Thursday 27 December 2018

Artist's Book: Evil Eyes


Softback book bound in oatmeal-coloured card. Portrait format measuring 190mm x 110mm.
Title is bound in beads into the spine and closed with a green elastic band.
21 printed pages with tipped-in photos. Photo pages are date stamped.
Second edition of 20, Brighton 2006
First Edition of 10 was made in hardback with a cloth cover (2005)



Whilst travelling to work it was noted, by certain keen individuals, that the world appeared to be full of beings: other than the everyday. With the assistance of an adapted mobile phone camera these ghosts, animal spirits, numen and peri that crowd around us can now be revealed. Mostly captured during regular days – frequently when rain was in the sky. So far we have managed to identify only a few of them – what we know is here, along with our clearest photos and some of our thoughts.
Damp Research Laboratory

To see all the spreads in this book click here...

The images below are photos of the cloth bound first edition.









Wednesday 18 July 2018

Mean Bone goes on show in Kirov, Russia

Mean Bone was selected to join a travelling group exhibition in Russia from 2017 - 2018
Locations are ongoing and can be seen on the organisers website.
Organised and curated by Valery Burov - artistbook.ru





First location:
Regional State Universal Scientific Library Library A. Herzen Kirov, Russia From 16th November 2017 Address: 50, Herzen str., 610000 Kirov, Russia


Second Location:
A. Likhanov Library, Kirov (dates to be confirmed).
(From organisers website, translated from Russian)
http://artistsbook.ru/en/News
The organizing committee announced a new project in the format artist's book titled "Winged phrases, maxims and aphorisms." This topic seems to us, it is of interest not only by the content, but opens before the artist opens up 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, does not require a large area for the realization of design, we decided to spend it in a miniature book format, that is no more than 100x75 mm.
This is due to the fact that this project, like the previous ones, we plan to show in other cities of the Kirov region and our neighboring regions, and a miniature format, facilitate as the transportation and placement...Each participant will receive a diploma, by the end of the exhibition and the electronic version of the Directory can be downloaded on the website.

From the translated Press Release:

 




Monday 2 April 2018

NEW BOOK - Marshland

Here is a preview of my latest artist's book, Marshland






18cm x 23 cm artist's book with 70 pages
Reproduced from a visual diary (sketchbook) drawn daily during October.
The original sketchbook is a vintage German 'home comments' book.
The illustrations were created using red and blue; Posca pens; Lamy fountain pens; coloured pencils; pastels; index cards and rubber stamps.


The visual diary was a direct response to emotions experienced throughout the month, visualised.
I am considering print options at the moment trying to figure out what feel I want from this book.

Thursday 1 March 2018

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.


Friday 6 October 2017

Damp Flat Books in exhibition: Ars Libris: Artists’ Books as Ergodic Texts

I'm pleased to announce that Damp Flat Books will be exhibited as part of a group show Ars Libris: Artists’ Books as Ergodic Texts in Bilkent University Library, Art Gallery in Ankara, Turkey, from October 12th to November 13th, 2017
Curated by Andrew J. Ploeg and Attila Gullu.



On show will be Mean Bone


Evil Eyes

Future Fantasteek! No.18

From exhibition organisers website:
'Artists’ books' is a term coined by Diane Vanderlip to describe the pieces gathered in an
exhibition that she curated at Moore College of Art in 1973. But the concept itself arguably dates back much earlier. Defying description and evading definition, artists’ books have generally come to denote works of art crafted as or from actual books. They emphasize physical qualities over literary ones and necessitate unconventional relationships with their “readers,” demanding interactions that are radically distinct from those of traditional books. The difficulty intrinsic to such interactions speaks to the nature of artists’ books as ergodic texts, texts that Espen J. Aarseth maintains require a nontrivial, extra-intellectual effort to traverse. Despite, or perhaps because of, their elusiveness and complexity, such books, including those fashioned by Brian Dettmer, Georgia Russell, Kaspen, and many others, challenge the presumed parameters of the
textual and the visual. In doing so, they raise and respond to urgent questions regarding art, literature, and readership.

Bilkent University Library, Art Gallery in Ankara

Exhibition photos, kindly taken byAttila Gullu





Friday 22 September 2017

Artist’s Book Yearbook 2018-2019


Great to get my copy of the new Artist’s Book Yearbook 2018-2019 published by Impact Press at The Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, September 2017

To order your copy go here:
http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/publications/artists-book-yearbook.html


Damp Flat Books in this edition: 
The Mean Bone / Future Fantasteek! No.8 / Future Fantasteek! Does Inktober




Monday 10 April 2017

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.








Monday 6 February 2017

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.



Saturday 12 November 2016

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










Wednesday 10 August 2016

Artists’ Books to Inspire Your Book Cover Designs

Interesting article 'Artists’ Books to Inspire Your Book Cover Designs' by Kaitlyn Ellison (USA).
Some great examples, nice to see Damp in Ditchwater included.

Link to article online, or click the images below to read...