September 2007 - February 2008
Since May 2004, the Bookmarks series of free, international artwork distribution has visited 56 venues in Italy, The Netherlands, UK, Germany, Poland, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Cyprus, Australia, and the USA. Over 198 artists have contributed more than 19,800 bookmarks to the five projects so far. Bookmarks: Infiltrating the Library System's aim is to get more people to appreciate work in the format of the artist's book. Participating artists who work in the book format, each produce an edition of 100 bookmarks for free distribution.
The bookmarks are collated into sets, with one full set sent to each artist, and the rest divided and sent in these boxes to participating galleries, bookstores and libraries for free distribution. All of the bookmarks are archived in the gallery sections of the Bookmarks websites, with contact details of the contributors. The project promotes the artist’s book and associated artworks and encourages the public to contact the artists via the website
Bookmarks V has seen 45 artists contributing 4500 bookmarks from the UK, Ireland, USA, Denmark, Australia and Canada. 100 of the bookmarks have come from a collaborative project by National Diploma in Art and Design students at Colchester School of Art, Colchester Institute, Essex, UK (co-ordinated by Mel Donohoe). Other collaborative Bookmarks in Part V include: Mette Ambeck and Mike Nicholson in the UK and Denmark; Tania Murray and John Nelson, and Joanna Kambourian and Darren Bryant, in Australia.
We have bookmarks made from amended or reworked library catalogue cards; Valerie Frey’s Terror Alert bookmarks were trimmed, letterpress printed and slit to accommodate a quote from the US Government’s Department of Justice website, and Laurie Whitehill-Chong’s bookmarks are made from discarded hand-typed library catalogue cards.
We heard about the work of Meliors Simms in New Zealand too late to join this project. She is a book artist who has recently taken up letterpress printing, and was given a couple of boxes of old-fashioned invitation cards, which she has used to print a series of aphorisms she wrote about capitalism.
Meliors decided to give away most of these Addicted to Capitalism postcards by slipping them into library books for people to find by chance.
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“During June 2007, with the help of enthusiastic collaborators in
four different countries (New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA), Addicted
to Capitalism postcards were secreted in books on the shelves of public
libraries. My website address is printed on the back of the postcard
so I hope to hear from someone who finds a card and is interested enough
to make contact, but so far no one has let me know they got lucky.
Every now and then I think about those cards quietly surprising some reader
who appreciates the kitschy look and the ironic tone.”
The bookmarks for Part V have been made from a variety of media: linocut, recycled handmade papers, painting, photography, paper clay, digital print, badges, hand-drawn, photocopied, folded, cut or sewn and one scented with violets. You will find a huge variety of artworks, so please visit the venues to choose your bookmark.
The venues where they will be available from 20th September 2007 until 20th February 2008 are:
Bournemouth Library
22 The Triangle
Bournemouth
BH2 5RQ
www.bournemouth.gov.uk/Residents/Libraries/Info/Bournemouth/default.asp
Massolit Books
ul. Felicjanek 4/2
31-104 Krakow
Poland
www.massolit.com
Another Room Book Arts Bookstore
Rhythmix Cultural Works
2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501
USA
www.rhythmix.org/anotherroom.html
Knjizevni klub Booksa
Marticeva 14d
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia
www.booksa.hr
Firecatcher Books
The Last Drop Village
Bromley Cross
Bolton
BL7 9PZ
www.firecatcherbooks.co.uk
The Library, Hokkaido College of Art and Design
North 27 West 8
Kita-ku
Sapporo
Hokkaido 001-0027
Japan
www.bisen-g.ac.jp
The Bookmark Bookstore
721 Washington Street
Oakland
California 94607
USA
www.fopl.org/products.htm
Bower Ashton Library
UWE Bristol School of Art, Media and Design
Kennel Lodge Road
Bristol
BS3 2JT
www.uwe.ac.uk/library/info/bower_ashton/bower.htm
Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection
Yale Center for British Art
1080 Chapel Street
Connecticut
USA
www.ycba.yale.edu/index.asp
TIVOLI - books/exhibits/internet
5/143 Ocean View Rd
Oneroa
Waiheke Island
New Zealand
www.tivoliNZ.com
You can view all the bookmarks and contact the artists who made them, or find out more about their work via their links on the Bookmarks V website here.
Thanks to all the artists and venue hosts for making this such an exciting set. Thanks also to Abbie Mills for all the stamping and scanning for Bookmarks V during her week of work experience from Hanham High School.
For more information, or to participate in future Bookmarks projects, please contact Sarah.Bodman@uwe.ac.uk