Piano Lessons - short film

This short film shows the concept, working methods and finished book Piano Lessons.
This film was made specifically for the BABE Lost Weekend artist book Fair 17-18 April 2021 in Bristol, UK. 

Bristol Artist’s Book Event 2021
With restrictions due to Covid, we are hosting a ‘lost weekend’ version of BABE over the weekend of 17 – 18 April 2021 as an interim BABE in the run up to our usual larger event which we now plan to hold at Arnolfini in 2022.

For 2021, we will be showcasing videos made by artists about their books in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, the UK and USA. These will be shown online and in the auditorium. Arnolfini will showcase selected artists’ books in the reading room, host public workshops, interventions and pop-ups. Our aim is for the public to be able to visit over the weekend. We’ll also be organising some participatory events online so watch this space and check out Arnolfini’s website in April. (From https://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/news/#babe21)

 

Work in Progress - Morass

Very pleased with my large format test prints on archival sustainable heavy matt paper. Once they are fully dried and fixed, I'll be folding 2m concertinas.
I'm planning on cloth-bound hard covers in fuchsia.

Working title: Morass Publication date: TBC when I'm totally happy with it.

The image is a vertical slice from the Bank of England down through the sewers past the London Underground and down into Hell. This satirical vertical cross-section contains two quotes about finance by Charles Dickens. This artist's book was inspired by Our Mutual Friend (1865) and the grasping need for money that integrates all levels of society.

The Mean Bone - Exhibition

The first copy of The Mean Bone has been accepted for exhibition to cities of the Kirov region in Russia. As part of the collective Artistsbooks Russia.

The exhibition is titled 'Winged phrases, maxims and aphorisms' in ARTIST BOOK format.

"This topic seems to us, it is of interest not only by the content, but opens before the artist a wide range of technical and creative possibilities. Given the fact that this genre of literary work is brief, concise form, but succinct in content, it does not require a large area for the realization of the design, we decided to spend it in a miniature book format, that is no more than 100x75 mm."
From the collective's website: http://artistsbook.ru/en/Projects/

I'll add more information when the dates/locations are confirmed, but here is a preview of my new book.

New book in progress - MEAN BONE

I'm working on my new book: MEAN BONE
It will be a micro-book, concertina with hard covers.

It's a book of unkind sayings or mean idioms from a variety of languages.
The phrases we all use to call people liars, idiots and gas-bags.
Phrases of unkindness are universal and this is a celebration of that.

The title Mean Bone comes from the expression: 'She hasn't got a mean bone in her body'.
This is where all the 'mean bones' are, in my book.

Inktober 2016

I've just FINISHED Inktober 2016. The point being to make an image using ink every day during October and share of social media. There's a screen grab from Instagram below, I'll add the final images to this blog when it's all done and dusted. Here's a flick through my sketchbook...

 

My rules:
1. make image in sketchbook
2. only use black, white and red ink or felt pens
3. can add collaged elements ie. tape, paper, staples, stickers
4. can use rubber stamps I already have but only with black or red ink
5. show the materials used in the photos
6. stamp the date on the image

So here are the first batch as seen on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/bateyjackie/

I'm also sharing them on Twitter
https://twitter.com/JackieBatey
@jackiebatey

Work in Progress - Library of Withdrawn Books

This is an idea for a series called the Library of Withdrawn Books or the Damp Library of Reimagined Books. I have a collection of vintage drawing and painting how-to guides along with many out dated art books. I wanted to imagine these books have reinvented or altered themselves for an imaginary library. The book contents will remain hidden but the altered covers shows the book has since transformed itself. This may form a series of 'altered covers' or a possible artist's book (catalogue) of withdrawn titles. What happens to all those books that no one else wants?
I want them.

Many thanks to Dr. Chris Mullen curator of the Culture Archive in Brighton and Jenni and Beth at the The University of Portsmouth Library for sourcing some great 'dead' books and magazines.

Work in progress - Library of Found Magazines

I'm working on a series of altered magazine covers with a working title of: The Library of Found Magazines. I have a stack of Woman magazines from the 50s and 60s. I've always enjoyed the hyperbole of magazine advertisements since studying for my Ph.D. a while ago, when I researched American cigarette advertisements from 1945-1964. With this series I want to explore the UK magazines that instruct women how to be beautiful, successful but also an efficient housekeeper
(see also my book Anxious Homes about poor housekeeping).  The hand drawn text is illustrated transcripts of the copy within the magazine, I've added no words of my own. This series may form the basis of a new artist's book or an exhibition.

To tweet or not to tweet

I went to a great event at the University of Portsmouth yesterday, 'Blogging for academic purposes'.
I feel inspired to give Twitter a go, not sure quite what is is though so might have to bear with me a bit...
https://twitter.com/JackieBatey

Work in progress

I'm currently working on a long vertical drawing that will be able to fold into an artist's book, working title: Drip Drip Drip.  The drawings will form an imagined cross-section through London from the Bank of England down into the earth past the Underground then past one of the hidden underground rivers and into the Underworld. Hidden within the illustrations are two quotes about economics by Dickens. 

For research I visited the Bank of England Museum, Bank station underground as well as researched the lost rivers of London and engineering cross-sections. Images of the Underworld have long been an interest since writing my degree dissertation on Apocalypse Manuscripts many years ago. I also read The Inferno (Hell and Purgatory) and Paradise Lost (which has given me some great ideas for future projects - thank you Mr.Milton).

Here are some photos of work in progress, I'm using technical pens, Japanese papers and a light box, which explains the yellow tinge in the pics here. I'm planning for the book to be in black and white with one spot colour, maybe magenta, maybe not.