Feature Artist - Julie Macbean

Feature Artist: Julie Macbean

Julie Macbean is a painter-printmaker living in Darlington, UK.  Graduating with an MA in Fine Art from Teeside University in 2012, she is inspired by nostalgia and historical events; looking for the undesirable and the overlooked.

Julie's submission for the Personal Histories Exhibition 'Absent Voices' is based around Marianne Hirsh's 'Postmemory' and alludes to the inherited memories passed down from the generation before, bringing absent voices to life (especially pertinent at this time of year when we remember absent friends).

The images and intriguing snippets were found during a house clearance for a family member; and the book was put together by talking to family members and through internet research.

'Absent Voices' is a beautifully bound linen box of ephemera; containing hand printed and facsimile photographs on both loose and bound pages. Scrolls and facsimile vintage postcards housed in nooks and pockets make this a very interactive and interesting addition to the Personal Histories exhibition. 

'Postmemory is not the recalling of a person's memory; it describes the relationship that the "generation after" bears to the personal collective, and cultural trauma of those who came before.

To be dominated by narratives that preceded one's birth or one's consciousness, is to grow up with overwhelming inherited memories, remembering only by means of stories and images.

These events happened in the past, but heir effects continue into the present."

Marianne Hirsch

www.postmemory.net

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTIST - JULIE MACBEAN

Feature Artists - Angie Butler & Philippa Wood

MY PLACE/YOUR PLACE

is a collaborative artists' book project devised by

ANGIE BUTLER & PHILIPPA WOOD

The resultant two volume set of artists' books  OPEN HOUSE - No.18 and No.42, were originally created for Sense of Place , curated by Karen Kinoshita at the University of Minnesota, Oct-Dec 2012. An edition is now included in the Personal Histories International Artist Book Exhibition.

In January 2012 we were asked by Karen Kinoshita to participate in the 'Sense of Place in Artists' Books' to be held at the Architecture Library, University of Minnesota Oct-Dec 2012, to coincide with the International Conference "Mapping Spectral Traces: PLaCE Minnesota.

With this in mind, we began to e-mail each other our thoughts and ideas, trying to pinpoint shared interests, thinking how we could develop our ideas regarding the concept "sense of place", and how to increase understanding towards, and empathy with our work through it's publication.

Through our online conversations, we realised that, although we had met a number of times, through our academic and artistic practice; we had never been to, or seen each other's houses.

We had no knowledge of where we both dwell, or of the surroundings in which we inhabit daily.  Although we have shared appreciation for nostalgia, letterpress, Delia Smith, typewriters and the histories and narratives of objects - we didn't know an awful lot about our respective pasts, present, or future selves, our hopes and dreams.

So, as an attempt to discover and reveal a few interesting stories, we decided to carry out some domestic archaeology.  We gave each other an online 'tour' of our own houses in words and pictures, and made an accompanying artists' book that focuses on an intimate selection of the tour.

By acknowledging the past, discussing the present and investing in the future we have not only developed our own relationship, but have raised an awareness of how we are connected to the places where we live, and better understand the psychology that underpins our furnishings, decor and household adornments.

The resultant artists' books are also accompanied by an ongoing blog.

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ANGIE BUTLER is currently carrying out a PhD. study based at The Centre for Fine Print Research at The University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom.  

Angie has a multi-disciplinary approach to making, producing artists' books and printed matter with letterpress printing and hand typed text under the press name ABPress.  Her books have been exhibited internationally and are held in private and public collections in the UK, USA, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Iraq, Taiwan and Australia.  

Angie lectures, leads workshops and courses teaching into various CPD programmes, undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses (from Fine Art and Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking to Graphic Design and Illustration), at Universities and Studios throughout the UK.

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PHILIPPA WOOD is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Design at The University of Lincoln and produces work as part of a small collective called The Caseroom Press.  

Her work in the book arts field explores a range of interests, from what could be considered the minutiae of life - the seemingly insignificant aspects of our living and working environments and the importance we place on them; to projects that explore how applying mandatory rules and systems impacts on the content and form of the book and whether this means the artist relinquishes creative control.

Having originally qualified as a graphic designer her current creative practice embraces her interest in typography and the utilisation of traditional print processes such as letterpress.

