EX LIBRIS: WHO OWNS THIS BOOK? A Queensland artists’ bookplate project
Zealous book collectors have always prominently placed inside the first few pages of a book their Ex Libris bookplate as a sign of ownership of books that they acquire. Over time these bookplates became a kind of specialised artwork created by artists and designers—not only for their own collected books but also for the libraries of serious book collectors. Bookplates then, are not just the carriers of the name of a book’s [one time] owner, but are also a thing of artistic integrity and beauty. Indeed there exist a large number of book-collecting dilettantes who are more interested in the bookplate and less in the book in which it is fixed.
The origins of the bookplate can be traced back to the 15th century and the artists who made them include Albrecht Durer and Hans Holbein. In Australia the most noteworthy bookplate designers include Norman Lindsay, Adrian Feint and G.D. Perrottet. Most significant state and national library collections include bookplate works. The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery has a collection of bookplates as part of The Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library Collection (Also known as the Bolton Collection) and in 2004 Patrick Corrigan AM gifted to the gallery a collection 318 bookplates, mostly by Australian artists, including John Shirlow, Lionel and Norman Lindsay, P. Neville Barnet, George Perrottet, Lloyd Rees, Pixie O Harris and Brett Whiteley.
“Bookplates Unbound” limited edition set (two views) Photos: Doug Spowart
Into this bookplate space a new and ambitious project is set to provide a contemporary view of the bookplate by Queensland artists. The project, entitled Bookplates Unbound, was inspired by conversations between artists Gael Phillips and Wim de Vos around the role of printmakers in the creation of fine art bookplates. The details of the Bookplates Unbound are as follows (from the frontpiece):
As the project evolved we decided to invite 29 other Queensland artists to collaborate in a project to make a limited edition folio of fine art bookplates mounted on sheets of art paper, unbound, in a clam shell box. The artists were also requested to supply an Artist’s Statement to accompany the prints. Any hand printmaking technique was allowed as well as digital prints. The size was restricted to no more than 90mm by 130mm and the bookplates were to be printed on acid free paper of a weight up to 100gsm. Since we are now in the 21’t century, digital prints were also allowed and, if submitted, these were to be printed using archival inks on acid free paper.
Some of the ‘Bookplates Unbound’ printing plates Photo:Doug Spowart
The Bookplates Unbound set of bookplates is a limited edition production with each artist receiving a copy. The remaining copies will be made available to collectors. The coordination of the project was undertaken by Gael Phillips and Wim de Vos at The Studio West End and was supported by Adele Outteridge.
‘Bookplates Unbound’ wall @ The Studio West End Photo: Doug Spowart
Anne Jolly, of Novel Lines Bookshop, launched the Bookplates Unbound set at a special event at The Studio West End on November 24. Accompanying the launch was an exhibition of artists books from friends of Studio West End that was opened by Helen Cole, Senior Librarian, State Library of Queensland. Wim de Vos also gave the audience a performance of two new tunnel books, one on Venice and the other referencng the Chrysler Building in New York that he has created [SEE the video in this post]. The openings concluded with a musical 6 song set by ‘Rock and Roll’ impresario Wim and fellow band members Neil Anderson and Robin Webb [SEE the video in this post].
Gael Phillips talks @ ‘Bookplates Unbound’ launch Photo: Doug Spowart
Wim and Gael thank Anne Jolly Photo: Doug Spowart
Helen Cole opens the Studio West End artists book show Photo: Doug Spowart
Helen Cole opens the Studio West End artists book show Photo: Doug Spowart
Studio West End artists book show Photo: Doug Spowart
Studio West End artists book show Photo: Doug Spowart
The Band – Wim, Robin Webb and Neil Anderson Photo: Doug Spowart
The contributing artists to the Bookplates Unbound and their respective print media are:
Janette Bailey Line etching / aquatint
Graham Bligh Linocut
Susan E Bowers Sugarlift etching and embossing
Victoria Cooper Digital print
Geraldine Connolly Soft ground etching
Philomena Drake Etching / aquatint
Malcolm Enright Digital print
Barbara Heath Digital print
Tabitha Ford Line etching
Lynne French Line etching and relief roll
Teresa Jordan Digitised linocut
Jeraldene Just Line etching
Sharon Lee Digital print
Chris Ling Line etching
James McDougall Photo etching
Julanne McDougall Photo etching
Fiona Medhurst Line etching and rubber stamp
Karla Meursing Linocut
Anita K Milroy Three hand pierced plates, line etching and embossing
Katharine Nix Lino etching
Adele Outteridge Line etching
Gael Phillips Line and photo etching on three plates
Pip Reid Line aquatint etching
Anneke Silver Engraved lino print
Doug Spowart Digital print
Stephen Spurrier Digital print
Madonna Staunton Wood cut and rubber stamps
Jonathan Tse Screen print
Geoff Thompson Line etching
Wim de Vos Line etching on four plates
Sheryl Whimp Open bite etching
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The Colophon for Bookplates Unbound
This Edition consists of forty copies, of which this is number 11
The bookplates were mounted on acid free cartridge paper and the cover titles embossed in “Times New Roman”. The font used for the Artists’ Statements was “Centaur”, designed by the late Bruce Rogers. The clam shell boxes were made by a craftsman bookbinder, Tony Gibaud at “Craftsmen Bookbinders”, Geebung, Queensland, who also made the blocks for the cover, spine and title page to a design by Gael Phillips and Wim de Vos. The text was printed by Drawing & Drafting Digital, Bowen Hills, Queensland.
