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Book Arts |
Perfectly summed up by artist Jeremy Dixon* World Book Night occurred on 23rd April 2016 with our WBN United Artists event taking place in Halifax, UK.
Our set book this year was chosen by the artist John Bently, who also wrote and performed a tribute ‘sermon’ on the night. Forty artists read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and then designed rubber stamp artwork for us to print as the Serena Joy artist’s book/folio. 43 rubber stamps were sent in to us from: Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden and all over the UK.
Sixteen of us travelled to Halifax, where we printed the 43 artworks, each in an edition of 50, in The Grand Ballroom at the (highly recommended) White Swan hotel. We then assembled these into ‘Serena Joy’ boxes and made a short film in the evening.
The stampers present were: Helen Allsebrook, Janet Allsebrook, Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck, John Bently, Kate Bernstein, Sarah Bodman, Angie Butler, Si Butler, Nancy Campbell, Jeremy Dixon, Stephen Fowler, Mike Nicholson, Kathy Round, Gwen Simpson, Simon Smith and Linda Williams. Many thanks to the above for all their efforts of the day! It took us all 7 hours to complete, you can watch a snapshot of the final box assembly line here. Read a report on our activities by Nancy Campbell.
The artworks presented above are in alphabetical order of the artists’ pseudonyms. These were chosen by each contributor, based on the book, from a cosmetics or beauty line, cake mix, frozen dessert or medicinal remedy.
The video features a sermon inspired by the book, written and performed by John Bently, with Si Butler and Simon Smith on guitars, and the stampers listed above providing background harmony on paper combs as the Eyes.
World Book Night 2016, for The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Many thanks to all the contributors and to the wonderful staff at the White Swan hotel in Halifax, who were so helpful and accommodating!
Contributors:
Amber Fresh (Kate Bernstein)
Ambia Sonata (Lilla Duignan)
Angel Delight (Angela Thames)
Arctic Roll (Stephen Fowler)
Aunt Maybelline (Julie Caves)
Aunt Val(ium) (Nancy Campbell)
Betty Crocker (Linda Williams)
Blessed Milkthistle (Karen Apps)
Brown Sauce (John Bently)
Cedar Wood (Si Butler)
Champagne Granita (Hazel Grainger)
Cherry Brook (Cathey Webb)
Coco Powder (Kathy Round)
Comfrey Waffle (Catherine Cartwright)
Commander Twinkie (Mike Nicholson)
Covonia Linctus (Corinne Welch)
Della Crème (Karen F. Pierce)
Dicentra Formosa (Sally Chinea)
Grandma Wilding (Jeremy Dixon)
Greve Stirnbergs alter Schwede (Ahlrich van Ohlen)
Hard Candy (Angie Butler)
Helena Soliloquy (Anna Juchnowicz)
Jägermeister (Ahlrich van Ohlen)
Kalter Hund (Ahlrich van Ohlen)
Lavender Lush (Sarah Featherstone)
Lydia’s painkillers (Eva Hejdström)
Max Factor (Simon Smith)
Miss Issippi-Mudpie (Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck)
Morning Star (Su Fahy)
Morticia Quant (Janet Allsebrook)
Murad & Lux (Maddy & Paul Hearn aka Pineapple Falls)
Nickerbocker Glorie (Gwen Simpson)
Rainbow Sundae (Sara Elgerot)
Set Embrini (Bernd W. Plake)
Soir de Paris (Sarah Bodman)
Sweet Suzette (Martine Rastello)
Toro Ostekake (Imi Maufe)
Violetta Viennetta (Jane Cradock-Watson)
Yorkshire Damncakes (Helen Allsebrook)
Yousbi Aphta O’pning (Sumi Perera)
