SB1 - Study Task 5 - Exhibit PAGES: FUTURE PRESENT

Having visited the curator's talk at the Tetley Gallery, we were given the opportunity to view some artist's book from the archive in more detail. There were two books that I picked out in-particular for their contrasting use of the book vehicle. 

The first book was this encyclopaedia of boats, using the vehicle of a book as an educational tool for teaching the alphabet. For me it was interesting to see an alphabet book that challenges conventional teaching tools. The monochromatic approach allows the book to focus primarily on the shape and silhouettes of the boats, teaching not just the alphabet but a wider knowledge of boats. While digitally printed, the illustrations foster a lino-cut aesthetic, demonstrating the ability of books to work as catalogues of more laborious processes. Perhaps the book becomes the vehicle by which artists can share their work in multiples, yet maintain the crafted approaches employed in individual illustrations. Dodds' picturebook with a hardback, linen cover and thick, quality stock, felt like an object of craft as well as a communicative device. Working with hand bookbinding techniques seems to establish a lovely sense of the 'hand of the maker' elevating the book from a commercialised outcome to a crafted artist's book. 

The second book I saw in the archive was this tiny picture-book. Untitled and unnamed there is no textual context, yet the delicate and sensitive illustrations achieve a clear sense of narrative through their fragility and textural qualities. The crafted dimensions of this book employ windows and cut outs to allow an interplay between pages. On very thick, textural stock, the watercolour achieves a real sense of fluidity and gentleness and this works in conjunction with the cut-out windows to achieve a continuous and flowing narrative and aesthetic. 

The book cover seemed to be made of balsa, which only enhanced the crafted aesthetic of the book, maintaining the sensitivity and softness of the tone of voice, and elevating it to an object of craft. 

The curatorial decision to display these books in a chest with many drawers, introduced a sense of preciousness and secrecy, enhancing the status and mysticism of these artist books, something which is a contributing element to their communicative powers and intrigue. It seems that the ability to connect tangibly with these books works in their favour since the audience can connect with their dimensional qualities and textural curiosities. It therefore seems more appropriate to view artist's books within a free environment rather that confining them within the rigidity of a conventional gallery space. 

CURATOR'S TALK - DORA GARCIA 'These Books Were Alive; They Spoke To Me'

This week I went along to the curator's talk at the Tetley on their current exhibitions; Pages: Future Present, and Dora Garcia: These Books Were Alive: They Spoke to Me. The curators and organisers of the artist book fair discussed their small exhibition and the history of the artist's book fair, followed by a curator's tour of the Dora Garcia exhibition. 

WHY A BOOK FAIR?

Having visited the book fair in previous years, it was interesting to hear the context and history of the fair. Curators John McDowall and Chris Taylor discussed the elevation of books in a gallery context and how this can be challenging to the audiences' understanding of an artist's book. Books that are enclosed within display cabinets seem to for-go discussion and curiosity, and as such, are not fully appreciated for their content and crafted quality. This need for sensory experience triggered the idea of the artist's book fair as this became an outlet for artists to free their work and invite audiences to enjoy their tangibility outside of the taboos of a gallery space. 

This is something that really resonates with me, having previously made multiple concertina books, and in particular, a pop-up book, the tangible and 3 dimensional qualities seem to beg interaction. Within the context of an artist's book, this could simply be for an appreciation of crafted qualities, within the context of a picture-book or fiction book, this could be for an engagement with the narrative and characters. It will be interesting to see the different interpretations of an artist's book at next week's book fair.

CURATORIAL DECISIONS

The tour of the Dora Garcia exhibition, led by curator Zoe Sawyer, gave an insightful view of curatorial decisions surrounding books and Garcia's work. A performance piece which encompassed two actors reading a script back and forth to each other was set up across two gallery rooms, allowing the performance about books to flip back and forth across rooms, echoing the turning of pages. This curatorial decision to extend the context of the work into its environmental frame showcases the artists engagement with books as an art form as well as a vehicle for communication. The performance of these scripts across two rooms also achieved  a sense of movement and dialogue within the book, extending the comical, conflicting tone of voice into the exhibition space.

Additionally, Sawyer had chosen to display one of Garcia's book on the threshold of two rooms, mounted at a 45 degree angle in the door way. This was a particularly interesting design decision as it almost went unnoticed, yet appropriately echoed some of the books own qualities. The book as a vehicle between one world and another, the pages of a book as turnstiles between changing narratives. Exhibiting this artist's book in a liminal space almost encouraged the viewer to continue following the exhibition, yet also started a conversation about the function of books. 

FURTHER INTERESTS

I am interested to further explore the role of the book within a gallery context. How does a book behave within the taboos of a gallery space? What conversations does a book in a gallery invite that a book in a bookshop does not? Visiting illustrations exhibitions should give me more opportunity to explore this, perhaps studying picture-books similar to the work I would like to create and how these are displayed and observed as objects of art. 

CURATOR & CONTEXT VISIT - Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

On  college visit to the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, we were asked to choose 3 piece from the collection and consider the curatorial decisions that had been made around them and how this worked in relation to their physical and visual qualities. 

1. Sara Bodman - Flowers in a hotel room, 2003-2008 - Volumes 1, 2 & 3

This piece was a selection of inkjet printed photo-documentary concertina books. Displayed laid down in a cabinet, but with the concertina form erect, the curatorial decisions revealed information about the form and nature of the series. The decision to have these artist's books under-glass supports their conservation, but I did find myself wondering what was on the reverse of the concertina. Was there information that I was missing out on? I think the concertina form works well in this way though through its structural qualities, it can be visible as a whole, without needing to be flicked through. From an illustration perspective, many artists seem to choose the concertina form to explore linear journeys and narratives. However I think that in light of story telling, there is something to be said for the physical qualities of a book which are perhaps taken away in an under-glass gallery context.

