Bookarts Projects
Current projects
Artist's
Book Yearbook 2012 - 2013
We have published the biennial reference book the Artist’s
Book Yearbook (ABYB)
under our Impact Press imprint since 2000. The current
issue 2010-2011 (258pp, 21. 29.7 cm) has 12 in-depth essays
and interviews, artworks, listings sections of international
book activity: publishers, organisations, presses, studios,
collections, galleries, bookshops, journals, reference
books, design, print and bind services, fairs and festivals,
competitions and events, and over 500 listed artists'
books over 170 artists making books in the UK, USA, Canada,
Ireland, Russia, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Australia,
Turkey, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Estonia, Romania,
Cuba, and many more countries…
The ABYB
was founded in 1994 by Tanya
Peixoto, John
Bently,
Stephanie Brown and
Stefan Szczelkun, and arose
from their collective passion to offer book artists an
opportunity to read critical essays by writers and artists,
to gain an overview of artist’s book production
and most importantly to encourage greater discussion and
awareness of book arts. Tanya Peixoto published the ABYB
under her Magpie Press imprint until 1999 when she went
on to set up bookartbookshop
in London, a fantastic place to peruse and buy artists’
books.
The ABYB serves
as a resource for artists, academics, students, collectors,
librarians, dealers, publishers and researchers. Each
book includes essays and information on many aspects of
the book arts, artists' listings, information on book
arts galleries, archives and collections, book arts courses,
events, journals, bibliographies and reference publications,
studios and websites, with book arts contributors from
around the world.
The ABYB is available at selected
bookshops and galleries in Europe and the USA or can be
ordered directly from us here at Impact Press.
Please see the publications
pages for issues 2001-2, 2003-5, 2006-7, 2008-9 and
2010-2011.
Artist’s Book Yearbook 2012
- 2013. Publication date: Autumn 2011
Artists, publishers, bookshops, galleries, libraries,
organisations, institutions, centres, studios, presses,
etc. have listed their relevant artworks, books or services
in the forthcoming issue of the Artist’s Book Yearbook.
Along with essays and artists' pages, the ABYB is around
260 pages of artists' books information from around the
world.
You can now pre-order the Artist’s Book Yearbook
2012 - 2013 online at a small discount price, for delivery
in September 2011:
In
the UK
International
orders
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Follow-ed
(After Hokusai) curated by Tom Sowden and Michalis Pichler
Tom has been collecting and curating books by artists
who - like himself - produce work in the style of, and
in tribute to the American artist Ed
Ruscha, for some years. In December 2010 he joined
forces with Berlin-based poet and conceptual artist Michalis
Pichler. After exchanging books with each other,
they decided to co-curate collaborative shows under Follow-Ed
(after Hokusai). The first Follow-Ed
(After Hokusai) exhibition was at Winchester School
of Art Gallery, February - 10th March 2011, followed by
Arnolfini in March - April 2011, where the show was installed
as part of Cover-ed.
Cover-ed was a series of curatorial
and creative interventions into and around Ed
Ruscha and Mason Williams'
iconic 1969 photo bookwork Crackers,
by the Performance Re-enactment Society
(PRS), Tom Sowden & Michalis
Pichler and Arnolfini Archive. Over March and April
2011, the bookwork became the script, score, instruction,
and inspiration for a three-day performance of photography,
a participatory performance event, an installation, and
a new artist's book called Salad Dressing.
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| Michalis
Pichler, Tom's collaborator in Follow-Ed
(after Hokusai) exhibited his collection of books,
which: "for the most part use photography, the book
form, and are somewhat ruschaish", simultaneously
at P74 Gallery, Ljubljana (March - April 2011). This also
saw the launch of Michalis Pichler's book SIX
HANDS AND A CHEESE SANDWICH (featuring an excessive
after-Ruscha bibliography). You can see some images of
the installation on Michalis'
website. |
Regenerator - Altered Books Project 2010
Online archive and permanent displays
The Regenerator II project
launched in February 2010, with artists choosing their
books from a list of withdrawn books, to return by July
2010. 57 altered books were returned from artists in Australia,
the UK, Belgium, Germany and Norway, to be documented
and photographed for the online archive.
The books are now on permanent display as part of Bower
Ashton Library’s artists’ books collection,
where they can be viewed and handled. Many thanks to illustration
student Alice Potter for displaying
the books in the library this summer.
