draft plan of the exegesis

Over the past week and a bit I've been starting to nut out a draft plan of my exegesis for codex infiniutum....  and of course that has meant much reading and re-reading of research bits to date and lots of hand wringing and sighing.....

Writing is not one of my strongest skills!

annotated bibliography (initial essay)

Rhonda Ayliffe - Annotated bibliography

My life is saturated with books. It's not just that I have groaning bookshelves and sheds stacked with tonnes (literally) of tomes; my arts practice and artworks are based on books, indeed, my MFA project is titled 'codex infinitum – (the infinite book)'. Books are at the core of my work - they are its subject and object, its matter and material, its inspiration and conceptual realisation. My self-confessed bibliomania means creating an abridged yet apt bibliography is a distinct challenge. Thus this annotated bibliography will be focussing on research material that has informed the physical and conceptual aspects of my work as it relates to my MFA project as well as that ascribing an initial positionality of gestating works.

My arts practice is founded on the artisanal crafts of calligraphy and book arts so it will come as little surprise that my research interests have revolved around book arts. Artists books, art about books, art made from books, and art or texts contemplating the past, present, and future of books have occupied my reading. Initially my interest pragmatically focussed on craft techniques, and 'how-to' manuals devoted to the crafts associated with books and book arts (calligraphy¹, bookbinding², paper making, vellum production, illumination, gold work, letterpress³, paper marbling) have provided an invaluable resource. As I have discovered more about structure and technique, I have developed a curiosity about the history and practice of book crafts⁴ and the work of contemporary book artists⁵.

At the very beginning of his text 'Artists' Books', Stephen Bury defined artists books as:

“books or book-like objects … where the book is intended as a work of art in itself”⁶ and it has been this, rather than livres d'artistes⁷ that has captured my attention. Johanna Drucker's texts 'The Century of Artists' Books'⁸, 'The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination'⁹, and 'Figuring the Word'¹⁰ have been instrumental in increasing my awareness of pioneering contemporary book artists (including Ed Ruscha¹¹, Richard Minsky¹², Dick Higgins and most significantly, Dieter Roth¹³) and in describing how art movements, such as Fluxus and Conceptual Art¹⁴, have embraced, used and extended the structural and conceptual possibilities of the book¹⁵.

Bookworks by prominent contemporary book artists such as Adele Otteridge, Dianne Fogwell¹⁶, Tim Mosley¹⁷, Peter Lyssiotis¹⁸, Deanna Hitti, Clyde McGill, Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison¹⁹, Angela Cavalieri²⁰, Wim de Vos, Emily Martin²¹, Alisa Golden²², et. al continually informs the practical aspects of my art-making such as structure, technique and materials. Equally important in providing an overview of current trends in contemporary book arts are websites such as Book Arts Web²³ and Artists Books Online²⁴ which together are arguably the web epicentre of book arts activities/scholarship. In recent decades numerous academic and artistic centres²⁵ devoted to book arts have emerged in (particularly) the UK and USA, all of these have correspondingly established a solid presence on the web - meaning that lovers of traditional or contemporary book arts are spoilt for choice: Minnesota Center for Book Arts²⁶, San Francisco Center for the Book²⁷, the Center for Book Arts, New York²⁸, University of Iowa Center for the Book²⁹, The Center for Book & Paper Arts (CBPA) at Columbia College Chicago³⁰, 'Book Arts' at the University of the West of England³¹ are just the tip of the iceberg³². Apart from these more visible centres, a rapid trawl of the internet finds book arts courses and programs³³/ book artists websites³⁴/ blogs³⁵/ flickr sites³⁶/ ning rings³⁷/ web groups³⁸ popping up around the globe (including within Monash University itself – with its Centre for the Book³⁹) creating a virtual warren of book arts potential study paths.

