Bookmarks: Infiltrating the Library System (Parts I and II, 2004-5) was a dual project to encourage people to appreciate artwork in the book format and to visit artist's book venues and libraries. Two series of free, display-box, sets were installed in over 20 venues around the world; distributed to libraries, bookshops and galleries for the public to help themselves to the bookmarks. Over 50 contributing artists produced more than 5000 bookmarks over the 2004-5 period.
The Bookmarks for Part III, Infiltrating Kontakt were again, made in an edition of 100. This includes a set for each artist as thanks for their participation, a set for our archives and the rest divided into distribution sets for each of the venues. Each of the Bookmarks was stamped with www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/bkmks3 which links to the Bookmarks website, with a gallery of images and contact details for each of the contributor's Bookmarks. Part III has seen 38 artists produce 4,000 bookmarks; the largest amount in the project, and a very fitting end to the series.
The bookmarks' artwork ranges from: images from video stills, fake foxing, cyanotypes made in the Italian sunshine, screenprints and photocopies, to digital prints, hand embroidery and paintings. John Evans and L J Douglas have made two editions each for Bookmarks III, Nicola Dale made 100 different “short short stories” bookmarks and Cally Barker produced 100 different textile bookmarks, each one hand-embroidered, with a category of books, pages etc.
A new series of free distribution boxes will be exhibited and distributed at two Impact Kontakt gallery venues in Berlin and Poznan this September:
Universität der Künste Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu (National Museum of Poznan), Poland
Each box will be filled as before with a new series of artist-made bookmarks for visitors to help themselves. The rest of the bookmarks will be sent out, as distribution sets this September, to:
Amherst College Library, Amherst, USA
University of Missouri, Saint Louis, USA
Yale Center for British Art, USA
Broekhuis Boekhandel, Enschede, The Netherlands
Bower Ashton Library, UWE Bristol, UK
Martin County Library System, Gallery, Fairmont, Minnesota, USA
Moufflon Bookshop, Nicosia, Cyprus
Bookartbookshop, London, UK
Tate Britain, Millbank, London, UK
The entire Bookmarks sets: Parts I, II and III will also be shown as part of “60 Square Inches” a biennial, North American, small print exhibition in its 15th installment at Purdue University, USA in February 2006.
Many thanks to all the artists for their brilliant contributions to Bookmarks III, and to Linda Johnson for all her bookmarks scanning and stamping!