A big 'thank you' to all the artists who took part in
this project and generously donated their altered books
to the library’s collection. We know these books
will be enjoyed by students, staff and visitors for many
years to come. The book here is Colony
collapse disorder by Kristine
Steele, UK. You can now
view all of the books online or visit the library
to see them in situ. |
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The Blue Notebook: journal for artists' books
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Our journal is published twice a year in October and April,
as a peer-reviewed journal of essays, articles and artworks
on contemporary artists publishing. The journal provides
a platform for the discussion of worldwide, contemporary
book arts practice.
Subscription is £10GBP per annum (anywhere in the
world) and includes a printed black and white version,
access to a colour version online, stickers and a badge
designed for each volume by a guest artist. Vol
5 No 1 published October 2010 has a cover, badge
and stickers by Angela Callanan.
Our referee panel reviews written contributions: Dr
Anne Béchard-Léauté, France;
Maria Fusco, UK; Susan Johanknecht,
UK; Jeff Rathermel, USA; Dr
Paulo Silveira, Brazil and Ulrike
Stoltz, Germany. Artists' contributions are at
the invitation of the Art Editor: Tom
Sowden.
We welcome submissions of writing on contemporary artists’
books for The Blue Notebook. Please
see the submission
guidelines or contact 
Sarah Bodman
For subscriptions, please download the form on The
Blue Notebook page. |
A
Manifesto for the Book
Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden
recently published a free download 187pp reference publication:
A Manifesto for the Book, one of
the results of a two-year, Arts
and Humanities Research Council March 2008 - February
2010: In an arena including digital and traditional artists'
publishing formats - What
will be the canon for the artist's book in the 21st Century?
The research project was a responsive exploration with
a collaborative, international audience of artists, academics,
presses, publishers, curators, dealers, collectors and
students involved in the field, in order to propose an
inclusive structure for the academic study, artistic practice
and historical appreciation of the artist's book.
You can read all of the published outcomes online including,
interviews, essays, conference papers, case studies and
their Manifesto for the Book on
the project’s
home page. |
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Al-Mutanabbi Street Broadsides Exhibition Tour
2011 - 2012
The al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition has been organising readings
and other events since April 2007 to fundraise for Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF). All 130 broadsides created
for the project can be viewed at the Florida
Atlantic University/Jaffe Center for Book Arts site.
      
Sarah is coordinating the 2011 - 2012 programme for the European
section of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Broadsides Tour of Readings,
Exhibitions and Events.
Recent and upcoming exhibitions and events
with auctions of the broadsides:
Organised by Evelyn Conlon are: The
Market House, Market Street, Monaghan, Republic of Ireland in
February and Ilac Centre Library, Henry St., Dublin 1, Republic
of Ireland 14th - 31st March 2011;
Frans Baake and Joop Visser
organised an exhibition at Museum Joure, in The Netherlands
from 12th February - 12th March, and Katie
Donlon has organised an exhibition at the John Rylands
University Library, Manchester from 7th April - 26th June 2011.
We are looking for more host venues over 2011, please help us
spread the word. If you are interested in hosting an exhibition
or display of a selection of broadsides, please contact:
Sarah Bodman if
you can help.
If you would like to donate to MSF
via the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition's events page, please
visit: www.justgiving.com/al-mutanabbistreet
A Call to Book Artists 2010-2012 for An Inventory
Of Al-Mutanabbi Street
From Beau Beausoleil
On March 5th 2007, a car bomb was exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street
in Baghdad. Al-Mutanabbi Street is in a mixed Shia-Sunni area.
More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded.
Al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic centre of Baghdad bookselling,
holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops,
and even tea and tobacco shops. It has been the heart and soul
of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community.
The Al-Mutanabbi Street Broadside Project has completed its
call to letterpress printers after reaching a goal of 130 broadsides
from 130 individual printers. Now the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition
is issuing a call to book artists to work on a project to “re-assemble”
some of the “inventory” of the reading material
that was lost in the car bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street.
We are asking book artists to join our project and further enhance
the work of the Coalition by honouring al-Mutanabbi Street,
by creating work that holds both “memory and future,”
exactly what was lost that day.
We ask that you create 3 books for the project, which is raising
funds for Médecins Sans Frontières.
If you would like to know more, or would like to join this project,
please  download
the pdf more information, and if you have any questions
please contact
us, we would love to have you contribute to the project.