Whilst online information regarding book arts has granted me a convenient snapshot of what contemporary book artists are doing within the book arts field, the nature of online information removes the viewer from the essential qualities of books as tactile, dimensional, personal objects. I hope to address this problem by personally accessing book art collections held at Monash and other Australian institutions throughout the duration of my MFA project. To further my understanding of critical aspects of contemporary book arts field I have been gleaning information from publications devoted to book arts – JAB (Journal of Book Arts)⁴⁰ Umbrella⁴¹, Bonefolder⁴², the Blue Notebook.⁴³ I am keen to complete “A Manifesto for the Book'⁴⁴ by Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden which posed the question 'What will be the canon for the artist’s book in the 21st Century?' and I anticipate an ongoing review of book art activities to maintain a critical framework for my book-based artworks.

Despite my research into contemporary book art activities, my interest in books is more general in its scope – I am interested in debates about the future of the book⁴⁵ and find that I am generally more curious about what artists are doing with or about books than I am in finding the newest way to bind a book. I have been intrigued by the works such as Ann Hamilton’s 'Lineament' (Fig 1.)⁴⁶, Richard Wentworth's 'False Ceiling'⁴⁷, Xu Bing's 'Book from the Sky'⁴⁸ and Simryn Gill's ongoing ‘Necklace’ series⁴⁹. I have enjoyed the playfulness of Nina Katchadourian's 'sorted books'⁵⁰ projects and David Sequiera's 1997 and 2004 installation 'My Father's Library'(Fig 2.)⁵¹. Sequeira's work has provided an example of how an artist may engage in ordering information as part of the creative act. I was intrigued to read of his work that “... aesthetic order is just as valid as empirical fact”,⁵² as ordering according to aesthetics was a motivation behind my works 'serpens volumen' and 'serpens volumen – arcus pluvius' (figs 3-4)⁵³. On a similar note, I have gleaned from Jane Dyer's⁵⁴ book installations, or more particularly, her re-presentation of the installed work as editioned photographs, how working with books may hybridise into other art forms, and subsequently I have commenced editioning photographic prints of my book/site interactions (Figs 5 - 7)⁵⁵

One of the major developments in my work last year (2009) was my ongoing series 'codex incendium'(Fig. 8):⁵⁶ephemeral 'fire' book works that are presented, not as public performances, but are recorded as images (digital stills and video). This work shares certain aesthetic qualities with Tim Storrier's ⁵⁷ photographic works from the 1980s such as 'White Cliff Line' (Fig 9.)⁵⁸ but in my series the artistic priority is the symbolism of burning books rather than aesthetics qualities of fire.

Biblioclasm, or the destruction of books, has a long and ignominious history: from the destruction of the Ancient Library of Alexandria⁵⁹, the book-burning purge of the Nazis, to the contemporary era's destruction of the National Library of Sarajevo⁶⁰ and the burning and looting of the Iraq National Library and Archives⁶¹ The destruction of books continues to be a contentious act. Artists whose practice includes the destruction/radical remodelling of books, such as Cara Barer (Fig 10. )⁶², Nicolas Jones,⁶³ Kylie Stillman,⁶⁴ Sue Blackwell,⁶⁵ and Brian Dettmer with his 'book autopsies' (Fig 11.)⁶⁶ are those to whom I feel the greatest affinity. Jones' commentary in particular strikes a chord:

“The idea of divesting a book of its utilitarianism and forcing it into the realm of the surreal and futile was confounding and enticing at the same moment. Books become objectified rather than useful and beautiful, rather than taken for granted.”⁶⁷

This bibliophillia/biblioclasm duality is a trend I anticipate continuing in my work. I intend extending my research of historical and contemporary biblioclasm. In my current reading pile are 'Burning Books'⁶⁸ by Matthew Fishburn, 'The Holocaust and the Book'⁶⁹ and 'Burning Books, Levelling Libraries' by Rebecca Knuth⁷⁰.

With this narrative's attention thus far on making and destroying books, it would be easy to assume that my work and interests reside exclusively with books, books, and ever more books. Books however are primarily the vehicle for my over-arching interest in issues of site, setting and sustainability. The challenge of my future research/art-making is in uniting these seeming the disparate elements and interests of my practice.

