What will be the canon for the artist’s book in the 21st Century?
In an arena that now includes both digital and traditionally produced artists’ books, what will constitute the concepts of artists’ publishing in the future?
This project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The AHRC funds postgraduate training and research in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. The quality and range of research supported not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please see the website www.ahrc.ac.uk
This project is investigating and discussing issues concerning the history and future of the artist’s book.
Our aim is to extend and sustain critical debate of what constitutes an artist’s book in the 21st Century - in order to propose an inclusive structure for the academic study, artistic practice and historical appreciation of the artist’s book.
We are currently writing up our case studies and editing texts to publish in February 2010. Please visit again for free downloads of all the research outcomes.
Artists’ Books Seminar 1 (08/05/08)
How are artists using and investigating new media for publishing?
Where are we going with this? Where will the books end up?
Audio and PDF downloads of information from our first seminar
Focus on Artists’ Books in Poland (June 2008)
Read or download all of our interviews from Poland and watch videos of Radoslaw Nowakowski talking about his books.
Online Forum at Artist Books 3.0 until July 2009
You can view or join the 21st Century Book group and online discussions at Artists Books 3.0 at http://artistbooks.ning.com/group/21stcenturybook
Awaiting Transmission text book (November 2008)
As part of the project, The Centre for Fine Print Research invited E F Stevens, in the USA to produce a phone-based book, as a series of short, text pieces to create an artist’s book in six instalments which was texted to whoever signed up for the free bookwork. E.F. Stevens has allowed us to also upload the texts for viewing as part of the project archive: Awaiting Transmission
Focus on Artists’ Books in the USA (November 2008)
We interviewed artists, educators, researchers, students, publishers and librarians, during our November visit to the USA. We will be publishing transcripts of our interviews later in 2009, from Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) Minneapolis; Special Collections in the John M Flaxman Library, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Sally Alatalo - Sara Ranchouse Publishing; Center for Book & Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago; and artists, curators, dealers, collectors, viewers and readers of artists' books at the 10th Biennial Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair and Conference, at Cafritz Art Center, Montgomery College of Art and Design, Silver Spring MD, USA. In the meantime you can download a PDF of our interview with Sally Alatalo - Sara Ranchouse Publishing in the Blue Notebook, and listen to our reports on the USA for seminar 2 as MP3 audio files.
Artists’ Books Seminar 2 (20/03/09)
We reported back on the project’s findings to date, and the series of interviews with artists working with books over the last six months. We discussed how artists in different areas work with books, how artists’ books are perceived and showed examples of the variety of concepts and formats we have studied recently. Guest speakers Barrie Tullett and Guy Begbie offered two views of their own practice.
You can download PDF information sheets and listen to MP3 audio files from seminar 2.
Artists’ Publishing Part I Exhibition, at Bower Ashton Library (01/0509 - 14/06/09)
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
A selection of books which will form part of the larger New Wave exhibition of artists’ publishing later this year (at Impact Printmaking Conference in September).
Artists’ Publishing Part I Exhibition
Artists’ Publishing Part II Exhibition, at Bower Ashton Library (15/06/09 - 28/07/09)
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
A second selection of books which will form part of the larger New Wave exhibition of artists’ publishing later this year (at Impact Printmaking Conference in September).
Artists’ Publishing Part II Exhibition
Many thanks to all of the artists, academics, students, presses, publishers, curators, dealers and collectors who completed the online survey forms and ABTREE diagrams for the project April - 2008 July 2009.
The ABTREE diagrams will be shown as part of the New Wave exhibition in September 2009 at Impact Multi-disciplinary Printmaking Conference.
Traditional and emerging formats of artists’ books: Where do we go from here?
A two-day conference at the School of Creative Arts, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Thursday 9th and Friday 10th July 2009
Many thanks to all of our speakers: Emily Artinian, Kenneth Butler, Katarzyna Bazarnik, Paul Clarke, Richard Cox, Bibiana Crespo, Zenon Fajfer, Angela Gardner, Andi McGarry, seekers of lice, Clare Thornton, Kathleen Walkup and Julian Warren for their wonderful presentations.
Text downloads and audio files from the conference
Thanks also to Francis Elliott (Foundry) for Dark Globe Enclosed Systems, to Baysan Yüksel for showing her artists’ books, Angela Gardner for the light-trap press displays, Katarzyna Bazarnik and Zenon Fajfer for showing Liberature publications, and to all of you who sent their ABtree diagrams for our first display wall.
Thanks to all the delegates for coming, some from as far away as Australia, USA, Denmark and Belgium. We hope you all enjoyed the conference as much as we did!
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New Wave - Artists’ Books in the 21st Century, September 2009
This exhibition of 100 artists’ books forms part of our project, and was specially curated for IMPACT Multi-disciplinary Printmaking Conference from 16-19 September 2009. The exhibition is archived with an online gallery.
Please visit again for free downloads of all the research outcomes from this project at the end of February 2010.
Any queries contact: email : Sarah.Bodman@uwe.ac.uk / Tom.Sowden@uwe.ac.uk
Case Studies
The case studies range from simple one-page Q&A mini case studies to more in-depth interviews conducted in situ, or over a few months by email during 2008 - 2009. We aimed for a range of case studies with artists, publishers, presses, dealers, collectors, lecturers and students. Where the subjects produced an altered ABTREE diagram, these have been included in their case studies.
