Archive for the ‘Victoria Cooper’ Category
WIM de VOS – Artist, teacher, musician, mentor, brother & friend
A portrait of Wim de Vos with his work at Studio West End
For Wim, by Vicky Cooper
In your last days we visited you….
Like the artist thinking about your next artwork…
You described your final work…
How, where, when…
You would be buried….
An acrylic case made by friends
In the bush
Up a hilly rocky track
To a hidden mountain
A stand of trees that had black bark
A particular view across a Valley
A golden sunset
A rock with the Red Fox coat of arms
Also created by a friend
50 years I have known you
Sometimes distant
Sometimes close
I danced with your groupies
In Cloudland where
You played a red Fender
Those favourite songs
Neil Young, Focus, George Harrison
Beach Boys and so may more…
I danced with Opa
At the Dutch Club
I loved Oma’s apple pie
The paper flowers and the needle work
The smell of pipe tobacco
The Dutch jokes
Stories of WW2
I remember your first exhibition
Michael Milburn
Your time in Maastricht
My sister with the two boys and soon a girl
My sister is now another beautiful story
The boys are also creating new stories
And the girl is strong and confident
The world has not limited them
At seminal moments
I needed inspiration and support
You were there
With Doug…
Fellow teacher, artist and family
I for 50 years
Doug for 30….
You could be at times testing…
But you were also investing
Your energy, creativity, ingenuity and knowledge
There are so many years of art
Toowoomba, Flying Arts, McGregor…
Then West End and Adele
A collaboration that built a strong community
Each of us all has personal stories
Each will be different
But all of it rich
Just like your studio and apartment
The walls and corners of your life
Are jam packed with collections
Of moments
Sad or cantankerous
Solitary or social
Dedicated and creative
But your parting words to me now echo in my everyday
That I never stop making my art…
And I now reflect that if it were not for his support
I – and perhaps many others – would not have started…..
It is in this legacy that you will always remain
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Wim de Vos
VALE Wim de Vos 27/5/1947-8/12/2018.
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Some images of Wim from events over the last few years…
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Wim presenting a long book at the Artists Book Brisbane Event – Griffith University Brisbane
Wim & Adele at ABBE Artists Book Conference July 2015
Wim showing the State Librarian Janette Wright his tunnel books at the Siganto Seminar 2015
Wim & Adele at the State Library of Qld’s Artists’ Book Fair 2015
The launch of the Bookplate collection with Anne Jolly, Helen Cole and Gael Phillips and others
A return to the ‘Band’ days at Studio West End
Farewell to ABSOE party, 23rd April 2016
A blog post about the ABSOE Studio and the NEW Studio can be found HERE
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At the NEW West End Studio – November 2016
The NEW West End Studio
Adele in the New West End Studio
Lunch is prepared at the New West End Studio
Lunch at the New West End Studio
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Wim will be back in the studio soon…
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The studio
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©Texts by Vicky Cooper . . . © All photographs by Doug Spowart
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In remembrance….
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BUNDANON Residency 2018 – WHY ARE WE HERE?
WHY ARE WE – documentation of a page from the Island Book
WHY ARE WE … Here at Bundanon?
In 2007 we were successful applicants for a Bundanon residency that enabled is to realize a major component of our individual PhD research. However we still needed to resolve many issues raised by this work and to return our finished works to be documented in the site that they were created. So in 2009 we were granted a second residency to complete this part of our studies.
While we were deep in our research other interesting and unanswered questions arose that have haunted us since this time. Although our itinerant life in the last few years has been exciting and constantly changing, we have missed the opportunity to be in a studio and a place devoted to just working on our practice.
Now this latest residency will give us time to work again at the boundaries of our practice and create the new work that has been gestating in our minds over these few years.
See our COOPER+SPOWART website for further info. (Please note the content of this page are Adobe Flash driven presentations)See relevant aspects of our past Bundanon residencies relating to our PhD research here Victoria COOPER Thesis – Doug SPOWART – Thesis.
FOLLOW OUR WORK over the next 3 weeks on our FACEBOOK Page
A SELECTION OF IMAGES
From artists’ books, photobooks, experimental projects, artwork documentation and our collaboration made during our 2007 & 2009 residencies.
