finalmabookshow2010

last night saw the culmination of the years work for the ma book arts students at camberwell with the private view for the final show - as ever it was a busy, wonderful night that brought together many generations of book art students from both the past alongside prospective students – this was alongside people from all over the world who had come to look, celebrate and buy. it was a fitting testimony to the exciting year of research and work both on and off campus – the work explores the nature of the book and presents a wide approach to the discipline of the book.

honesttalking

after a week of assessing the masters at camberwell and then running seminars and organising for final shows at norwich it was good to see some work by others – the opening of the old art school space in ipswich (where i worked before it was closed down) http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=931 - showed work from the saatchi collection - it was well hung but the speeches stuck in the throat when the politicians talked about supporting a new renaissance for the arts in ipswich when the exhibition officers post was recently cut at the town hall galleries, the arts in schools advisor post terminated at the county council and the buildings schools for the future programme, where creativity highly valued within the designs, decimated – anyway a more honest experience was to be found at the museum of east anglian life with the gypsy roma traveller talent quest finals - http://www.gypsyartsfestival.co.uk/– some wonderful music from the polish roma community – the dance house in ipswich held big dance goes east - http://www.danceeast.co.uk/ – introduced by angela rippon – the academy kids were excellent and zoonation very professional but the highlight as ever was new art club - http://www.newartclub.org/ – if you ever see them advertised anywhere do yourself a favour and get to see them - i once saw them at lattitude where they created a dance piece mixing saturday night feaver with IRA kneecapping wearing with balaclavas you had to be there to believe it!

thestructureofinterrelationships

having spent some time running creative bookmaking courses i thought that it would be interesting to re explore the structure of the book for myself - working on a ‘family’ of book structures that will be one piece- looking at their interrelationships and individual characters – now considering the materials that i am going to work with and the surfaces i am going to make.

theexperieneofexperience

it’s interesting to consider the experience one has and how that experience informs one’s actions. I have spent the past three days hanging shows – all of which look good – this is an activity that I have been involved in for the past 20 years but the thrill of ‘finishing’ work and supporting its presence with appropriate hanging is something that I never tire of. The NUCA stand at the new designers show is bright and colourful showing off technique and saleability and the MA Book Art show at Camberwell will be cool and calm with space to see the research led work.