Philippa's books are held within various permanent collections including The Klingspor-Museum Offenbach Archive, Germany; Boise State University, Idaho, USA: Winchester School of Art and Design and Bristol Bower Ashton Library, UWE, UK.

Philippa has also submitted a second artists' book for the Personal Histories project entitled Objects of Others (inhabit my kitchen).  This book is a visual record of items within Philippa's kitchen.  Items bestowed or inherited from friends and relatives; or unwanted and donated items purchased from second-hand or charity shops.

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTISTS; 

ANGIE BUTLER & PHILIPPA WOOD

Feature Artist - VERONICA CALARCO

VERONICA CALARCO

comes from a small town in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.

She is currently living in a small village in north Wales.

Veronica completed a degree in printmaking and a postgraduate in weaving at the Institute of the Arts, Australian National University in the early 1990's.  She employs drawing, printmaking, weaving and references to language in her works.

On leaving university Veronica worked as a community artist in the Australian Capital Territory with organisations such as Megalo Access Arts (open access printmaking), the Multicultural Arts, DADA (Disability and Disadvantage in the Arts) and Art Monthly Australia.  In 2002 she moved to Halls Creek in the Kimberleys, Western Australia to work in the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and write Art Notes for Art Monthly Australia.  She headed to Alice Springs to manage an arts disability project Mapping New Territory and then to run Jukurrpa Arts Centre (an Aboriginal women's art centre).  

Since 2004 she has been living between Wales and Australia, completing artist residencies - Parliament House (ACT), Thirning Villa (Sydney), The Regional Print Centre (Wales), Weaving in Norway, Grindells Hut (Flinders Ranges SA), Cill Railaig (Ireland) and exhibiting in Japan, China, Korea, Turkey, Wales, England, Ireland, Spain and Australia.  

Veronica last year received an A level in Welsh and has recently opened Stiwdiomaelor,

an artists' retreat in the north of Wales, which seeks to be self-funding and non-profit.

Kurnai Welsh Dictionary

is the work Veronica is including in the Personal Histories exhibition.

This work has been completed in response to a sentence in Vanishing Voices (Nettle Romaine, pgs 178-9): "Grammars and dictionaries are artificial environments for languages.  They reflect only a fraction of the diversity of a language in its everyday use and cannot capture the ever-changing nature of language."

I decided to make a Kurnai Welsh dictionary to signify the loss of meaning, history, memory, knowledge and growth that occurs when a language becomes extinct or is rarely used.  In choosing the Welsh words to go with the Kurnai I didn't know if they had the same exact meaning as I have no context for the words.  With the visual images I didn't want them to be a direct representation of words, as I wanted to refer to the early use of images by colonists in Australia.  

When Australia was first settled, posters were attached to the trees for the Aboriginals with images setting out the laws of the white man, but of course the Aboriginals could not read the visual images as they were white man's images, not Aboriginal.  So the images in the dictionary are my visual translation of the words.  In the recording I wanted the Kurnai words to be recorded with a Welsh accent, because the sound of a language is important and something that is also lost in the ending of a language.

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTIST - VERONICA CALARCO

The work is presented in a book format with a recording of the words by Alison Woodbridge (Welsh language tutor in the Dolgellau area).  A series of woodcuts are being made to go with the book.

Feature Artist - JAC BALMER

JACQUELINE BALMER

is an artist based in the north of England, she is currently focusing on artist books and printmaking.  

Originally training as an illustrator, her work is still very often produced in response to a text.

Jac considers herself to be an artist who employs a variety of techniques, depending on which is most appropriate for what the work has to say (in practice, she says, this means a lot of time spent reinventing the wheel).

At the moment her twin obsessions are printmaking and bookmaking.  Her work may be an exploration of an idea, e.g. 'Rapunzel' or 'Where the dead live' (made as part of BookArtObject Edition 4), a response to the surface qualities of a technique e.g. 'Weave', or a response to a place e.g. 'Concession Perpetuelle'.

Below, Jac speaks about some of her book works.

Where the Dead Live

To me the dead live initially in the memories of those that knew them.  But later as these people also become memories they live on in the things they left behind.  This could be a name on a gravestone, an anonymous photo, the ruin of a house, an artefact in a museum or junk shop... The stories we tell about them may be no more than conjecture and imagination but while we do there is still some trace of the original person left (these ideas are further explored in my contribution to Personal Histories).

