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HOW PRECIOUS THE ARTIST’S BOOK
As the first speaker at this forum it seems appropriate to raise some basics about books. Put simply the book just won’t go away. In the early 90’s so many experts said ‘the book is dead’. This was based on the rise of computer technology and the assumption that this would negate the book via online/ screen technology.
So what are the characteristics of books, particularly Artist’s books that have allowed them to endure and actually thrive in the 21st century?
Firstly, Intimacy – the act of holding and reading a book in our hand, in our own time is a unique experience very different from other reading or viewing experiences, such as television, where we are restricted to someone else’s time frame.
Secondly, Paper – most Artist’s books are made from paper and the handling of such, especially hand made rag paper is a special experience. There’s nothing quite like coming home after a hard days work settling down to a cold beer and a sheet of Hahnamuhler! I remember in the 60’s as a student visiting the print room at the NGV and handling the watercolours and prints of William Blake. This was a very special experience for me which I will never forget –firstly the intimacy of being face to face with the work, and secondly the concept of directly touching the work (even though it was with gloves).
Thirdly, another endearing factor which makes the book experience a special one is the sequential nature of the book. (Most artist’s books are sequential in some way – there are exceptions such as Ti Parks books where they are bolted/nailed closed and so exist as an object in their own special way.) I remember my first experience of the concertina book at the Artists Book Fair in Brisbane many years ago which made me think of the potential of being able to sequentially “read” such books in two ways - either by viewing each double page opening at a time or by viewing the completely opened book as a whole.
Similarly the idea of blending image and text on each page – sometimes to the point where the text was indecipherable was a further element which excited me – in my experience it had always been image “illustrating” text.
Fourthly, the idea of “reader as performer” is an underrated aspect of the artists book experience. (I won’t dwell on the Fluxus movement in regard to this as I am aware that Anne Kirker will be explaining & discussing this later). In recent years this aspect has become a growing interest and challenge for me as a maker of artist’s books. I am still experimenting with ways of of involving the viewer/reader – more later on this!
These four qualities make the artists book a unique experience for me.
However in avoiding becoming too precious about Artists’ books we can create a dilemma for both artist and conservator/gallery personnel. Do we take the work out of the glass case, do we handle the book without gloves –how do we pass on the intimacy/experience for the artists book lover that the artist has experienced during the intimacy of making the work?
I would like to relate to you some of the ways I have dealt with this issue.
Firstly I developed the concept of the vertically unfolding concertina book. This book can be handled like any other concertina book – that is, either by viewing each double page opening at a time or it can be hung on the wall , unfolding from ceiling to floor if so desired, without the need for a glass case or any other protection and so can be viewed directly and intimately more like a sculptured paper installation. I am showing you now a series of such books I made in Barcelona entitled “B is for Barcelona” (books shown with the assistance of gallery staff).
Secondly I developed the concept of the mass-produced value-less book – the pocket sized giveaway which does not need to be returned. The set I am showing you were made in a series of three (“The book of hand tools and how not to use them” Volumes one & two and the Adults Only version– given to the audience by gallery staff).
Thirdly the concept of the odd-shaped book like these long narrow books “The Barcelona Diaries” (showing the audience the books) which while having traditional style binding also have soft covers so if the viewer is not holding them on a flat surface and handling /reading them , such odd shaped books can easily fall out of the hand because of their exaggerated horizontality. This in turn gives the sense of the “reader as performer” by nature of “saving” the book from falling from grasp. Similarly my recent large landscape format A3 sized book “Entomorphilatic Psychosis” a relatively heavy and deliberately cumbersome 100 page book also with soft cover presents a similar challenge. This book shape was inspired by watching small children in schools handling large books which almost seemed as big as themselves. To this end I would like to create a book as large as an adult in order to take this idea of “reader as performer” to the extreme. (Books handed to audience by gallery staff).
