School of Art, Media and Design, UWE Bristol:
Artist’s Book Project: School of Drawing & Painting, Edinburgh College of Art
1st November – 4th December 2005
Artists’ Books by: Bridget Steed, Briony Anderson, Catriona Taylor, Ed Simpson, Greggory Bradford, Keeli Engel, Kittie Jones, Laura Cresser, Laura McGregor, Margaret McCormick, Nazia Mohammad, Paul Chiappe, Vick Gray and Zeynep Arman.
This collection of books represents a selection of works created within the School of Drawing & Painting during the academic session 2004/2005.
The Artists’ Book Project runs annually with a group of second year students at its core who elect to spend one day per week working in this area. Other students from across the school up to post graduate level also take part in the project either as returning students, or to introduce a new strand to their practice.
The subject is taught on a one to one basis enabling students to explore their ideas and methods in an individual way and ensuring that their books become an integral part of their practice. Thus the works included are diverse in their execution and purpose.
Paul Chiappe and Zeynep Arman focus on collections but in very different ways. Chiappe displays his collection of stamps in an inventive manner where the form becomes enticing to the viewer while Arman’s three books are simple in their construction so that all emphasis is fixed on the digital photographs of abandoned objects she wants us to consider.
Laura Cresser takes a quasi-scientific approach where she creates entirely imagined plant specimens and uses the book to document the collection.
Vicky Gray looks deeply into the function and experience of medical institutions in ‘after the church, doctors…..after the doctors, utopia’ and questions whether it is possible that with the lessening of our religious convictions institutions such as the hospital can become a location for our faith.
‘Ninety-nine framed peers’ recreates Laura McGregor’s installation in her carefully collaged and constructed book.
The starting point for Margaret McCormick was the tachograph and how they record journeys. She developed her own method of achieving this using etching plates and made a series of boxed sets of etchings which sit alongside the details of the journeys undertaken by various participants.
Ed Simpson is interested to consider the grand visions of those who seek to improve the human condition through our physical environment. Although the work has a tongue-in cheek quality it raises serious issues and the book form was specifically chosen in order to require the viewer to physically interact with the work.
‘….and she was still dancing’ represents one aspect of Briony Anderson’s work which considers the Scottish landscape and culture. In it Anderson questions how the contemporary viewer will interpret traditions and in particular her performance.
email: j.hyslop@eca.ac.uk
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