One-Day Symposium at Winchester School of Art, A one-day symposium at Winchester School of Art co-hosted by the Centre for Fine Print Research, UWE, Bristol & Winchester School of Art Library, University of Southampton. Friday 13th July 2007

A day for artists to find out more about ways in which they can work, collectively and independently, to publish their artists’ books, and gain inspiration from both established and younger artists’ views of how they can work with the book format.

Artists’ Talks on Artists’ Books showed artists’ ideas behind making, collaborating, publishing, exhibiting and education in book arts. The symposium included a special focus on John Bently‘s 23 years of publishing and performance as the Liver and Lights Scriptorium.

Visual examples of c.145 artists’ books were also shown on site, including the complete collection of Liver and Lights published artworks from the last 23 years, artists’ books from the collection at Winchester, and books by students and staff at Winchester School of Art.

Accompanying exhibitions at The Winchester Gallery, WSA
Six Sacred Sites: Six artists produced book works in response to a variety of sacred locations in the UK, including an ancient long barrow, contemporary, spontaneously-created roadside shrines, and four religious sites.

Sitting Room: an exhibition of artists’ books in a sitting room environment, curated by Tom Sowden and Lucy May Schofield

Archive with Downloads :
Introduction: Catherine Polley and Linda Newington, Winchester School of Art Library, Artist’s Book Collection.
Sarah Bodman: some artists’ publishing methods and opportunities through collaborative projects at UWE, Bristol.
Guy Begbie : Artist and Book Arts Coordinator and Lecturer at Hereford College
Lucy May Schofield: an independent artist publishing her own artists’ books and multiples.
Tom Sowden (MMU, Manchester/UWE, Bristol): Sitting Room, a touring exhibition of over 100 artists’ books specially made to be viewed in a sitting room environment.
John Bently: talks about his work with artists’ books and Liver and Lights Scriptorium.

The afternoon sessions included:
A walking tour of Six Sacred Sites with Angela Peagram, curator and Glenn Boulter, artist.

A musical workshop with John Bently, Kathy Round and Carole Finer (artist and a member of the original Scratch Orchestra from 1969 www.musicnow.co.uk/scratch.html and www.southern.com/sue/carole.html) to make instruments from scrap materials to play with the band Afterabbit as a finale performance.

Special viewing with Linda Newington and Catherine Polley, of the complete Liver and Lights Scriptorium archive in Winchester’s permanent collection, and books from Winchester School of Art students and staff.

Afterabbit performance, Afterabbit are; John Bently: vocals, Alan Outram: Synths, melodica, suitcase, Phil Outram: drums, Oliver Briggs: guitar, Mathew Gaffen: Sound Engineer.

Other Downloads
Watch a 10 minute video clip of Afterabbit, with additional music from the workshop participants.(right click and ‘save as’ – this is a 12mb file)
Hear the Afterrabbit performance as a high quality mp3 file

      
Afterrabbit Photos by Lauren Curl, video by Tom Sowden

Our thanks to all the helpers at Winchester School of Art including Jean Rowe and David Ferry; Winchester Gallery staff; Harriet and Kim from the WSA Library; Dayle for the technical help, and Sandra and Penny from the refectory for the delicious cakes.

Many thanks all the speakers, Lauren Curl for supplying recordings for the website, Afterabbit for their performance, and special thanks to John Bently whose infectious enthusiasm for music and passion for books made it a brilliant day for all of us.