I was born, raised and remain in a small community on the far south coast of New South Wales. Generations of my family have occupied this same small territory. My work and life is firmly situated on my family's rural property and much of my creative impetus derives from a connection to this land and an active interest in permaculture and transition culture with their dual emphases on sustainability. Consequently much of the philosophical inspiration for my practice stems from extended readings in permaculture⁷¹ and involvement in the Transition Towns initiative (Transitions Towns is an open-ended, experimental movement that aims to prepare and transform communities in response to dual challenges of climate change and peak oil⁷²). Later this year, as an extension of my arts research, I will be undertaking an intensive 13-day Permaculture Design Certificate⁷³.

Aside from various activities with transition towns and permaculture, I have found the work of E.F. Schumacher⁷⁴, such as his 1970s text 'Small is Beautiful,'⁷⁵ to be absolutely pivotal in forming the initial philosophical basis of my work. 'The Lure of the Local'⁷⁶ by Lucy R Lippard has also proved critical in organising my thinking regarding site, society and environment. I have found essayist and poet Wendell Berry's approach to rural themes enormously valuable and intend to read or re-read more of his work in the near future⁷⁷. Additional future reading⁷⁸ in this vein will be concentrating on new models for sustainable agriculture and agrarian society. These interests are naturally propelling my research toward artists and artworks that explore similar issues.

Sustainability has become a sexy if overworked term in recent years, and as it can take various forms, within future research I will be clarifying specifically what is meant by the word within my praxis. Essentially I envision my work as less akin to early environmental art, (such as Robert Smithson,⁷⁹ Nancy Holt, Michael Heizer or James Turrell) and more allied to work that is ephemeral or temporary, uses natural or found materials, and treads the earth lightly. As such I feel a kinship with artists such as Andy Goldsworthy⁸⁰, David Nash⁸¹, herman de vries⁸², and environment/conceptual artists Richard Long⁸³ and Hamish Fulton⁸⁴(Long and Fulton's work also often ventures into text and book form), but I am developing a greater interest in how contemporary artists are undertaking social and environmentally transformative actions as part of their practice. To this end, I found the text 'Ecoventions'⁸⁵ and the green museum website and blog⁸⁶ especially encouraging. As it hints at possible scenarios for my practice, one of the more inspiring artworks I've encountered in recent times is 'Breathing Soil' (Fig 12.)⁸⁷ by Chaco Kato.⁸⁸ and by extension I've been intrigued by the work of the Slow Art Collective⁸⁹(of which Kato is a member).

In my MFA proposal I stated that my desire is to create work that has multiple, even dichotomous meanings that allows an audience to consider the potentials of knowledge and the book in contemporary culture, and that with my rural location and interest in sustainability, I hoped to draw attention to (agrarian) site and environment. As these two elements, books and land, remain at the core of my life, it is only natural that they remain the material and conceptual heart of my inter-disciplinary, project-based arts practice. My future challenge will thus be to synthesise my art-making, permaculture sensibilities and research methodology into a holistic entity – and to keep the silverfish out of all my treasured books.

1 Susan Hufton. Step by Step Calligraphy, (London: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd, 1995); Annie Cicale. The Art & Craft of Handlettering, (New York: Lark Books, 2004); Gaynor Goffe & Anna Ravenscroft. Calligraphy School, (London: Quarto, 2004); Sheila Waters. Foundations of Calligraphy, (Greensboro, NC: John Neal, Bookseller, 2006); John Woodcock. A Book of Formal Scripts, (London: A&C Black, 1992).

2 Esther K. Smith. How to Make Books, (New York: Potter Craft, 2007); Jane LaFerla and Veronika Alice Gunter eds. The Penland Book of Handmade Books, Master Classes in Bookmaking Techniques. (New York: Lark Books, 2004); Alisa Golden. Creating Handmade Books, (New York: Sterling Publishing Co, 1998); Alisa Golden. Expressive Handmade Books. (New York: Sterling Publishing Co, 2005); Keith A. Smith, Structure of the Visual Book, (New York: Keith Smith Books, 2003); Sarah Bodman, Creating artists' books, (London: A. & C. Black, 2005); Rob Perree. Cover to Cover, (Rotterdam: Nai Publishers, 2002).

3David Jury. Letterpress: New applications for traditional skills. (Switzerland: RotoVision, 2006).

