Non Shhhh

Browsing, searching, collating, reading, recording. Artists intervene in the library and revitalize some aspect of looking, inventing, discovering, connecting, engaging, and creating.

Join us Thursday 26 March for Dub Day - Non-shhh in the library at Vernon Street presenting the library interventions of Louise Atkinson, Rachel Smith and Helen Frank with a sound system from 5pm.

The event is free but you will require a ticket to attend, book yours here!

The Imaginary Museum: Art Library as Archive - Louise Atkinson

Directly referencing the work of André Malraux, in the first volume of 'The Psychology of Art' entitled 'The Museum without Walls', the concept of the project began with the idea of photographic reproduction in books as the basis for the democratisation of visual art. The first version of ‘The Imaginary Museum’ at the Tetley, Leeds was received positively by audiences and the artists involved. This gave me the idea to continue the process, focusing on separate aspects of the relationship between the image and the artwork; in this case, the Art Library.

The ‘museum’, displayed on a postcard wall rack will be a series of 18 postcard reproductions created by artists selected from an open call. The audience will be encouraged to purchase the postcards, in part or in whole, by leaving a suggested donation in a nearby honesty box. There will also be small branded envelopes for audiences to keep their selection in, thereby creating their own imaginary museum.

These images should not be solely representative of singular objects and artworks, but instead reference the nature of the art library as archive through imagined collections, systems, documentation, and classifications.

Bio

I am a visual artist, curator and educator working in a variety of media including sculpture, installation, bookbinding, drawing and printmaking. I am also currently undertaking a Practice-Led PhD at University of Leeds and the focus of my research is artist books, ritual, and the agency of the art object. 

My experience includes working with national galleries, such as Tate Britain, and my artwork is also held in public and private collections, including the V&A. My interests and experience in the field of cross-cultural collaboration stem from my use of social media to develop the international group, Artist Book Collective, among other online projects. You can also follow me on Twitter or Bloglovin. 

741.082 Drawing Theory - Helen Frank

All tracing is done with my (O)pposing (H)and. An example of the constraint is visible behind this text

Trace the book cover, verso and recto

Remove the book and place another piece of tracing paper on top of tracing #1

Trace the tracing (#1)

Remove tracing #1 and place another piece of tracing paper on top of tracing #2

Trace the tracing (#2)

Remove tracing #2 and place another piece of tracing paper on top of tracing #3

Trace the tracing (#3)

Layer all the tracings together, aligning at will

Photocopy the tracings, on to tracing paper, to make a composite of the 3 layers

Use the composite image as a second dust jacket, layered over the existing book cover. The original cover will be visible under the tracing paper.

The re-covered books are to be returned to the shelves for the duration of the intervention and will remain available for loan or study.

www.helenfrank-who.blogspot.co.uk/

Drawing Out Language - Rachel Smith

Once reading begins my attention is often distracted by the things I find left between the pages. I spend time wondering about the positioning of found bookmarks. I try to figure out the scrawled handwriting in the margin, based on the feeling that, if something was important enough to write in the book, it must be a gem of insight!

I propose to follow the trails left by others through various books. I will use the found bookmarks and discarded post-it notes to guide my reading, taking my lead from the under-linings and scribbled marginalia in the books I choose. From the evidence I find I will produce a new work in the form of an artist book containing a combination of photographs, writing, and drawings based on the path I take and the thoughts I find.

My work sits between art and conceptual writing. The processes of drawing language, writing sound, and reading as photographic image production are used to explore the fragmentary experience of communication. I have produced work in public during artist residencies and presented a research paper ‘Algorithmic Procedures as structure for Durational Drawing’ as part of the RHUL Generative Constraints conference in London.

http://rachelartsmith.blogspot.co.uk/