The copyright of the bookplate images is retained by the individual artists.
ISBN: 978-0-646-59203-9
Published by Alumni Publishers
© 2012 Brisbane
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PHOTO GRADUATION 2012 SQIT
The 2012 SQIT Photoimaging Graduation event took place on November 26 in the college theatre. Around 80 family, friends and local photography identities attended the two-hour event. The Graduation is a student project overseen by teacher Rachel Susa and her first year students and is a mix of celebration, reflection and fun. Each year a guest speaker provides an insight into the photographic industry – this year David Seeto addressed the audience with his life experiences in photography. His early film-based work with complex sets, large format film and tricky lighting situations made the students thankful for the ability they have to use digital techniques and Adobe Photoshop to assemble images now – easily. David discussed his documentary work over many years with outback legend R. M. Williams.
The SQIT Photoimaging Graduation 2012
David Seeto presents the keynote address
At the Graduation event the SQIT Photoimaging Awards are announced. This year’s Syd Owen Graduating Student of the Year is Abby Dennien. Her award recognises the significant contribution made by Syd Owen Senior in the formation of the Institute of Australian Photography (now the AIPP) in the 1960s and his support of professional photography in this country. As part of her award Abby has the opportunity to gain extra experience as a part-time employee of Owen Studios for the next 6 months The Photobook of the year was awarded to Christine Ivanov for a book about night travel along local highways.
Raymond Keyworth from Owens Studios with Abby Dennien and Doug PHOTO: Alison Ahlhaus
The Graduating students take the stage at the end of the night and a celebration poster is unveiled which features a portrait of the students and teachers. Then it’s all over — until next year!
Certificate IV in Photoimaging Graduation Group PHOTO: Alison Ahlhaus
The 2012 Student Board
JUDGEMENT DAY @ SQIT PHOTO
The assessment team with teacher Alison (left) and student Aidan (seated)
As the end of the teaching/learning year draws to a close the annual assessment day for student folios draws near. This year 5 Brisbane photographers joined with local professional identity Syd Owen to provide this important industry connection with the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE’s Photoimaging department’s students. The team was (left-right) Alison Ahlhaus, Syd Owen, Andy Cross, Mark Schoeman, AIPP Queensland President Jan Ramsay, Cam Attree and Ian Poole.
The assessment team looking @ work
This year assessment consisted mainly of final folios from the Certificate IV in Photoimaging (CUV40403) and a Diploma of Photoimaging folio. The folio submission consists of 16-20 high quality 20×30.5 images from work made throughout the year as course work. Students also present a photobook for assessment. The photobook represents a major component for holistic assessment of a broad range of professional practice from image-making, optimisation and online output through print-on-demand book service providers. Importantly the photobook project necessitates the development of a conceptual body of work which the student melds into a personal narrative.
Ian providing student Aidan with some feedback
These photographs of the event provide some representation of assessment day activities. The Photoimaging Team, Alison Ahlhaus, Rachel Susa and myself greatly appreciate the special connection that this industry liaison provides for the college, the students and the ability it provides for our student work to be moderated against contemporary industry standards in photoimaging.
