READ artist's book finished

135mm x 190mm, containing 12 pages and printed endpapers.
Saddle-stitched, with red book-cloth bound hard cover with lasercut lime acrylic title: READ.

Bound into the book is a small red acrylic lasercut magnifying glass that slots into a small wage slip envelope bound into the back inside cover.
Title page has a library-style insert, dated, embossed, numbered and signed.

The book also contains a bookmark to be used as a aide memoire.

Brighton, First edition of ten produced in 2012.

This book was created for the exhibition Beyond Dickens. This exhibition of international artists' books was held in Portsmouth in November 2012 as part of the Dickens bicentenary celebrations held in the town (Dicken's birthplace).

READ was inspired by Our Mutual Friend and takes the first 20 pages of this novel but hides within them a Dickens' quote about the act of reading. The quote describes reading as being like a code, whereby the initiated can open the world of books. The quote is hidden word by word on each page in pale turquoise that can only be seen clearly when viewed through the red lense on of the magnifying glass (see images below). The endpapers are images of monochrome violent waters since Our Mutual Friend begins and ends with drownings. READ is available in an edition of 10, contact me for details.

Copies are now located in:

• Artists' Book Collection - Eton College Library, Eton College, Windsor, UK
• Artists' Book Collection - The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, UK
• Centre for Fine Print Research, UWE, Bristol, School of Creative Arts, Bristol, UK
• Special Collections - London College of Communication, London, UK
• Special Collections - Tutt Library, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. USA

  

HOME awarded The Birgit Skiöld Trust Memorial Award

HOME has been awarded The Birgit Skiöld Trust Memorial Award at this year's London Art Book Fair at the Whitechapel Gallery.

The Selection Panel for this year was made up of Elizabeth James, Senior Librarian, National Art Library Collections at Victoria and Albert Museum, Richard Price, Head of Content and Research Strategy at the British Library, Gill Saunders, Senior Curator ( Prints) Word & Image Department Victoria and Albert Museum and Victoria Bartlett, Artist and Trustee of the Birgit Skiöld Memorial Trust.

HOME boxed

HOME will be donated by The Birgit Skiöld Memorial Trust to The National Art Library Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Here is what Victoria Browne - Founder of KALEID editions had to say:

HOME was selected for KALEID 2012 London, an annual curated exhibition showcasing the best of European artists' books. The edition is both original in form and content, and demonstrates the broad scope of contemporary graphic artists in Britain today. KALEID editions selected the book to represent at The London Art Book Fair and was delighted to receive the Birgit Skiold Award for excellence on behalf of Jonathan Ward. The judges immediately recognised the educational potential that 'Home' offers visitors to The National Art Library and its accessibility in a public collection will benefit generations come.

HOME was designed and coordinated by MakingSpace Publishers 2011
It is a boxed bookwork containing 50 die-cut houses by 50 illustrators. 50 visual narratives or home-based memories.

List of contributors

50 die-cut houses within the box

Houses by Otto: Jackie Batey: Geoff Grandfield

Houses by Jay Wright: David Atkinson: Laurie Stansfield

Houses by Phil Wrigglesworth: Gary Embury: Sarah Grice

Houses by Jake Abrams: David Sparshott: Jonny Hannah 

All of the houses have doors in the back that open to reveal more...

Beyond Dickens Exhibition

An exhibition of Artist's Books inspired by the works of Charles Dickens.
Private View: Thursday 11th October, 5-7pm

1st Floor Gallery, Southsea Library, 19-21 Palmeston Road, Portsmouth, UK
Mon 8th Oct - Fri 2nd Nov
Opening hours are, Mon-Sun11am - 4pm

The exhibition showcases bookworks by national and international bookartists.
I will be exhibiting my new book, READ which was inspired by Our Mutual Friend
...more images of the exhibition and book to follow.

 

'Damp in Ditchwater' photo shortlisted in the 2012 G-Technology Driven Creativity Competition

A photographic postcard page from Damp in Ditchwater has been shortlisted in the 2012 G-Technology Driven Creativity Competition. I believe you can vote for it... should you wish to.

This is a composite image that forms part of a sequence of postcards from the fictional town of 'Ditchwater-by-Sea'. The sequence shows the decline of the Southern seaside town and documents its desperate attempts to attract tourists. This forms part of a handmade photo artist's book.
http://www.g-technology.eu/competition/en/comp_entries/photo/damp-ditchwater?sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC&filmcategory=All&type_1=All&rid_1=All&sharing=true