To see all of the books
received to date, visit the gallery pages
Artists’ Books Partnership, exhibition
Programme (ABPP)
The artists’
books partnership exhibition programme (ABPP) has been
running for 5 years, and has loaned works for over 45
exhibitions, workshops and events to universities, collections,
schools, libraries, galleries, clubs and bookshops in
Europe and the USA so far. The programme loans artists’
books from Sarah’s own collection at CFPR, on a
no fee basis - to set up projects, workshops, clubs, exhibitions
and events promoting artists' book to a wider community.
Some of the loans made during this time include: The
Art of the Book: Collaboration exhibition at the
University of Missouri, USA curated by Marian
Amies, Associate Professor in the Department of
Art and Art History at the University of Missouri; Book
Arts Center at Limfjordscenter Doverodde, Denmark;
Cowles Library, Drake University
Des Moines, USA; AKI (ArtEz),
Enschede, The Netherlands; Stroud College;
Quay Arts Centre, Isle of Wight;
The Greenhouse, Guernsey;
University of Leicester; londonprintstudio,
London; The New Art Gallery Walsall;
Swindon College; Bristol Reference
Library, Yateley Library;
University of Chester; Internationales
Bentlager Druckgraphik, Germany; Galleri
VOX, Bergen, Norway: Public Space
With A Roof, Amsterdam; The Richard
Attenborough Centre, University of Leicester;
Stroud College; Isle of Wight
Book Arts Group; the Society of
Bookbinders; The Art of the Book:
Journals Then and Now, UK and USA tour;
Solihull Gallery: Lit & Phil,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
If you would like to borrow some books for a project or
exhibition, download the artists'
books list or zines and
multiples list and contact
Sarah Bodman.
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Artist’s Book Study Area:
Collection and Exhibition Programme
The Bower Ashton library collection
of artists’ books is a working study collection
for students and staff, including public access. Alongside
a collection of c. 650 books, there is a regular artist’s
book exhibition programme curated by Sarah
Bodman and documented through this website and
the regular Book Arts Newsletter, which can be downloaded
as a free, colour PDF.
The exhibitions programme has seen over 100 national and
international artists' books exhibitions since the launch
of the area in May 2002. The exhibitions range from individuals:
Ian Tyson, Tony
Kemplen, Liz Workman,
John Bently, John
Dilnot, Carrie Galbraith,
Karen Hanmer, Salt & Shaw
and Les Coleman to touring shows
such as Black/White [and Read]
curated by Gloria Helfgott;
Little Treasures: an exhibition
of collaborative works by Stephen Spurrier
and other artists from Australia; the Wexford
Artist’s Book Exhibition curated by Andi
McGarry and Denis Collins;
FACTION, and works from UIAH
Helsinki, and the Scuola Graphica,
Venice.
Recent exhibitions include, amongst others: O
Pão Nosso - Livros de Artista / Our daily bread
Artists’ Books;
Salt &
Shaw;
Lucy
Harrington; Batool
Showghi, Stacey
Wilding, and The
Art of the Book: Journals Then and Now.
For full details of all these exhibitions with archived
images, please see the Archived
Exhibitions pages. |
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Bookmarks - Infiltrating (and Escaping) the
Library System
Over the last six years the Bookmarks
series of free artwork distribution has visited 60 venues
in Italy, The Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, France, Denmark,
Germany, Poland, Singapore, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil,
South Korea, Cyprus, Croatia, New Zealand, Japan, Australia
and the USA. Over 280 artists have contributed more than 28,000
bookmarks to the eight projects to date.
         
Bookmarks
VIII Escaping the Library System 2010-2011 - saw
Librarians making bookmarks rather than distributing them.
BABE
- Bristol Artists Book Event
Arnolfini and the Centre for Fine Print Research
present BABE - Bristol Artists Book Event 2013 at Arnolfini,
as a biennial event. BABE spreads over all three floors
of Arnolfini for one weekend, it’s a free event
that attracts thousands of visitors who come to see and
buy artists' books from over 100 national and international
artists, publishers and presses.
Alongside books by exhibitors, you can also find performances,
readings, workshops, book surgeries and installations
over the weekend event. Our last BABE
in April 2013 attracted over 7000 visitors!
The next BABE
will be held in 2015.
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What’s
in the Box?
