Press & Release 2013

Exhibition Archive

In the Main Gallery

27 April – 9 June 2013
Weds – Sun,  11am – 5pm
Late openings: 16, 17 18 May until 9 pm
This exhibition is wheelchair-friendly

PRESS & RELEASE MEDIA AND REVIEWS

Review by Stephen Drennan
Images on Facebook
Article from the Evening Argus
Sarah Bryant’s blog
Bones & The Aft blog
Viva Brighton Interview with Big Jump Press (Sarah Bryant)
Exploring Books/Talking Books with Wendy Ann Greenhalgh

Resonance FM interview with Alex Fitch talking to Sue Gollifer, Iain Paxon, Karin Mori and Ben Thomson (starts at 16:50):

Long after the old printing presses have been dismantled and buried, the artist’s book springs to life in all its pulpy glory. With a passion for glittering words, rustling pages and multi-faceted forms, it gathers together the dreams, desires and obsessions of its creators into little repositories of life and light that outshine the Kindle.

Press & Release is an oasis for the bleary-eyed, screen-scorched reader. It celebrates the thriving culture of artists’ books, with a focus on hand-made and limited editions, and some boundary-breaking permutations. Ranging from silkscreen, collaged and hand-painted books to poetry, text and ‘zines, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the many and varied worlds of book artists. 

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a specially designed installation which invites viewers to engage with the books and escape the constraints of time.

Press & Release 2013 is curated and produced by Karin Mori and gallery design and construction is by Ben Thomson.

Exhibitors include:

15 to 1, Sally Agee, Janet Allsebrook, *Jackie Batey, *John Bently, *Chiara Bianchi, *Deborah Boardman, Sarah Bodman, *Bodman’s Dark Humours, Bongout,  *Booklyn Artists Alliance, Borbonesa, Ed Briggs, *Sarah Bryant, Duncan Bullen & Jamie Crofts, Angie Butler & Phillipa Wood, Roz Cran, CUBA, Otto Dettmer, Candice Hicks, Jane Diakonicolas & Martyn Lake, Carolina Diaz, Jane Fox, Tony Gammidge, Joanna Gibbs, Harold Graves, Jonny Hannah, Estelle Liebenberg – Barkhuizen, Heather Matthew, Andi McGarry, Christina Mitrentse, Karen Morgan, Mutter Matter (Jane Fox & Irene Mensah), Occuprint Portfolio, *Iain Paxon, Sumi Perera, David Rees, Fred Rinne, Jim Sanders, Lucy May Schofield, seekers of lice, *Lee Shearman, Dorry Smallman, Graham Smith, Sublevarte,  Xelís de Toro, Sylvia Waltering, Marshall Weber, Leslie Wilson-Rutterford.*Featured

ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES

Museums at Night
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, May 16 – 18, until 9 pm, free entry.

Come along to the gallery tonight, meet some of the exhibiting artists and gain a deeper insight into the world of artists’ books. Details…

SHAKING THE SHELF
Performing Books
Saturday 25 May, 7 – 10 pm
Tickets £5. 
Details of the performers here.

For one evening only, the books will dust off their jackets and leap onto stage. Iain Paxon spins audio-visual yarns using music, slide projections and fairy tales; Bones & The Aft open their pop-up set and take us on a rock-n-roll bus ride; Carolina Diaz draws together dance and organic forms in a book-inspired dance performance (accompanied by musician Geoff Leigh), Laboratoro takes us on a page-turning promenade through the exhibition, and Jackie Batey fills us in on her Damp Flat Books which use humour and satire to rant about the glitches of modern life.

OFF THE PAGE
An Afternoon of Books
Saturday 1 June, 2 – 5 pm, £1 entry

Immerse yourself in a lively mix of talks, workshops and special events, and learn more about resources and networks for book artists. Borbonesa, a collaborative trio of book artists, will give an illustrated talk about their work. You can also roll up your sleeves and try some drop-in workshops covering simple book formats, collage and working with downloadable books; there will be a café, stalls, networking activities and more.
Off the Page Timetable

THE BOOKENDS LOUNGE
(Actually, the books never end, but you are welcome to lounge.) You will encounter a hive of activity in the furthest reaches of the south gallery, where you can find out about resources and networks for artists’ books, collaborate or create your own artist book, and bring in fanzines and publications to swap and share with others. 

NETWORKING
Brighton-based Book Arts Collective will be holding a meeting at Phoenix Brighton on 21 May, 7 – 9 pm — please come along. They will also be participating in the ‘Off the Page’ event on 1 June. 

ARTS COURSES

Miniature Bookmaking (with Lee Shearman)

Simple Books: Innovative Structures (with Sarah Bryant)

Artists’ Books: Content and Structure (with Sarah Bryant)