, Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains, launched at the V&A Museum in London.