A project for the Centre for Fine Print Research, published
as a collection of artists’ books curated and edited
by Tom Sowden.
Supported and sponsored by: CFPR, UWE Bristol School of
Art, Media and Design and Hewlett Packard.
Each project involves MA Printmaking students,
staff and invited artists; and has so far produced five
boxed volumes of books by 50 artists.
Each book is digitally printed from a single, A3 folded
sheet, printed and bound in uniform covers, with contents
supplied by the artists.
Books can be ordered individually or in boxed sets, see
our publications
pages for more information. |
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Some previous projects
All of our projects remain archived
online:
Paper
Models: Investigating laser cutting
technology to develop new artists’ books and paper-based
creative practice for arts, crafts and design
An Arts
and Humanities Research Council project awarded to
Tom Sowden (01/03/2010-31/10/2010)
Artists often adapt industrial and digital technologies
to work with creatively, as evidenced by the use of digital
printing, to create artists' books and prints. This project
explored new methodologies for artists' creative production
methods. As the technology becomes more affordable, laser
cutters are a regular feature within secondary, further
and higher education.
The project examined the potential of the laser cutter
as a tool for artists working with the book form and paper-based
work, and how it can replace the need for labour intensive
manipulation of paper and card by hand.
The project aimed to change attitudes to creative making
and increase awareness of the advantage of new technologies
for artists/craftspeople.
For the full project outcomes, see Paper
Models.
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This project investigated and discussed issues concerning the
context and future of the artist’s book, in an attempt
to extend and sustain critical debate of what constitutes an
artist’s book in the 21st Century.
This project investigated and discussed issues concerning the
context and future of the artist’s book, in an attempt
to extend and sustain critical debate of what constitutes an
artist’s book in the 21st Century. We have now published
all the research outcomes, interviews, essays, conference papers,
case studies and our manifesto for the book as free downloads
on the project’s home page.
Reading Around…
   
We love books, and these are a few others
who do too: Guy Begbie,
Shevone Bliss
and Liam
and Carly Kok.
46 other artists joined them for this project.
To celebrate the National Year of Reading
2008 and World
Book Day, we invited contributions
to Reading around…
asking artists to make an artwork page/movie clip/audio clip
about reading.
The project is archived in three parts:
• An
online website archive, launching at the end of April, of artworks
about reading.
• A
free download, self-assembly PDF book of images from the artwork
“page” files.
• 50
library/bookstore packs of copied “pages”, to slip
into random library books.
We hope this will encourage more people to find out about books
by artists through the website link we have added to the back
of each page in the library book packs: www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/reading.htm
View the online gallery.
Regenerator - Altered Books Project
Veronica Morgan
and Robert Heather
both emailed in April 2006 to give a link to an online article
from the New York Times
about an altered books project exhibition involving Portland
library and the Maine College of Art in Portland, USA; Long
Overdue: Book Renewal, where nearly
200 artists recycled books that were withdrawn from use, into
artists' books. The books from that project can be viewed
online.
This inspired us to do something similar with the books that
had been boxed up for withdrawal from our School's art library
at Bower Ashton.
The project ran as an exchange, with 72 artists selecting
a book to work on and return. The books were exhibited, and
swapped. The project archive
can be viewed online.
Arcadia
id est: artists’ books,
nature and the landscape
The Arcadia
exhibition, symposium and accompanying small publication
examined how nature and landscape are interpreted and
utilised in a narrative format: through the use of image,
text, structural and site-specific works in relation to
the artist’s book.
The books in the exhibition ranged from traditional landscape
works to social, ecological and political works.
The exhibition launched at TRACE
Gallery Dorset, in March 2005 and toured over the following
34 months to: UWE,
Bristol; Centre for the Artist's
Book, Australia; Moufflon
Bookshop, Nicosia, Cyprus; Eagle
Gallery, London;
Hartley Library, University
of Southampton; AKI,
Enschede, The Netherlands, Rikhardinkatu
Library, Helsinki, Finland The
Yard Gallery at Wollaton Hall;
the John M Flaxman Library
at the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago, the Ginkgo
Reading Room at the John M. Olin
Library, Washington University,
USA; The Fleet Library
at Rhode Island School of Design,
USA; Noosa Regional Gallery,
Tewantin, Australia and The National
Print Museum of Ireland.
The Arcadia
project included special events at many venues. Online
gallery and archive. |
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