November News

Graphic Negotiations #6 – Fraser Muggeridge
Wed 9 November, 1pm, online. Free but RSVP.
(rescheduled from 19 October )

Book Works sees graphic design as crucial to realising artists’ and writers’ ideas in the final form of the book. Graphic Negotiations is our series of online lunchtime talks with designers, most of whom we’ve worked with in the past. The format and topic vary – we wanted to give designers the opportunity to present their work in whichever way they wanted to. In some cases designers are in conversation with artists they’ve collaborated with in the past, in others they talk about their work and ideas more generally or present a visual portfolio, but all will reflect on the relations between art and design in creating artists’ books.

For this sixth event in the series we are delighted to welcome Fraser Muggeridge, a designer Book Works has a long history of collaboration with, who will be talking about paragraphs and design.

Fraser Muggeridge founded and runs Fraser Muggeridge Studio, a graphic design company based in London. He also founded and is a tutor at Typography Summer School, a week-long programme of typographic study for recent graduates and professionals, held in London (since 2010) and New York (since 2013). He is a visiting lecturer at The University of Reading (since 2003) on the MA Book Design Course.

He completed a practice-based PhD entitled ‘A Knowing Wrongness: Innovation in graphic design through combinations of traditional mastery and deliberately unconventional techniques’ at RMIT, Melbourne, Australia, in January 2022 (watch examination video here).

Image: Fraser Muggeridge

Battle #1 (San Romano, 1432) – Francesco Pedraglio

Watch the film

Introducing the first of four short films commissioned by Book Works to mark the publication of Francesco Pedraglio’s Battles Vol. 1 (2022). Watch here.

Co-published by Book Works and Parallel // Oaxaca, and designed by Santiago Da Silva, Francesco Pedraglio’s new book uses battles as a story-telling frame to focus on the small details and absurdities that characterise almost all historical events and end up changing the course of their action.

Mixed into the historical stories are personal accounts, trivial and idiosyncratic events that become elevated to the same status as those that affect history. In these short films, each inspired by a different historical battle, reenactment is reimagined as a radical, DIY practice.

Upcoming events:

Turin Launch
15 November 2022, 7pm
Norma Mangione Gallery
via Matteo Pescatore 17
10124 Turin
normamangione.com

Online launch
30 November 2022
Live readings and discussion with Francesco Pedraglio and special guests.
More details/guests TBA

November Book of the Month: Licorice by Bridget Penney

Order Licorice with 30% off

Our book of the month for November, with 30% off, is Licorice by Bridget Penney

Chalk, gorse, old coppice, redundant dew ponds, a crossroads formed by the intersection of a B road and an ancient fisherman’s track. It’s August. The rain shows no sign of stopping. Licorice, a reclusive middle-aged filmmaker, has only a brief window of opportunity to realise her long-cherished film project about the story of Nan Kemp. A grisly story of infanticide, cannibalism and rough justice remembered on the map: local kids have dared and scared each other to run round ‘the witch’s grave’ since way back when. The rebuilt windmill provides a hypothetical link between the time from which Nan’s ‘story’ springs and the present. The idea of folk horror and well-worn tropes lifted from films such as The Mask of Satan, The Blair Witch Project and Irma Vep give this narrative about failing to create a narrative its shape.

Bridget Penney is a writer based in Brighton. Her previous books are Honeymoon with Death and Other Stories (1991), and Index, published by Book Works (2008, 2nd edition, 2015) as the opening entry in the Semina series of experimental novels, guest edited by Stewart Home. Licorice (2020) is the first book in our Interstices series; the second title in the series, Other Reflexes by Diana Georgiou, is available to pre-order now.

ABOUT US

Book Works is a leading contemporary arts organisation with a unique role as makers and publishers of books.

Established in 1984, we are dedicated to supporting new work by emerging artists. Our projects are initiated by invitation, open submission, and through guest-curated projects. Book Works consists of a publishing and commissioning department; and a studio specialising in binding, box-making and multiples.

STUDIO

The Book Works Studio offers a specialist bespoke service for a range of clients, from artists, designers, galleries, and businesses. We provide binding solutions, develop prototypes and specialise in unique book artworks, boxes, and portfolios. We have an extensive archive, and offer tailored educational events, and bookbinding courses. The Studio generates income from clients and is self-sufficient.

PUBLISHING

Book Works Publishing is dedicated to supporting new work by emerging artists. Our projects are initiated by invitation, open submission, and through guest-curated projects and include publishing, a lecture and seminar programme, exhibitions, the development of an online archive, and artists’ surgeries and workshops.

Our audience is vital to our work. The process of engaging and developing our audience is initiated with our commissioning programme, and driven through all aspects of our activities, particularly our public programme of events, our workshops, artists’ surgeries and education activities, and through our interest in collaborating with other organisations and libraries. Our programme of commissions is diverse, and reflects our commitment not just to work with cultural workers from all backgrounds, but to invest in networks and programmes that engage, and develop and create new artistic voices.

Recent Commissions

Include new projects with: Phyllis Christopher; Francesco Pedraglio; Sarah Tripp; Praneet Soi; Stuart Brisley; Nina Wakeford and Art on the Underground; Erica Scourti; Sophia Al-Maria; Bouchra Khalili; Laure Prouvost; Stephen Sutcliffe; Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan; Contact – a series guest edited by Hannah Black with Hamishi Farah, Momtaza Mehri and Derica Shields; and Interstices, a fiction series edited by Bridget Penney with Harun Morrison, Diana Georgiou and Licorice by Bridget Penney.

SUPPORT US

By supporting Book Works you will help support artists and writers at the emerging stage of their careers through our diverse commissioning programme of open submissions, guest editorships, public events, exhibitions and publications.

CHARITY

Book Works is a registered charity, dedicated to advance education for the benefit of the public in the visual arts, particularly books which may be recognised as works of art in their own right.

TRUSTEES

We have a board of trustees who input their range of diverse expertise and interests into our development:

Teresa Drace-Francis (Chair)
Maria Amidu
Nick Brown
Aliya Gulamani
Michael Mack
Claire Malcolm
Gerrie van Noord

Book Works

19 Holywell Row

London EC2A 4JB

View in your browser

Unsubscribe