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SINGLE MEN’S QUARTERS CAMERA OBSCURA
Documentation of the Camera Obscura image in the Single Men’s Quarters
PROJECTIONS
‘CLICK’ to enlarge
SOME IMAGES FROM DOUG’S WORK
‘CLICK’ to enlarge
SOME IMAGES FROM VICKY’S WORK
‘CLICK’ to enlarge
TO FOLLOW OUR ACTIVITIES OVER THE NEXT 3 WEEKS “LIKE” our FACEBOOK PAGE and in “Follow” – click “SEE FIRST”
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Please join with us in this exciting project…
LIBRIS ARTISTS’ BOOK AWARD – Cooper+Spowart Finalists
The artists’ book TIDAL by Cooper+Spowart
Our artists’ book TIDAL is now on show as a FINALIST in the 2018 LIBRIS ARTISTS’ BOOK AWARD at Artspace Mackay, Queensland, Australia.
We are excited to be finalists in this Award exhibition. The awards were announced on May 26 – details of the winning works and a download of the exhibition catalogue are available at the bottom of this post.
ABOUT OUR ARTISTS’ BOOK – TIDAL :
TIDAL is a montage of fragmented imprints made from the solid reality of found objects swept up by the tide–beautiful castaways from the ocean.
These objects as image elements, no longer in their original form, are woven together as if a poem, song or dance. In many ways TIDAL relates to a ‘desire for that melancholy wonder that is the blue of distance’ from Rebecca Solnit’s A field guide to getting lost. Or just simply it could be about the artist and their art.
It is book of double-sided cyanotype prints, when held to the light, allow for the montage of the images front and back, thus merging and unfolding the space and time of the page and the book. Reading becomes the blending of the fragments through the spatial divide of the turning page.
The video that follows gives a basic view of the TIDAL book:
ABOUT THE TIDAL BOOK PROJECT:
This project began with the collection of beach detritus at low tide after the super moon at Wooli, north coast New South Wales.
We worked collaboratively in the intense heat of Christmas Day 2016 to hand coat the cyanotype emulsion on ricepaper, expose the ‘found objects’ to the paper in the sun, and then wash-out in running water with a dash of lemon juice to create the double-sided cyanotype folios.
Over the next year we developed the structural form of the book, and finally returned to finish it at Wooli, as this state, over Christmas in 2017.
The double-sided cyanotype prints, when held to the light, allow for the montage of the images front and back, thus merging and unfolding the space and time of the page and the book. Reading becomes the blending of the fragments through the spatial divide of the turning page.
THE BOOK:
A unique state book of 6 double-sided cyanotype images on rice paper.
Book size 49.5x30x1 cm
The text was written by Victoria Cooper and includes a quote by Rebecca Solnit.
Folders and text:
Canson Stonehenge and Arches paper with rice-paper collage elements.
Garamond font family in pigmented inks on Arches paper.
This book is another work created in an ongoing series relating to the locality of Wooli and we acknowledge the support provided by Dr Felicity Rea
BOOK TEXT:
Frontpiece: TIDAL
OTHER INFORMATION INCLUDING THE WINNING BOOKS:
Category 1. Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal National Artists’ Book Award
Winner: Clyde McGill for his work ‘Witness’
Category 2. Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Altered Book Award
Michelle Vine for her work ‘Contested Biography I (quadrat)’
Category 3. Mackay Regional Council Regional Artists’ Book Award
Jamian Stayt for his work ‘Tagged’
Category 4. Artspace Mackay Foundation Tertiary Artists’ Book Award
Jenna Lee for her work ‘A plant in the wrong place’
LIBRIS CATALOGUE
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE CATALOGUE
Libris_Awards_2018_Catalogue_of_Entries_brochureA4
SEE OUR POST ABOUT THE 2016 LIBRIS AWARDS HERE
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2018 WORLDWIDE PINHOLE DAY 29 April – Our images
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Round the [w]hole world on Sunday the 29th of April 2018 pinholers were out having fun – Making their images for the 2018 WPD. Far away from the darkroom (again) we’ve once again fitted a pin-prick in a piece of aluminium fitted to a body cap of our Olympus Pen EP-5 camera and we went on a cruise around the New South Wales town of Muswellbrook pinholing…
This is the 13th year we have supported the WPD project!
Bird bath by Victoria Cooper
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ABOUT VICKY’S PINHOLE IMAGE:
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Each day birds of all sizes come to drink from this and it is shared with the two cats who live here too… It is the driest April on record in this region of Australia.