4Des Cowley and Clare Williamson. The World of the Book. (Calton Vic: The Miegunyah Press, 2007); John Harthan. Books of Hours, (London: Thames & Hudson, 1977); http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/chb/ (accessed 23.3.2010); http://www.mirroroftheworld.com.au/index.php (accessed 23.3.2010)

5David Jury ed. Book Art Object, (Berkley: The Codex Foundation, 2008); East Gippsland Art Gallery. Books... Beyond Words catalogue. (Bairnsdale: East Gippsland Art Gallery, 2009); Alex Selenitsch. Australian artists books, (Parkes, ACT: National Gallery of Australia, 2008); Suzanne J.E.Toutillott ed. 500 Handmade Books. (New York: Lark Books, 2008).

6Stephen Bury. Artists Books, (Aldershot, UK: Scholar Press, 1995). p.1

7livres d'artistes - originally the French term for artists books - is now generally used to denote a particular tradition and type of artists book. Livres d'artistes use an existing text and high production values, are characterised by fine papers, hand set and printed texts, and small editions – and they often included collaboration with established artists. (http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibit/online/freestylebooks/livresdartistes)

8Johanna Drucker. The Century of Artists' Books, (New York: Granary Books, 1995).

9Johanna Drucker. The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination. (London: Thames and Hudson, 1995).

10Johanna Drucker. Figuring the Word, (New York: Granary Books, 1998).

11Mary Richards. Ed Ruscha, (London: Tate Publishing, 2008).

12http://www.minsky.com/ (accessed 11.3.2010)

13Dirk Dobke. Dieter Roth in print: artists' books, (New York: Zucker Art Books, 2006)

14Paul Wood. Conceptual Art, (London: Tate Publishing, 2002)

15Research that has been extended through the works such as: Charles Alexander. Talking the Boundless Book: Art, Language & the Book Arts, (Minneapolis: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1995); Joan Lyons. Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook, (Rochester NY: Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1985).

16http://www.diannefogwell.com.au/ (accessed 11.3.2010)

17http://www.silverwattlepress.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

18Monash University (Matheson) holds an impressive collection of artists books – including almost a complete catalogue of artists books created by Lyssiotis.

19http://www.gracialouise.com/ (accessed 18.3.2010)

20http://www.gallery101.com.au/index.php?/artists/angela_cavalieri/ (accessed 18.3.2010)

21http://www.emilymartin.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

22Alisa Golden. Creating Handmade Books, (New York: Sterling Publishing Co, 1998); Alisa Golden. Expressive Handmade Books. (New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 2005)

23http://www.philobiblon.com/ (accessed 9/3/2010)

24http://www.artistsbooksonline.org/index.html (accessed 17.3.2010)

25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artists_books:_centers_of_activity (accessed 18.3.2010)

26 http://www.mnbookarts.org/index.html (accessed 11.3.2010)

27http://www.sfcb.org/ (accessed 11.3.2010)

28http://www.centerforbookarts.org/ (accessed 11.3.2010)

29http://www.uiowa.edu/~ctrbook/index.shtml (accessed 11.3.2010)

30http://www.colum.edu/book_and_paper/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

31http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

32A sample of other centres includes: Seattle Center for Book Arts ( (http://www.seattlebookarts.org/ ); Western New York Book Arts Center (http://www.wnybookarts.org/); Wells College Book Arts Center (http://www.wells.edu/bkarts/info.htm) ;Virginia Arts of the Book Center (http://virginiabookarts.org/); The Nebraska Book Arts Center (http://www.unomaha.edu/nbac/); Philadelphia Center for the Book (http://philadelphiacenterforthebook.org/); The Jaffe Center for Book Arts (http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/spc/jaffe.htm); The Centre des livres d’artistes (cdla) (http://cdla.info/en/centre);

33http://www.bookarts.ua.edu/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.penland.org/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.camberwell.arts.ac.uk/courses/ma_book_arts_visual_arts.htm# (accessed 12.3.2010)

34http://www.foolsgoldstudio.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.nancyleavitt.com/ (accessed 16.3.2010); http://www.tomsowden.com/ (accessed 19.3.2010); these are a small representative sample only.