Cam, Jan and Ian looking @ a student photobook
Jan and Doug towards the end of the busy day PHOTO: Mark Schoeman
OUR BOOK in the show ‘Lessons in History Vol. II – Democracy’ grahame galleries
The Cooper+Spowart book Art is always the best policy, is included in the grahame galleries exhibition Lesson in History Vol. II – Democracy curated by Noreen Grahame. The book is a tounge-in-cheek commentary on democracy and the artist and is published as part of the Centre for Regional Arts Practice – Artists Survey books. The artist’s statement for the work is as follows …
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Cover: Art is always the best policy
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ART IS ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY
Recent democratic debate in Australian politics has been apprehended by special interest lobby groups. It is now time for artists to stand up and be vocal to capture their share of the political scene.
This policy booklet presents the Regional Artists for Government Election (R.A.G.E.) campaign and its political demands. The R.A.G.E. policies at first seem flippant and glib, however, as we have experienced in contemporary politics, the absurd can, with the right ‘spin’ and ‘media cycle’, become plausible – in fact, even highly appealing to the voters, leading to positive opinion polls and success at the ballot box.
SUPPORT R.A.G.E. – Join the Art Revolution Today.
The edition of the book is 25 with 5 artist’s proofs. Copies of the book can be purchased from grahame galleries for $25 + packaging and post.
A video performance of the book is available here …
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WHAT HAPPENS in a Brisbane storm black-out!!
At a dinner attended by Queensland artists’ book people last Saturday in Brisbane a giant thunder storm caused a black-out. Now any self respecting ‘bookie’ would probably have a mini-book reading light or two on their person, but this was not the case. Out came the candles – and in their yellow light we were pushed closer together by the darkness …
As we chortled on about books, democracy, bureaucracy, and greater world issues the piercing shafts of lightning, the accompanying crash of thunder and the sound of driving rain on the roof brought us closer to a time before books, were human beings nestled-in around a flicking fire and told stories by animated gestures and spoken language.
Brisbane book arts dinner black-out
GRAHAME GALLERIES: Lessons in History Vol. II – Democracy
In an otherwise drought of artists’ book activity in Brisbane the opening of the much awaited exhibition at grahame galleries Lessons in History Vol. II – Democracy provided a welcome spike in calendar. In one brief afternoon there was the opportunity to be swept up in a deluge of books and book people. This is a the democratic camera view of the event …
A catalogue is available for viewing at the gallery’s website HERE. A print catalogue featuring each book is available from the gallery as well.
grahame galleries panorama
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Noreen Grahame and the catalogue
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Jan Davis and her book Democracy Counts
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Monica Oppen and her book Dare to VOTE!
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Anne Kirker and Ron McBurnie discussing books
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Stephen Spurrier and his book Canaries for Democracy
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Looking @ Glen Skien’s Atlas 1
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Heather Matthew and her book Occupy
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Discussing Democracy books
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SIMON GLEESON’s ‘PERU EMBRACED’ Exhibition
Simon Gleeson: ‘Peru Embraced’ Poster
Simon Gleeson studied photography with me a few years ago in Toowoomba. His world travels have taken him to some remarkable places but his current love affair is with Peru. An exhibition fund-raiser recently opened at the Metro Gallery in Toowoomba. Simon presented a selection of large colour and black & white images presented on canvas mounts.
Simon Gleeson portrait by Doug Spowart
Plaza De Armas by Simon Gleeson
Condor by Simon Gleeson
At the opening the works were auctioned generating around $4,000 for an amazing lady Lyndal Maxwell who cares for and adopts Peruvian children. Simon’s message is presented here …
A story in the Toowoomba Chronicle newspaper is available HERE
Congratulations Simon…
Doug
THE RANGE: Comments about the C.R.A.P. event
The RANGE Festival Director Ashley Bunter and Arts Council Toowoomba President Jennifer Wright (Summers) comment on the Centre for Regional Arts Practice event at the GRID. SEE earlier post on the event HERE.
Jennifer Wright (Summers) and Ashleigh Bunter
Mining jobs are temporary and have negative impacts with binge drinking, lack of affordable housing for any nearby community.Why can’t we continue to make Toowoomba a centre of creativity, art and culture? Arts Council Toowoomba’s mission statement has always been to create a vibrant and creative centre for the arts.
At the Regional Arts Australia Conference in Golwa Federal Minister Simon Crean detailed how collaborative creative projects and partnerships had renewed regional cities including Newcastle and Townsville.Mark Robinson from Arts Council UK talked about making adaptive resilience real. When industries declined, regional UK communities remained creatively productive and adapted with integrity to changing circumstances with lasting benefit for the community.
The Edinburgh Festival, now 21 years old is part of Edinburgh’s strength and creates formal and informal social capital and feeds the community.