For the pages of 'Where the Dead Live' I used the names of people that I've come across over the years whose story, image or inscription has intrigued me.

Rapunzel

In this book I wanted to look at the traditional story of Rapunzel and I was primarily interested by the relationship between the witch and the girl.

The tall format (and embossing on the cover) reference the tower.  I wanted to use the concertina format to play with the idea of stories having different interpretations and readers bringing their own viewpoint to the narrative.  How you fold the book influences and alters the visible image and these can be read in different ways.

The witch and Rapunzel.

Together inside the tower encircled by the dangers outside.

A hint of the intruder/outside influences which will drive a wedge between them.

The outcome of the relationship between Rapunzel and her prince.

The cyclical nature of the story.  

In the original Rapunzel became pregnant.  Does Rapunzel become the older woman trying to protect her child? (I decided in the end to use soft covers on the book so that they don't intrude when it is viewed as a circle).

Weave

Concession Perpetuelle

(based on the structures in the cemetery in Argeles sir Mer)

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTIST - JAC BALMER

Feature Artist - TAMARA TRACZ

TAMARA TRACZ 

is a visual artist from the United Kingdom who identifies herself as an artist, experimental film maker and writer. 

Following the birth of her children and the limitations of time that go with raising small children, Tamara has ably channelled her talents into artist book making.  

"When my daughter was born my filmmaking came to an abrupt and (for me) surprising stop.  I was unable to combine the intensity of motherhood with the concentration of long hours of film.  From the beginning this was difficult.  It wasn't a difficult decision.  I wanted to be with and care for my baby.  I loved her and I loved the work, with its many surprising challenges.  But I found it frustrating not making something - something of my own.  I took up knitting, but it didn't quite stop the gap."

Three Books is Tamara's first public venture into the artist book genre.  A set of three professionally bound and published books housed in a slipcase, they are filled with personal imagery and various forms of handwritten text which change in size and font throughout the journey of the book.   Three Books is a sensitive portrayal of Tamara's understanding of and connection with her family history, with the books working equally well as objects and as narrative text.

All images Sue Parkhill - copyright of the artist Tamara Tracz

Tamara has requested the books be handled and read by exhibition audiences rather than exhibited in non-accessible display cases, as the story contained in the books is an integral element in interpreting their existence.

Tamara is also currently working with fellow artist (and Personal Histories participant) Sue Parkhill  on an online collaborative project entitled This is Where We Are Right Now, ostensibly with Tamara providing the words and Sue providing the images.  

Feature Artist - STEVE DALES

STEVE DALES

is based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and is a maker of things - some of which are artists' books.

Steve initially trained as an illustrator of natural history and then later took a first Degree in Animation and a Masters in Media Production.

He has worked as a lecturer and technician in universities and colleges in North East England.

 Responding to a multitude of influences, Steve is easily excited by new things - so that old projects can take an inordinately long time to be completed.

Artists' books are definitely somewhere he is happy to spend time.

Steve has recently produced work for the Locating Boccaccio Project, The Sunderland Book Project and the Al-Mutanabbi Street Project.

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTIST - STEVE DALES

Feature Artist - LIZANNE VAN ESSEN

LIZANNE VAN ESSEN

is an English artist based in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.

Working across many disciplines (including artist's books, illustrations, paper engineering, painted and collaged abstracts, printmaking and textiles),  Lizanne specialises in delightfully intricate paper-cut and pop-up books which explore and highlight the complex sculptural possibilities of working with paper. 

In Lizanne's own words:

'My work is intended to be "images to delight the eye and provoke thought", and includes a variety of media including collage, paint, textiles, printmaking and book art.

The sculptural books evolved from a delight in pure form, with the play of light creating shadows and volume.  I was excited by the combination of delicate detail and strength, and of simplicity and complexity - also by the surprise element created when the flat book covers opened to reveal thrusting sculptural forms.  Sometimes I like to combine images and words and colour, fracturing them with cuts, but at other times I like to emphasise the geometry and symmetry of monochrome abstract sculpture.

When considering my book for the Personal Histories Exhibition I thought of what to put in, when it happened, and where - but then I thought of "how many" - and planned the book to detail aspects of my life in numbers.'

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF THE ARTIST LIZANNE VAN ESSEN