The photo was taken with the intention of capturing the sun flare. Digital capture with hand-made hole on an Olympus EP5 on manual setting.
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Lest we forget – April 25th by Doug Spowart
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ABOUT DOUG’S PINHOLE IMAGE:
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Each year on April 25 Australian and New Zealand peoples commemorate ANZAC Day in recognition of the sacrifice made by soldiers from our country in the First World War. Floral tributes are laid at memorials all over the country. The message on most wreaths is the phrase ‘Lest we forget’.
The photomontage is made up of 5 images – each photo was taken on an Olympus EP5 digitally with a hand-made pinhole.
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Olympus Pen with hand pierced aluminum foil hole, Aperture exposure mode, ISO 800.
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Visit the WPD Site for details of other posted: http://pinholeday.org/
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Our Past WPD images:
2016 Doug: http://www.pinholeday.org/index.php?id=1235
2016 Vicky: http://www.pinholeday.org/index.php?id=1540
2015 https://wotwedid.com/2015/05/04/april-26-worldwide-pinhole-day-our-contributions-for-2015/
2014 Vicky’s http://pinholeday.org/gallery/2014/index.php?id=1810&City=Toowoomba
2014 Doug’s http://pinholeday.org/gallery/2014/index.php?id=1811&City=Toowoomba
2013 https://wotwedid.com/2013/04/29/world-pinhole-photography-day-our-contribution/
2012 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2012/index.php?id=1937&searchStr=spowart
2011 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2011/index.php?id=924
HERE IS THE LINK to the 2011 pinhole video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk4vnbzTqOU
2010 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2010/index.php?id=2464&Country=Australia&searchStr=spowart
2006 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2006/index.php?id=1636&Country=Australia&searchStr=cooper
2004 Vicky http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2004/index.php?id=1553&Country=Australia&searchStr=cooper
2004 Doug http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2004/index.php?id=1552&Country=Australia&searchStr=spowart
2003 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2003/index.php?id=615&Country=Australia&searchStr=spowart
2002 http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2002/index.php?id=826&Country=Australia&searchStr=spowart
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VICTORIA COOPER: Loud & Luminous – Women’s Day Exhibition
Loud & Luminous invite
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VICTORIA COOPER IN A NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS
LOUD AND LUMINOUS the exhibition, a celebration of Australian Women photographers, has been on show at Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne from 28th February – 13th March 2018 linking with International Women’s Day.
The Loud and Luminous mission concieved by Mel Anderson and Hilary Wardhaugh was to recognise and celebrate the contribution of contemporary women in the photographic arts in Australia. The exhibition has 56 emerging and influential Australian women photographers, referencing a women’s symbol in their finished work. Australian women from 9 years to 90 years contributed, with the goal to empower women of today and tomorrow.
The brief was completely open to interpretation. Artists used the figure of a woman literally or referenced it by shape or to make a statement. Each artists’ interpretation is quite unique and as a collective there is a strong message revealed.
This is a timely project and will educate and inspire women of all ages, backgrounds and disciplines by recognising the extensive cultural contribution women photographic artists make. It aims to empower the girls and women of today and tomorrow to chase in their dreams.
Victoria Cooper portrait
Artists Statement: Dreaming a River by Victoria Cooper
Influenced by Gerhard Richter’s enigmatic painting ‘Betty’, I was drawn to this photograph I made of a friend while travelling along the Danube River in Austria. It is an everyday moment but yet I find myself drawn into the reverie.
At first I struggled with the intervention of the exhibition symbolic motif, but as I contemplated my time walking beside this iconic river it was transformed through the thinking process. The motif multiplied: a thought pattern; a metaphorical weaving into a psychological fabric; or the confluence of symbolic women becoming a river.
Rather than a message or a memory of time and place, this work is embedded in the story of everyday life– of being in the world, and moments of dreaming …
Digital photomontage created for the Loud and Luminous Project World Women’s Day 2018 exhibition
Victoria Cooper talks about her work
Who is in the show…?
SEE THE LOUD AND LUMINOUS SITE FOR BIOGs Click HERE
The opening event
The Loud+Luminous opening PHOTO: Hilary Wardhaugh
The conference
SEE THE LOUD AND LUMINOUS SITE FOR DETAILS Click HERE
A book about the exhibition made by sponsor MomentoPro
Thank you Melissa Anderson and Hilary Wardhaugh for coming up with the idea and coordinating the project through to its conclusion.
