Fishy

Fishy: Front cover. Published October 2024, Ambeck Design.

Inspired by the UK Post Office scandal (another digital success!) "Fishy" is about small fish being eaten by bigger fish for all to eventually get swallowed up by the big fat cat of the world.

Small fish being eaten by the bigger fish.

The big fat cat.

The cog-like fish are a reference to us all being cogs in the big scheme of existence – also used in earlier work ('Cogs – a Book in the Machine', 2006).

Shoals of cog-fish following the current.

Some have already given up. Hand-stitched fish-bones.

'Fishy' can be seen as a companion piece to 'AI – Authentic Inanity' (June 2024), which is also an A6 origami book format – unfolding to A4.

The big fish which has swallowed all the little fish.

A6 origami book format – unfolding to A4

10 pages, covers included.

Hand-printed using acrylic paint, Gelli plate mono-printing and pochoir/stencil techniques. Hand-stitched and individually typed on Adler Special typewriter (circa 1950's). Each piece also has three original postage stamps added, making each copy unique.
Stock: 120gsm Fabriano Toned paper – coloured: 'Sea'.
Cover size: A6 (7.5 x 10.5 cm)
Language: English/fish
Edition 35, individually numbered on typewriter and in a glassine envelope.
Published October 2024.

Launched at the Small Publishers Fair, October 25th 2024, at Conway Hall, London.

'Fishy' at the launch October 25th, 2024 at the Small Publishers Fair, Conway Hall, London.

Watch 'Fishy' unfold:

In the Public collection of: Winchester School of Art Library: Special Collections.

Edition bagged in glassine envelopes.

AI – Authentic Inanity (2024)

AI – Authentic Inanity: Front and back covers. Published June 2024.
A6 origami book-format. Unfolds to A4.

Authentic Inanity is as far from Artificial Intelligence as you can get – created using no digital means whatsoever.

Title; individually handwritten using lettering stencils and pigment liners. 

First page turn; hand-stitching and pop-up.

A return to the handmade and the naive robots which were used in my early work from 2000; Boy Meets Girl – the meeting of two robots.

Use of hand-cuts and simple pop-ups have also been constants in much of my previous work. Sewn elements were first introduced into my work in 1995 and also the use of a traditional typewriter. Adding postage stamps is a more recent feature.

Using pochoir and rubber stamping seemed like the perfect way to produce multiples when the working space is limited.

Kitchen top pochoir printing – one-by-one.

Final print: green robot-crane – front.

AI – unfolded; blue robot – back.

Each copy individually typed on an Adler Special typewriter.

Watch the book unfold:

A6 origami book format – unfolding to A4.

10 pages covers included.

Hand-printed using acrylic paint, pochoir and rubber stamping techniques. Hand-stitched and individually typed on Adler Special typewriter (circa 1950's). Title individually done using lettering stencils and Staedtler pigment liner 0.1 and 0.3. Each piece also has three original postage stamps added, making each copy unique. Copies no. 27 & 28 furthermore have an extra layer of printing added by Gelli plate.
Stock: 120gsm Fabriano Toned paper – coloured: 'Clay'.
Cover size: A6 (7.5 x 10.5 cm)
Language: English + code
Edition 30, individually numbered on typewriter and in a glassine envelope.
Published June 2024.

In the public collections of: Winchester School of Art Library: Special Collections.

Copies in glassine envelopes.

 
Launched at Bristol Artists Book Event (BABE), UWE Bower Ashton, Bristol, UK, June 29th 2024.

On the table at BABE 2024.