|Sarah Bodman
Current Research
An Inventory Of al-Mutanabbi Street Project
Project duration:2010-2011Project details:
Sarah is currently co-curating 'A Call To Book Artist's over 2010-2011 for the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition. The Al-Mutanabbi Street Broadside Project completed its call to letterpress printers after reaching a goal of 130 broadsides from 130 individual printers this year. Now, over 2010-2011 the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition is issuing a new call, to book artists to work on a project to "re-assemble" some of the "inventory" of the reading material that was lost in the car bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street.
The call asks book artists to join the project and further enhance the work of the Coalition by honouring al-Mutanabbi Street, through creating work that holds both "memory and future," exactly what was lost that day. A tour of all the letterpress broadsides is currently underway in the USA and Europe over 2010 -2011, and will also be shown at Iraq National Library and Archive in Baghdad, where a complete set of all 130 broadsides and 130 artists’ books will eventually reside once the project is completed.
An Inventory Of al-Mutanabbi Street
Beau Beausoleil - Curator (North and South America, Canada, The Middle East) overlandbooks@earthlink.net Sarah Bodman - Curator (Europe, The Middle East, and Asia) sarah.bodman@uwe.ac.ukRegenerator 2 - Altered Books Project 2010
Project details:
The first altered book exhibition and exchange, Regenerator, turned discarded library books into artists’ books by sending them out to artists to work on and swap with each other. 76 artists took part, selecting a book and returning it after they had created a new piece of work with it. The regenerated bookworks were exhibited at the Off-Centre Gallery, Bristol, and each of the books are permanently archived on the bookarts website, with working notes from the artists and images of the books.
Regenerator II - The comeback (2010) is in progress. Guy Begbie ran some demonstrations for altering /reconfiguring books at our library earlier in 2010, whilst attendees collected their books, the others have been sent out in the post to artists around the world.
66 artists have joined Regenerator II, and are currently working on their selected books, to return here by July 2010. The finished books will go into the library’s Special Collections area, for students to handle, study and be inspired by, where they will remain on permanent display. All of the books will be archived in an online gallery on the bookarts website, which will launch in September 2010.
Artist’s Book Study Area: Collection and Exhibition Programme
Project details:
The Bower Ashton library collection of artists’ books is a working study collection for student and public access.
An artist’s book exhibition programme is curated by Sarah Bodman and documented through our archived website and a regular book arts newsletter, (download the newsletter). The exhibitions programme has seen 93 national and international artists' books exhibitions since the launch of the area in May 2002. The exhibitions range from individuals: Ian Tyson, Tony Kemplen, Liz Workman, John Bently, John Dilnot, Carrie Galbraith, Karen Hanmer and Les Coleman to touring shows such as Black/White [and Read] curated by Gloria Helfgott; Little Treasures: an exhibition of collaborative works by Stephen Spurrier and other artists from Australia; the Wexford Artist’s Book Exhibition curated by Andi McGarry and Denis Collins; FACTION, and works from UIAH Helsinki, and the Scuola Graphica, Venice.
2010 exhibitions include, amongst others: O Pão Nosso - Livros de Artista / Our daily bread Artists’ Books; Salt and Shaw; Victoria Bianchetti; Lucy Harrington; Batool Showghi, Stacey Wilding, and in the summer we will show the touring The Art of the Book: Journals Then and Now.
Artist's Book Yearbook
Project details:
Since 2001, the Artist’s Book Yearbook has been edited by Sarah Bodman for Impact Press at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UWE, Bristol, UK. The ABYB is available at selected bookshops and galleries in Europe and the USA or can be ordered directly from us here at Impact Press. Please see the publications pages for issues 2001-2, 2003-5 (out of print, free PDF download), 2006-7, 2008-9 and the current issue 2010-2011 (published September 2009).
The Blue Notebook: journal for artists' books
Project details:
Published twice a year by Impact Press, as a peer-reviewed journal of essays and artworks on artists’ publishing - discussing and exploring worldwide, contemporary book arts practice.
Editor: Sarah Bodman Art Editor: Tom Sowden
Bookmarks Projects
Project details:
Book Marks: Infiltrating the Library System, is an ongoing, annual series of free international distribution of bookmarks made by book artists, to help promote their work and to get the public involved with artists’ books.
Centre for Fine Print Research collaborations with Arnolfini
Project details:
Each year we collaborate on an artist’s book event or exhibition with Arnolfini. Our first collaborative project was BABE - Bristol Artist’s Book Event at Arnolfini (21st-22nd April 2007). 50 stands showed artists’ books from local, national and international artists, with 6498 visitors coming to Arnolfini over the weekend.