In the 1950s, the Cold War period saw the United States of America and the Soviet Union, compete for nuclear power, creating a widespread climate of fear which resonated across the world. In Britain, a group of sculptors who had lived through the horror of war and now faced the threat of nuclear conflict reflected these concerns in their work. They became known as the ‘Geometry of Fear’ artists.

The buoyant capitalist economies of the West gave way to new forms of mass communication such as television and film, catalysing the development of popular culture. In response to these developments, the Independent Group began to meet at London’s ICA and in 1956, the seminal exhibition This is Tomorrow took place at the Whitechapel Gallery.