2. Ron Wilman - Cuby Siren/ Herladic Hog, 1977

As a large scale diptych, the painting was displayed on its own wall, perpendicular to more muted works. This decision to turn the painting against the surrounding works may be intended to limit distraction from the surrounding works. Furthermore I was interested in the rather graphic, bold qualities of this canvas and wondered if it asserts more weighting in a gallery context in which it is surrounded by looser, painterly and more figurative pieces. It is interesting that the curator chose not to segregate pieces by aesthetic, challenging our idea of theme and perhaps encouraging the viewer to consider conceptual similarities. 

3. Harry Thubron - Plaster Circle, 1962

From this pieces media of wood and plaster, it seems to operate within a decorative arts & crafts context. Yet it is interesting to consider the way abstract marks and shapes seem to create a face or irregular sense of character and expression, seeming to persuade a more conceptual way of seeing. Surface textures and wonky lines enhance the sensitivity and fragility of the media, complimenting the crafted aesthetic. I then question how we can differentiate between a 3D abstract illustration and a crafted sculpture in a fine art context? Displayed alongside Wilman's diptych painting, the piece does seem rather crafted and considered as an object rather than image, perhaps a curatorial decision to question the rules of a gallery space.

Miroslav Sasek - This Is London

I BOUGHT A NEW BOOK

T H I S   I S   L O N D O N
I originally saw Sasek's illustrations on some stationery products at Kew Gardens, but bought the book 'This is London' when I saw it in the National Portrait Gallery shop. It's such a lovely, honest ode to London. Despite having been made in the 50s, it resonates even within the current London culture and lifestyle and communicates on a universal level. Sasek's use of shape and line creates identifiable images, characterised by angle and  humour. His character's seem to foster exaggerated features, elongated limbs and angular faces, contributing to their comical aesthetic and universality. 

A key characteristic of the book is the tone of voice. Sasek employs a rather matter of fact, informative narrative, almost assuming that his audience know nothing about London, in turn, enabling Sasek to illustrate every corner of London. From reading the book from start to finish, the narrative and corresponding images seem to almost create an encyclopaedia of London. The context of the book then seems questionable as the language initially appears to be aimed at children, but in it's more factual side, it seems universal and functional in a multitude of contexts. 

Composition is so strong in Sasek's illustrations. Even in this simple vignette, I can identify use of colour and value, picture area, viewpoint and line of sight. Particularly within this illustration, line of sight is used not only to direct the eye throughout the image, but also to accentuate the subject of the image. Line of sight and depth here work to enhance the extent of the stereotypical London queues and Sasek has been able to employ line of sight to ensure the viewer takes in every character to enhance the comical element of this scene. Similarly, darker tones and values are employed in the foreground components for prominence, which fade to more muted, pastel tones in the back ground, again enhancing the journey of the eye. While the bus stop and main characters operate the right third of the image, Sasek maximises picture area through the diagonal queue that lead interest across the frame. 

DISPLAY- TFL Underground Posters ANNA HYMAS

On my visit to London I saw a host of immediate and beautiful information posters, but the work of Anna Hymas seemed reoccurring across the underground and I found the aesthetic particularly interesting.

Hymas having designed a series of posters promoting the 'Winter Fun' to be found in London, had a range of images following the immediacy and composition so pivotal in TFL design work. The context of advertisement and promotion in a fast paced, public space undeniable begs immediate and intelligible design and Hymas has achieved this through delicate tone of voice that allows visual clues to communicate bigger ideas. 

I particularly like this image as I feel it captures such a warm and delicate tone of voice, allowing simple characters to communicate the narrative. Using the iconic image of Somerset House in the background, Hymas need not give any instruction to the viewer, but rather infer this more subtly through image making. The darker values in the foreground set off the line of sight up towards the house, and more importantly, the word 'skate'. It is interesting how the foreground figures create this line of sight through their view points, which is then in turn, passed on to the skaters, enhancing the narrative focus of the image. Lighter values and contrasts of colour allow the characters to pop and create a fun and playful feel. 

It seems that a success of this image is the lack of necessity for bold, overpowering language, instead, Hymas employs the recognisable image of Somerset House as a clue to the reader, and then maximises the picture area for narrative and playful characters. 

EXHIBITION - House of Illustration LAURA CARLIN

I am particularly interested in the work of Laura Carlin as I feel the sensitivity and fragility in her work makes them resonate on so many levels and in different contexts. Her delicate aesthetic and sensitive line qualities achieve a gentleness that gives a nod to meanings and narrative but is also widely interpretive. I think this is something that comes from her largely simplistic approach to image making. Muted palettes and limited marks seem to make immediate pictures that are relatable and seemingly universal. 

Carlin's ceramic mural 'The History of London' celebrates obvious milestones in London's history, alongside milestones that appear unknown or untold, creating a connection with the viewer in their knowledge and engagement with the events. It is then fitting that Carlin applies a muted and restricted colour palette so not to colour the perceptions of her viewers, but rather invite them to interpret and colour her images as fitting to the viewer's perception. 

The medium of ceramic enhances the sensitive aesthetic of Carlin's work, particularly in characters and figures. Carlin's ceramic characters, by nature, take on rather abstract or distorted forms, only enhancing their personality and tone of voice. Whether part of a wider narrative or not, these ceramic figures demonstrate the ability of media to inform the personality and message of illustration.