But Is It A Book? A recent exhibition at the University of Chicago

The University of Chicago hosted a fantastic looking exhibition earlier this year called 'But Is It A Book?' with a selection of examples of many types of book forms from their collection:

"If you think you know all the attributes that make a book a book, turn back to the gallery door and conclude your visit to this exhibition.

If you think there might be more to the seemingly familiar and ultimately knowable book—one of the most innovative and adaptable technologies for making and sharing meaning devised by humankind—then take a moment to browse and consider the many wonderful, sometimes contradictory, and occasionally confounding aspects of the book.

But Is It a Book? is a choosable-path exhibition that invites inquiry into the nature of material text, considering in turn the attributes that signal “bookness”—format, shape, binding, pages, and text. You will see examples covering the long arc of book history and book technology, from a clay tablet made in the 3rd century BCE to audio- and e-books manifesting themselves materially the instant you press “play.” But is a clay tablet or an e-book really a book?"

(from exhibition text at https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/but-is-it-a-book/)

Two pieces of my book art - Nylmah and Vasilisa and the Witch's Fire - were featured in the exhibition, curated by Elizabeth Frengel, the university's curator of rare books:

The exhibition was given coverage in both the University of Chicago news' website and in the Chicago Tribune -

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-university-of-chicago-is-it-a-book-exhibition-20230202-cnqnoivqczcvzmjhbzzg5e5vge-story.html

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/what-makes-book-book

All photos by The University of Chicago Library

 

I was delighted to have two of my artists books included within the exhibition, and especially Nylmah and Vasilisa. Like many of the books I make, they're both designed as concertina books, but each ones takes on a new form and structure when fully opened.

But is it a Book? ran from 3rd January until 28th April 2023 and was on display at the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center at the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago.

Full information on the exhibition can be found at https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/but-is-it-a-book/

The Fruitmarket Gallery Presents: Artists' Bookmarket 2023

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th February 2023
Open 10:00 - 1800 on Saturday and 10:00 - 17:00 Sunday
Free Entry

Next weekend, Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery will hold this year's Artists' Bookmarket for another two days of workshops, talks and the opportunity to see and buy work from exhibiting artists. 

The fair will be open from 10 til 6pm Saturday and 10 til 5pm on Sunday, with free entry on both days.

I'll be exhibiting with much of the work pictured below, alongside many other artists and small publishers.  A full list of the talks and workshops happening over the weekend can be found at https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/artists-bookmarket/

Hopefully see some of you there next weekend!

Tam O'Shanter: limited edition artists book

A limited edition of my Tam O'Shanter wordless lasercut books has been created and will be available to purchase online from Sunday July 17th 2022 at 5pm.  There are just fifty copies available in this edition.

Scroll down for photos and more information!

 

 

 

Each copy comes with a booklet of Robert Burns' poem in the original Scots alongside a (brilliant) translation of it into English verse by poet Jim Smith:  

 

 

 

Robert Burns' epic poem Tam O'Shanter is re-told in a wordless paper-cut leporello, which follows the misadventures of a farmer on his way home from the pub and a chance encounter with a coven of witches and warlocks on the way home...

 

 

 

 

Although the lasercut area of this version has the exact same dimensions as the non-editioned version created in November 2021, this version has been instead bound with cloth-bound hardback covers.  Each copy comes inside of a protective display box and with a certificate of authenticity. 
 

 

I'm really pleased with the way that this book has come out and I'm especially happy that Jim Smith allowed me to use his English translation of Tam O' Shanter - it was my favourite translation of the poem.

If you or anyone else would be interested in purchasing one, then copies will be available in my online shop from 5pm on Sunday 17th July 2022 at https://joannarobsonillustration.bigcartel.com/

Do feel free to get in touch with me through the contact form on the shop website if you've any questions or comments about the work!

Update: A Knavish Lad at the National Building Museum

This month the Playhouse went live at the National Building Museum (see previous post from June 2022).  Scroll down for images of the installation and their newly installed stage for performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream throughout July and August 2022!