Thanks also to the Sponsors…
Sponsors
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MONTAGE+THE ARTISTS’ BOOK: a paper by Victoria Cooper
Victoria and the ARTISTS’ BOOK YEARBOOK 2018-9
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I’ve recently had a major paper on my research into the montage and artists’ books published in the ARTISTS’ BOOK YEARBOOK 2017-8 edited by Sarah Bodman from the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) at the University of the West of England. The paper covers ongoing research which was undertaken as part of my Siganto Foundation Research Fellowship at the State Library of Queensland.
Here are the first 2 paragraphs from the paper
LIMINAL MOMENTS AT THE EDGES: READING MONTAGE NARRATIVES IN ARTISTS BOOKS
Each time I am drawn into the montage image as a reader, I experience a liminal moment – I am at a threshold where I will enter into an unknown space. Although I may recognise familiar characteristics in each fragment I am disorientated by their juxtaposition in these hybrid images. My focus for the Siganto Research Fellowship in the Australian Library of Art (ALA) collection, at the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) is to review and study this liminal reading of the montage through the edges and joins of the fragments. In this research I am guided by the writing of Pierre Bourdieu, Roland Barthes and Sergei Eisenstein to orient myself in the reading and articulate my findings from the perspective of the reader. Also underpinning this research is the extensive history of combining, gluing, montaging, and collaging of image work in many mediums including film, photography and book making.
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During my fellowship, I have reviewed over 100 artists’ books and many artists’ statements held in the ALA. The scope of this research was limited to particular works of Australian artists including Peter Lyssiotis, Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison. However selected works by British artist Helen Douglas and other international artists from the ALA collection were also considered in my research to include an international perspective. As I am a montage maker and thinker, I have decided to include some artists’ books that–although by the artist’s definition are collage– I ‘read’ as montage. My focus is on the visual ‘reading’ of the combined fragments through their edges and the spaces between. There are also considerations for the combination with mixed media including sound, photography and drawing.
This investigation does not set out to define a lexicon for montage or collage for the makeri and as such, in the writing, I will refer to the image works I am researching as montage/collage.
[i] See my blog post for the Australian Library of Art, State Library of Queensland, http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/ala/2016/05/27/reading-montages-perceptions-dilemmas-edges-and-resolution/
Key books that I discuss in the paper are from the following artists:
Peter Lyssiotis, Feather and Prey, (1997), Masterthief Enterprises, Melbourne
Peter Lyssiotis, Products of Wealth, (1997), Masterthief Enterprises, Melbourne
Lorelei Clark, Brisbane: River City, (2010), Lagoongrass Press, Brisbane
Jack Oudyn, The very first book of fish, (199?), Micro Press, Ormiston, Queensland
Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison, And we stood alone in the silent night, (2008), Melbourne
Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison, Salvaged Relatives, Melbourne
Lyn Ashby, 20 minutes, , (2011), ThisTooPress, Victoria
Helen Douglas & Zoe Irvine, Illiers Combray. (2004), Weproductions, Scotland
Dianne Fogwell, Gene Pool, (2000), Edition & Artist Book Studio, Canberra School of Art, Canberra
You can download a copy of my paper HERE
PLEASE NOTE: This download version contains colour photographs of the books discussed – the Yearbook is published in monochrome.
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Thank you to all the artists who gave permission for their works to be photographed and presented in the publication.
Enjoy — and I would appreciate any comments you may have about the paper…
You can buy your own hard copy of the Yearbook from UWE HERE
UWE Publications website
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AuNZ PHOTOBOOKS @ The Vienna Photo Book Festival
The exhibition at Brotfabrik Wien
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THE FESTIVAL: LECTURES, ACTIVITIES, OLD+NEW BOOKS & PRINT SALES
(from the ViennaPhotoBookFestival website)
The Artistic Directors, Regina Maria Anzenberger of Anzenberger Gallery and Michael Kollmann of OstLicht Gallery state that:
The ViennaPhotoBookFestival is celebrating its 5th anniversary on the 10th and 11th of June 2017 and to celebrate the medium of the photobook accordingly we have set up an exciting program. In addition to prominent guests like the Magnum legend Bruce Davidson and the creator of The Photobook: A History and Magnum photographer Martin Parr, we are expecting the photo critics Gerry Badger and Hans-Michael Koetzle, the Russian photographer Nikolay Bakharev, archipelago founder Magali Avezou, the chief curator of the Italian center for photography Camera Francesco Zanot, the Danish photographer Krass Clement and the Swiss photographer Rene Groebli, who is celebrating his 90th birthday this year.