Transformations have started here and I hope we can ride the momentum of the RANGE festival. Festivals become part of the environment, attracting the touring dollar.
We can support a growing ecology and develop critical discussion in the region if we stick together, continue to adapt, gain confidence but not wreck the community,
if we remain open, dynamic and creative we position ourselves behind a creative industry that has longevity stands to benefit the community in a long term sustainable way.
Jennifer Wright (Summers)
THE RANGE: USQ GraduArt Exhibition 2012
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: A photorecord by Doug Spowart
For the words and the media story go to>
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/graduart-celebrates-40-year-anniversary-toowoomba/1616032/
Viewers and scale
Man drinking in the art
Pseudo-panorama
‘BOOKPLATES UNBOUND’: The Cooper+Spowart contribution
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Here are our contributions to the Bookplates Unbound project – SEE previous post for details
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VICTORIA COOPER: ex libris, dedicated to Dr Dorothy Shaw
Victoria Cooper’s Bookplate
A statement about this work…
To many of her colleagues Dorothy was enigmatic and modest about her personal and past life. Under the surface of this quiet and reserved nature, she had an inquiring, creative mind. I always found her willing to venture into the unchartered territory of the imagination, while still grounded in the everyday physical world.
Dorothy also had distinct methods of working: I could always count on her typewritten notes clearly outlining for me the information on her specimens intended for deposit into the Plant Pathology Herbarium. These typed notes may seem a standard communication—but Dorothy used a typewriter, similar to the old black 1940s Imperial machine. It seemed that this was an idiosyncratic protest against the unwanted aspects of the digital paradigm invading her world. It must be noted that although Dorothy did not utilise aspects of digital communication, she was readily accepting of the digital world. Dorothy not only embraced fully the digital art I was creating but she also recognised the important role of digital technology and work practices necessary in contemporary scientific research.
In the visual work for my PhD—involving fresh water aquatic fungi—I consulted Dorothy’s considerable knowledge on these organisms. Our exchanges were creative and fertile, inter-relating knowledge and concepts from both science and visual art. The designs and patterns in this bookplate were selected from a collection of microscopic photomicrographs of aquatic fungi I created for the visual component of my PhD. I also chose the typeface Courier, for the bookplate to reflect the typewritten notations that were emblematic of Dorothy’s recordings.
Dorithy is passed away now and although I did not get to see her library, I am sure it was diverse, interesting and informative. I am equally confident that she would have a manually typed (non-digital) catalogue and reference list for each book. From these connections and perceptions of this creative, dedicated scientist, I created this bookplate—I have made it to evoke the life of Dorothy Shaw as a Library: one full of mystery, knowledge, life’s challenges and experiences.
Victoria Cooper
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DOUG SPOWART: A homage to a Walter Benjamin comment about book collecting
Doug’s Bookplate
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A statement about this work…
In Walter Benjamin’s 1931 essay, Unpacking My Library: A Talk About Book Collecting, I found a discussion that echoed my desire for accumulating books and their assembly into a personal library. In the text Benjamin shares his love of the process of: finding, acquiring books, building a library, and what it means to possess books—many of them.
In this bookplate I make reference to Benjamin’s comment that a collection may include books from other libraries that were loaned and never returned. This covert act has historically been something I’d encountered from others who did not return books. After a time, if I approached the borrower seeking the book, their usual response was the denial of ever borrowing the volume – or – that it had already been returned.
I cannot deny that I too have lusted after books seen in private libraries, books in bookshops and catalogues that I could never afford, or books held in institutional repositories. I have thought, like Benjamin, of borrowing and then never giving them back.
However this bookplate* is pure fantasy and not an admission of guilt. It is my commentary on Benjamin’s proposition in the form of a modified bookplate to indicate the changed ownership, dubious provenance as well as a signifier of obsessive possession.
Doug Spowart
* I must acknowledge that I do have a book in my library that is stamped ‘The Kodak Technical Library’ over which is confidently signed ‘Julian Smith’. And there are annotations and marginalia in the same pencil that are indicators of Smith’s provenance. I bought the book from a respectable Melbourne bookseller in 2002.
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Written by Cooper+Spowart
December 24, 2012 at 3:35 am
Posted in Doug Spowart, Exhibitions, Victoria Cooper
Tagged with aquatic fungi, Australian bookplate artists, Bookplates, Bookplates Unbound, comments about book collecting, Dr Dorothy Shaw, Walter Benjamin