All photography by Elman Studio. Courtesy National  Building Museum.

All photography by Elman Studio. Courtesy National  Building Museum.

I'm delighted with the way the artwork looks within the installation and cannot quite believe that those etched illustrations I created are now several feet high!  It's lovely to see some of the pictures coming through on social media too and I hope visitors to the NBM enjoy looking at the artwork.

I must give thanks here to the Imaging Services at the National Library of Scotland for their digitisation of the etched illustrations in A Knavish Lad. They took my etchings - which were a mere 15cm high - and created files of them with a resolution high enough that they could be reproduced at the size you see here in these photos. 

There is little chance I'd ever have been able to get such a high resolution of those etchings with my own scanner and / or camera, so a big thanks is owed to them for their help here.

The Playhouse is on until Sunday 28th August 2022 at the National Building Museum, Washington D.C.  Further information is available at https://www.nbm.org/national-building-museum-and-folder-shakespeare-library-bring-the-wonders-of-shakespeare-to-the-great-hall/

A Knavish Lad at the National Building Museum, Washington DC

The Great Hall at the National Building Museum

I am delighted to share here that the artwork from my artists book A Knavish Lad (2016) will be featured at the National Building Museum (NBM) in Washington D.C. as part of a collaboration they’re doing this summer with the Folger Shakespeare Library. 

The artwork from the book will form part of an immersive installation for visitors to walk through within the Great Hall at the NBM (pictured above) and will coincide with the staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Playhouse at the NBM in July and August.  

A Knavish Lad (detail)

A Knavish Lad (detail)

 

A Knavish Lad

 

For those within traveling distance of Washington DC, The Playhouse at the NBM can be visited from July 1 – August 28, Thursday – Monday, 11 am – 4 pm.

Folger Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be in performance Tuesdays through Sundays from Tuesday, July 12 through Sunday, August 28, 2022. Tickets to Midsummer are available now at www.folger.edu/theatre or by calling the Folger Box Office, 202-544-7077.

Full information available at https://www.nbm.org/national-building-museum-and-folder-shakespeare-library-bring-the-wonders-of-shakespeare-to-the-great-hall/

Really looking forward to seeing this project come into being next month and to sharing any photos of it both here and on social media.

Watch this space! 

Artists' Bookmarket 2022 at the Fruitmarket Gallery

 

The Fruitmarket Gallery Presents: 
Artists' Bookmarket 2022

 
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th May 2022
Open 10:00 - 1800 on Saturday and 10:00 - 17:00 Sunday

* Free entry *

 

Next weekend, Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery will hold this year's Artists' Bookmarket for another two days of workshops, talks and the opportunity to see and buy work from exhibiting artists.  Edinburgh’s annual celebration of artists’ book culture is held for the first time in tandem with Edinburgh Zine Library who will be bringing their first Zine Festival to Fruitmarket’s Warehouse space. The event runs over two busy weekend days with stalls laid out to showcase a wide array of work. 

I will be exhibiting with much of the work pictured below, alongside many other participants - for the full list of this year's stallholders visit https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/event/artists-bookmarket-2022/  A full list of the talks and workshops happening over the weekend can be found below.

Hopefully see some of you there next weekend!

 

 

TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

SATURDAY 14.05.22

11am–12.15pm.
Workshop: Edinburgh Zine Library, Zine Fever: Exploring the History of Zines
Studio. 12 places. Ages 16+. Book via Eventbrite
Focusing on exploring themes in the stories we tell.


11am–1.30pm.
Workshop: Marion Archibald: Introduction to Book-Making
Information Room. 10 places. Ages 14+. £20+BF. Book via Eventbrite
Introduction to basic techniques of book making: folded and cut books, sewn pamphlets and creating a hard cover for a folded book. By the end of the workshop you will have a selection of simple books to take away and templates for future use.