On another level some of the most significant experiences for me regarding the issue of the preciousness of the artists book have been in the process of collaboration.
I have now collaborated by post with 16 different artists and each experience presented some aspect of “the precious” and became a learning experience for each of us.
To explain-
At the initial part of each collaboration I would send some ideas on paper to my collaborator with a letter outlining the possibilities for us and at the end of the letter I would state “please go berserk” and occasionally with a p.s. please go really really berserk. This was in the hope of creating a climate where neither of us was inhibited by the thought of bruising the other’s ego. Each collaboration is so much about the challenge of escaping our comfort zone – this to me is a big part of the excitement/challenge of collaboration (a process which appears somewhat marginalized by critics and non-practitioners). As Jan Davis said in her talk at this forum last year our collaboration was “as much a sparring match, a running joke, a play with the form of the book”. Indeed it was all those things resulting in a worthwhile bonding experience for us both.
One of the collaborations which took the longest was with Western Australian artist John Teschendorff. We were both very tentative and the process went on for some time until John carefully wrote in large text along the length of the concertina book “Another F…ing Artist’s Book”. The book was becoming uglier and uglier (to my joy) until I finally went berserk and spray painted it nearly completely black. And so it became “Black Book” about which we were both pleased – soon after the book was acquired by the State Library in Brisbane.
Working with John R Neeson we sent several concertina strips until one evening John rang me to say “It’s in the mail – I took your advice and went really, really berserk!” John was concerned about how I would react – he had cut out large secions of my imagery in circular shapes – he like many artists is aware of what can be the fragile ego of one’s fellow artist – however in this case the bold move was welcomed by me as a breakthrough in collaboration – these books became entitled the “Signing The Circle”series.
When working on a series of books with Wilma Tabacco – we began with “Brain Damage”, then to “Tongue – Lick, Lick”, gradually moving down the body to “Spleen” and finally to “I Danced with a Penis” involving dancing figures with appendages. The latter concertina went back and forth through the mail until Wilma boldly cut around the appendages to allow them to “pop out” of each page – no doubt assisting the “reader as performer” concept. There are many more stories about these one- on -one collaborations.
Another style of collaboration I have been involved in is the “Wipe” series, instigated by Geelong (Victoria) artist David Dellafiora and produced annually (and perhaps inspired too by the Fluxus artists). In this series about 20 artists from around the world are invited to contribute to a book whose contents are made of toilet paper sheets printed in a variety of media by each artist, often unknown to each other. This is about as non-precious as it gets – and yet these editioned books are remarkably delicate and thought provoking, especially through the inherent semi-transparency achieved through the layering of the pages.
Perhaps the text from my collaboration with Jan Davis entitled “Vegetable Poem” reflects some of the issues I have raised today (showing book pages).
“I walked with a geranium
I talked with a geranium
I boogied with the beans
I reclined with a radish
I dined with a zucchini
I slept with the sugar peas But I married a potato” Stephen Spurrier has been exhibiting since 1996 and has held 26 solo exhibitions. He began making artists' books in 1996, inspired by the Second Artists' Books and Multiples Fair in Brisbane that year, and established his publishing business UGG BOOT PRESS in Toowoomba during 1998 which he now runs with well known identity Mary Collins. A recent major collaborative Artists' Book project where he worked with thirteen other artists, Little Treasures was recently exhibited at the University of Western England, Bristol, UK (2004). Prior to this the work was exhibited at Grahame Galleries in Brisbane and RMIT Gallery in Melbourne. Stephen's work is in State Galleries and in many other public collections including Parliament House in Canberra, Artbank and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Stephen was awarded the Hutchins Prize in 2000 for the Artist's Book The book of First Aid and how not to use it and received an Australia Council Development Grant of a Studio residency in Barcelona for 2002. He has recently completed a series of editioned Artists' Books The Barcelona Diaries based on this experience one of which is in the collection at Artspace Mackay. |
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