Saturday 21 March 2015

Kingsbury Library Workshop

Thanks to Kingsbury Library in Brent for hosting this workshop for the Library Press on the 19th March. I made more new friends and we reused withdrawn library stock with collage to
make new artworks. Thanks to everyone at the library!

Thanks to Dr. Chris Mullen for donating all the magazines and catalogues for this event and Portsmouth University library for the withdrawn stock to work with.

Last workshop:

Saturday 28th March 1.30pm-3.30pm, Pinner Library, Harrow

















Islington, Central Library Workshop

Fifth workshop for the Library Press in Gallery at Central Library on 18th March.
I met some great people and we reused withdrawn library stock with collage to
make new artworks. Thanks to everyone at the library (especially for the kitkats!)

Thanks to Dr. Chris Mullen for donating all the magazines and catalogues for this event and Portsmouth University library for the withdrawn stock to work with.

Next workshops:

Thursday 19 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Kingsbury Library, Brent

Saturday 28th March 1.30pm-3.30pm, Pinner Library, Harrow



Here's some of the artworks produced...











Friday 6 March 2015

Hounslow Library and Torridon Library Workshops

I did my second workshop for the Library Press in Hounslow Library on Thursday 5th March and the third at Torridon Library, Catford on Saturday 7th March.
We had great fun making small folding books and making new artworks. Thanks to everyone at both libraries for providing great spaces and plenty of additional withdrawn books to play with!



Here are some great collaged books by Supreetha, Libby, Fantosh, Suki, Rani








Next workshops:

Wednesday 18 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Gallery at Central Library, Islington

Thursday 19 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Kingsbury Library, Brent

Saturday 28th March 1.30pm-3.30pm, Pinner Library, Harrow

Many thanks to Dr. Chris Mullen for donating all the magazines and catalogues for this event and Portsmouth University library for the withdrawn stock to work with.

The delightful Torridon Library building.

Sunday 1 March 2015

Wimbledon Library workshop for The Library Press


I did my first workshop for the Library Press in Wimbledon Library on Sat 28th Feb.
I met some lovely people and we reused withdrawn library stock with collage to
make new artworks. Thanks to everyone at the library!

Thanks to Dr. Chris Mullen for donating all the magazines and catalogues for this event and Portsmouth University library for the withdrawn stock to work with.

Next workshops:
Thursday 5 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Hounslow Library , Hounslow

Saturday 7 March 2pm – 4pm, Torridon Road Library, Lewisham

Wednesday 18 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Gallery at Central Library, Islington

Thursday 19 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Kingsbury Library, Brent

Saturday 28th March 1.30pm-3.30pm, Pinner Library, Harrow


Here are some great images created during the event by Joy, Brenda and Ursula.









Sunday 1 February 2015

Collage Workshops in London for the Library Press during Feb and March

The Library Press is a new creative community publishing project.
We aim to connect creative individuals and communities with their local library services and engage and inspire new audiences to be creative with writing and publishing. A collaboration between 7 London boroughs, our festival of workshops ranging from how to get started with creative writing and comic books, through to handmaking books, using books for art and advice on self-publishing takes place between February and April 2015. http://www.librarypress.org.uk/


As part of this festival, I'll be running a series of collage workshops in London Boroughs:

Saturday 28th February 2pm-4pm, Wimbledon Library, Merton

Thursday 5 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Hounslow Library , Hounslow

Saturday 7 March 2pm – 4pm, Torridon Road Library, Lewisham

Wednesday 18 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Gallery at Central Library, Islington

Thursday 19 March 6pm – 7.30pm, Kingsbury Library, Brent

Saturday 28th March 1.30pm-3.30pm, Pinner Library, Harrow


About the workshops:

If your life were a book what would the cover look like?

We’ll be exploring life stories and remembered incidents using withdrawn library books in this collage workshop. Withdrawn library books are usually thrown away – but they have been through many hands before ours and they convey on their covers the wear and tear of a well loved object. As humans we also show our wear and tear over time – but we can use old book covers to share our life experiences, our humour and our creativity. We will be breathing new life into unwanted books by creating new artworks with them.

Materials will be provided but you could also bring things with you if you wish, like old photos, or ephemera (like old tickets, letters, scraps), maybe even your favourite writing or drawing materials. Or any old images from magazines or books that you’d be happy to cut up to collage with.

No previous experience is necessary just allow yourself some time and space to play with your ideas, unwanted books and let your creativity flow. If you want to join me, just pop along at the times, libraries listed above.



For more about The Library Press:
http://www.librarypress.org.uk/

To see more of my collages made with withdrawn library books:
https://withdrawnbooks.wordpress.com/



Wednesday 21 January 2015

The British Library are going to archive Future Fantasteek!

Great news! The British Library are going to archive my Future Fantasteek! for the future
...how fantasteek.


The British Library would like to archive the following website:



The British Library would like to archive your website in the UK Web Archive. The UK Web Archive was established in 2004 to capture and archive websites from the UK domain, responding to the challenge of a ‘digital black hole’ in the nation’s memory. It contains specially selected websites that represent different aspects of online life in the UK. We work closely with leading UK institutions to collect and permanently preserve the UK web, and our archive can be seen at http://www.webarchive.org.uk/

Sunday 14 December 2014

Artist's Book: Be Nice When It's Finished - Berlin




I'm please to announce Be Nice When It's Finished - Berlin has just been purchased by the National Art Library in the V & A Museum, London. The book joins their prestigious bookarts collection.
 

Be Nice When It's Finished - Berlin
Leporello constructed from a single A3 sheet folded to make 16 pages.
80mm X 100mm with separate grey card folding cover with silver lining and silver 'pipe' on front.
Red and white ribbon is bound into the book to resemble builder's hazard tape, and keep the book closed. Brighton 2014. Edition of 20 - all numbered and signed plus embossed with Damp Flat Books name.

Micro Artist's Book celebrating the major building works that have become a regular feature of Berlin. After visiting Berlin in 2006 I was amazed at the scale of building works and in a return visit in 2013 it was still just as frenzied. A walk round the city made me feel as if I was in a real-life 'Sim City' that was constantly being knocked down and rebuilt around me, I took lots of photos of the pink pipes, cranes, hazard tape and false facades. Berlin is a dynamic place to be and there's a strange feeling that if you turn your back the building behind you might not be there when you turn around again. It's 25 years since the Wall has come down but the city itself has still not worked out what it's wants to be and the transformations are constant. The title of the book is from a quip my uncle Harry used to make when we came across building works in London (or any city) - "London, be nice when it's finished". I love the idea that one day Berlin will be finished, - maybe I'll visit in another seven years and have a look.