Longer case studies expanded on our core questions with specific focus on the area the artist worked in, for example, Case Study I - an interview with Antic Ham (Seoul) on Korean artists, Case Study VIII - an interview on South African artists' books with David Paton (Johannesburg), and Case Study XXXII with Tim Mosely (Lismore) on Australian artists’ books.
Case Study I
An Interview with Antic-Ham, Artist, South Korea, where she discusses book arts in Korea and her own artists’ books.
Case Study II
An interview with Baysan Yüksel (Bayananderson), a 2nd Year Masters Fine Art student at Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey
Case Study III
John Bently, Artist, Liver & Lights Scriptorium, United Kingdom, on his practice, and why handmade is always best.
Case Study IV
Bernd Reichert, Artist, Belgium, on his work with handmade, altered, zines and livres d’artistes.
Case Study V
Caren Florance, Ampersand Duck, Press/Publisher, Australia, on her collaborative work, and including blogs under the book arts umbrella.
Case Study VI
Wilber “Chip” Schilling, Artist/Publisher, USA (2010 Minnesota Book Artist of the Year in the annual Minnesota Book Awards), on his work under the Indulgence Press imprint.
Case Study VII
Cathryn Miller, Artist, Australia, on her work with altered books and small editions.
Case Study VIII
David Paton, Artist and Senior Lecturer: Visual Art, University of Johannesburg, South Africa - discusses artists’ books in South Africa, and work on his research website www.theartistsbook.org.za
Case Study IX
Andrew Eason, Artist, UK, on his own artists’ books and possibilities for digital viewing and collecting.
Case Study X
Fernanda Fedi and Gino Gini, Artists, Italy, on the importance of artistic impulse over how a book is produced.
Case Study XI
Imi Maufe, Artist, Norway, on how a book can be anything from a traditional codex to a wearable piece of clothing/jewellery.
Case Study XII
Jane Hyslop, Artist, and Academic, Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, UK, on traditional printmaking and desktop publishing for both her own and students’ artists’ books.
Case Study XIII
John Janssen, Private Collector, UK, on his own collecting methods and preferences in artists’ books. A second download
continues
with his self-interview: Artists' Books: Still Collecting…
further thoughts, update 2008Case Study XIV
Judy Barrass, Artist, Australia, discusses her artists’ books, including producing virtual books in the virtual world Second Life.
Case Study XV
Karen Hanmer, Artist and Designer Bookbinder, USA, asks why design binding is often excluded in conversations about book arts.
Case Study XVI
Leslie Wilson-Rutterford, Artist, UK, on her artists’ books and ephemeral works.
Case Study XVII
Louise Levergneux, Artist, USA, on working with digital media and her obsession as an artist with archiving and collecting.
Case Study XVIII
Lina Hakim, Artist, Lebanon on her bookworks and installations, and on collecting and recycling as methods for artworks.
Case Study XIX
Lilla Duignan, Art Student, UK, discusses her study and the positivity for her in artist’s book definitions being varied, fluid and changeable.
Case Study XX
Lin Charlston, Artist and Academic, UK, on her practice, expanding skills (both traditional and new tech) and teaching book arts.
Case Study XXI
Lorelei Clark, Artist, Australia, discusses her work and how to describe the field of artists’ books.
Case Study XXII
Malcolm James Enright, Artist, Australia, on his work with blogs, online books and the web community.
Case Study XXIII
Melanie Bush, Artist, Curator / Collector (www.weloveyourbooks.com), Academic, on her own artists’ books, and how she teaches Book Arts.
Case Study XXIV
Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck, Artist, Denmark, discusses her artists’ books and how do you define a book?
Case Study XXV
Nancy Campbell, Dealer, UK, on her former work at Bertram Rota Ltd, and fine press books.
Case Study XXVI
Mike Nicholson - Ensixteen Editions, Artist, UK, on using hand produced graphic narrative work.
Case Study XXVII
Richard Price, Artist and Poet, UK, discusses collaborations, books and digital media works.
Case Study XXVIII
Simon Ryder, Private Collector, UK, on collecting artists’ books and the impact of digital technology.
Case Study XXIX
Stephen Spurrier, Artist, Australia, on his chapbooks, which he distributes as giveaways: Yes… this is an artist’s book, and No… this is not an artist’s book.
Case Study XXX
Amanda Watson-Will, Artist, Australia, discusses her books and how texture, weight and haptic concerns are sources of inspiration for her when working with the book format.
Case Study XXXI
Wojciech Wegrzynski, Artist, Warsaw, Poland, on his book practice and book art in Poland.
Case Study XXXII
Tim Mosely, Artist, Australia, discusses his own books, teaching and the book arts in Australia.
Case Study XXXIII
Horst Weierstall, Artist, Cyprus, on how his books are structured to encourage handling and create a sensory participatory experience.
Case Study XXXIV
Marian Amies, Associate Professor, Art and Art History, University of Missouri, Saint Louis USA, and students from the University of Missouri, on how good craft is stressed in book works, from digital to letterpress and hand bookbinding.
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