Also in 2017 we are following the vision of a modern platform that helps to create networks between publishers, rare photobook dealers, independent publishers, artists and students. In addition, the festival’s international lectures will attract photobook aficionados from all over the world making Vienna a photobook metropolis once again.
The AuNZ Photobook of the Year set of books
Early Saturday morning along with 100 other table holders we unpacked and set-up our display. Around us other table holders offered everything from prints to booksellers of new and antiquarian books, student groups and educational institutions from all over Europe. There were special activities including a 10×8 Polaroid portrait and wet plate photography studios.
Our ANZ PBOTY display was positioned next to our Austrian/expat Australian friend Lachlan Blair’s table. Although he had paid for his table to show his beautiful photogram works and prints, Lachlan also shared the table minding duties with us. With his support we all were able to attend lecture events and also checkout other VPBF tables.
The exhibition space with the AuNZ table in the foreground
Lachlan Blair’s photogram print display
The history of the photobook was represented by significant collections and booksellers – I held a copy of Roy DeCarava’s Sweet flypaper of life… Lazlo Moholy-Nagy’s essay in Telehor from 1936 – books by Blossfeldt, Brandt, Van Elsen, Klaus Clement. I held back – a limited budget, though my new friend from Russia Natalia had an amazing handmade book by Julia Borissova that I had to buy, other books were bought and some were swapped – one of these was Surveillance by Valentyn Odnoviun which featured the circular observation peep-holes from Gestapo, STASI and KGB prisons – a most chilling yet remarkable book, this work was inspired by his father’s incarceration for 3 years on false charges.
Classic photobooks
Valentyn Odnoviun with his book ‘Surveillance’
Martin Parr was interviewed by Verena Kaspar-Eisert at the opening event – the room was full. Parr was the complete mischievous interviewee as Verena teased out some interesting facts and comments from this ‘Photobook Rock Star’.
Martin Parr being interviewed by Verena Kaspar-Eisert
Sunday continued the frantic pace – lectures, including one by Bruce Davidson, another by Nikolay Bakharev and Klaus Clement interviewed by Gerry Badger.
Krass Clement being interviewed by Gerry Badger
As the hours wore down there was a frantic activity to see other tables and catch up with as much as one could handle. MomentoPro had also sent along with the books around 30 of the little catalogues and these became gifts to selected viewers of our books… these included collectors, teachers serious photobook makers and others from the photo press and of course Anzenberger, Badger and Parr.
We received many statements from viewers complimenting the quality of our books some even saying that the work was better than the general European scene. In response to people wanting to buy ANZ books we suggested direct connection with the photographers websites, bookshops and online stores in ANZ. One collector came to us on Sunday and excitedly exclaimed that he had been in contact with a NZ photographer and had bought the book…! Katrin Koenning+ Sarker Protick’s Astres Noirs APOTY winner could have been sold many time over as it’s 1st edition is ‘sold out’ and is now a rarity – luckily the Anzenberger Bookshop had copies of the 2nd edition.
Gerry Badger with Sonia Lenzi at the AuNZ table
Martin Parr at the AuNZ table
In the final minutes of the 2016 VPBF all table holders packed up their displays of books and prints leaving behind a vacant space that had once held so many books, their stories and those who make or care for them. We left the building, said our goodbyes, repacked suitcases with new books and a couple of hours later Lachlan took us to Vienna airport to catch our flight home.
Regina Maria Anzenberger and Doug Spowart
It’s now the middle of the plane flight somewhere over the Black Sea – about 1.35am. I’m still pumped and excited to have been able to have made this foray into the European photobook scene. I also want to acknowledge the support of Regina Marie Anzenberger and Michael Kollmann from Vienna Photobook Festival, Libby Jeffery and Rony Wilson of MomentoPro, Lachlan Blair and my partner Victoria Cooper,
For many people in the northern hemisphere Australia and New Zealand will be known not just as an interesting travel destination but rather a place where a dynamic photobook network of practitioners exists making great books….
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What follows is a selection of images from the event…
SEE ALSO:
The LECTURE
The REVIEW SESSIONS
https://wotwedid.com/2017/06/18/review-panels-at-the-vienna-photo-book-festival/
