The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift: Intellectual Barbarians

This richly-illustrated volume is the first full-length work to explore the innovative cultural production of the English camping and hiking organisation, the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift (1920-1932). Founded after the First World War as a reaction to militarism in scouting, Kibbo Kift developed into an all-ages organisation for men and women that attracted the support of a range of high-profile writers, artists, scientists and campaigners from D. H. Lawrence to H. G. Wells. Underpinned by a complex political philosophy, Kibbo Kift’s practices were wide-ranging, extending across health and handicraft, pacifism and propaganda, myth and magic, education and economics.These ambitious ideas can be seen most clearly in the group’s mystical and modernist art and design. The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift: Intellectual Barbarians showcases over 100 largely unseen examples of the group’s accomplished creative output. These include decorated tents, campaign banners, illuminated manuscripts, protest graphics, carved totems and ceremonial attire alongside previously unpublished photographs by Angus McBean.The textual content, underpinned by extensive research in public and private archives, provides comprehensive analysis of the group’s distinctive style and occult beliefs. Visually arresting in its own right, The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift: Intellectual Barbarians presents a fascinating but overlooked body of workthat has continuing resonance for twenty-first century oppositional art and culture.