1.30–2.15pm.
Talk: Adam Geary: A Photobook Journey
Studio. Free.
Geary has been publishing photobooks featuring his own work and that of other photographers for over 10 years. With over 35 photobooks under his belt, Geary will take you through his approach to publishing with inspirations for how you might make your own books.


2–3pm.
Workshop: Ciarrai Samson: Letterlocking Workshop
Information Room. 12 places. Adults and 8+. £12+BF. Book via Eventbrite
A brief overview of letterlocking, the historical practice of folding or cutting to secure a letter without an envelope, introduces six different letterlocking techniques, each using a single sheet of paper, with no glue or scissors.


2.45–3.30pm
Talk: C.A. Hiley & Cé Simonis: How We Make Our Work
Studio. Free.
Storytellers and self-publishers, the artists share how they use their riso-machine and printmaking knowledge to create unusual visual narratives that are accessible to a broad public.


3.30–4.30pm.
Workshop: Lucy Roscoe: A Garden in a Book
Information Room. 10 places. Adults. £16+BF. Book via Eventbrite
Create your very own garden using the book form of a compound concertina. Building on a classic pamphlet stitch you will learn some practical bookmaking skills that can easily be done at home, then explore how the complex concertina form can be manipulated to create beautiful results. Along the way we will discuss colour, texture, papers and why we make books.


4–4.45pm
Talk: David Faithfull: (W)ORD Ebbe + Flow Project
Studio. Free.
Faithfull discusses his collaborative project with Norwegian-based artist Imi Maufe. In a travelling exhibition 9 artists have an individual drawer in a specially designed chest, which opens to reveal sculptures, drawings, prints, video and artefacts to fill the space in any sized gallery, ferry, barn or other unusual exhibition space. An artist’s book accompanies the project.



SUNDAY 15.05.22

11am – 12.15pm
Workshop: Edinburgh Zine Library.
Choose Your Own Adventure: (Re)telling Scottish Myths and Legends
Studio. Ages 12+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
Book via Eventbrite
Brian from Stout Stoat Press will guide you through making a Choose Your Own Adventure zine – drawing inspiration from classic myths and legends.


10.30am–12pm
Workshop: Elaine Robson: Three Spines
Information Room. 12 places. Adults and 12+. £5+BF. Book via Eventbrite
If a book can be considered a form that collects and conveys information, how does the binder sequence that information and what happens when the reader can change the page order? Three different folded paper structures that need no glue or stitching to hold loose pages, postcards or prints.


12.15–2.15pm
Workshop: Kerry Douglas: Coptic Binding
Information Room. 10 places. Ages 14+. £20+BF. Book via Eventbrite
Learn the intricate technique of ‘Coptic’ binding, also known as the ‘link stitch’ and come away with your own beautifully handbound A6 book that lays open flat and is easy to write or sketch in. Using traditional tools, participants will focus on grain direction of paper, attaching covers and the main focus will be on learning the coptic stitch.


2.15–3pm
Talk: RUHUMAN – Keith Armstrong’s Typewriter Art
Studio. Free.
Barrie Tullett introduces the meticulous typewriter art of artist and disability rights activist Keith Armstrong, celebrated in a new publication from The Caseroom Press.


3.30–4.15pm
Talk: David Henningham: Foulness – a novel in three editions
Studio. Free.
The Henningham Family Press’s innovative split editions divide their print run between paperback and hand-finished editions, so that the same books which find homes in museum collections are also accessible through high street book shops. Publisher David Henningham shares how he applied his experience of presenting the same material across different editions to the publication of his novel Foulness which describes the uncanny island of Foulness in Essex.


3.45–4.45pm.
Workshop: Rachel Ashenden & Molly Gilroy (The Debutante): Surrealist Collage
Information Room. 10 places. All ages. £5+BF. Book via Eventbrite
Unleash your inner child by creating new worlds with fragments of materials. You’ll be given a brief history of surrealist collage, receive collage prompt, and be guided through making your own collage creation.