35http://ampersandduck.blogspot.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://doubleelephant.blogspot.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://amandawatson-will.blogspot.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.barnaclegoose.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.cailun.info/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

36http://www.flickr.com/groups/bayareabookartists/pool/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

37http://artistbooks.ning.com/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

38http://www.cbbag.ca/home.html (accessed 12.3.2010); http://www.pcba.info/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

39 http://arts.monash.edu.au/cftb/ (accessed 3.3.2010)

40 http://www.journalofartistsbooks.org/ (access 12.3.2010)

41 http://www.umbrellaeditions.com/index.php (accessed 12.3.2010)

42http://www.philobiblon.com/bonefolder/ (accessed 12.3.2010)

43http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/bnotebk.htm (accessed 12.3.2010)

44Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden. A Manifesto for the Book, (Bristol: Impact Press, 2010)

45http://futureofthebook.com/ (accessed 20.3.2010)

46 Fig 1. Ann Hamilton - 'lineament' [detail], 1994-96. Two wooden boxes, altered books, 16mm color film, 16mm Eiki projector. Collection Miami Art Museum.

47http://www.lissongallery.com/#/artists/richard-wentworth/works/ (accessed 13.3.2010)

48http://www.xubing.com/ (accessed 13.3.2010)

49http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/gill/about.shtm (accessed 13.3.2010)

50http://www.ninakatchadourian.com/languagetranslation/sortedbooks.php (accessed 14.3.2010)

51Fig 2. David Sequeira 'My Father's Library 1996-2006' (detail). Installation of discarded books and shelving dimensions variable.

52http://www.davidsequeira.com/checklist.asp?fID=417 (accessed 9/3/2010)

53Fig 3 & 4. Rhonda Ayliffe - 'Serpens volumen' & 'Serpens volumen - arcus pluvius' – 2009. Coptic bound book forms. Dimensions variable.

54http://www.annapappasgallery.com/ (accessed 9/3/2010)

55Fig 5. Rhonda Ayliffe – 'navigo' 2008, photographic print 60 x 45cm edition of 10. Fig 6. Rhonda Ayliffe - 'beneficium erudito' (gift of knowledge), 2009, photographic print 60 x 45 edition of 5. Fig 7. Rhonda Ayliffe – 'devoro cognitio' (devoured knowledge), 2009, photographic print 60 x 80cm edition of 3.

56 Fig 8. Rhonda Ayliffe - 'sic transit gloria mundi' (thus passes the glory of the world) from 'codex incendium' series 2009. photographic triptych 120 x 80cm edition of 3.

57 http://storrier.com/html/ (accessed 11.3.09)

58Fig 9.Tim Storrier. 'White Cliff Line', 1982, 80 x 122 cm, Type C photograph on metallic photographic paper

59 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_alexandria (accessed 11.3.2010)

60 http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/VI-01.htm#I.E - “Study of the battle and siege of Sarajevo - part 1/10 - Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts” (accessed 11.3.2010)

61 Saad Eskander. "The Tale of Iraq's 'Cemetery of Books' ": Information Today; Dec 2004, Vol. 21, issue 11, p. 1-54;

62Fig 10. Cara Barer. 'Journey to Zaragoza', 2009, 36" x 36" edition of 9, 24" x 24" edition of 9, 14" x 14" edition of 9.

63http://www.bibliopath.org/ (accessed 10.3.2010)

64 http://www.kyliestillman.com/ (accessed 10.3.2010)

65http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/gallery.php?id=1 (accessed 14.3.2010)

66Fig 11. Brian Dettmer 'The Wonderland of Knowledge', 2008. Altered vintage Children's Encyclopedia Set 8-3/8” x 12-3/8” x 9-1/4”

67http://www.thedesignfiles.net/2008/04/interview-nicholas-jones.html (accessed 10.3.2010)

68Matthew Fishburne. Burning Books, (Houndsmills, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).

69Jonathan Rose ed. The Holocaust and the Book, (Amerherst: Universtiy of Massachusetts Press, 2001).

70Rebbecca Knuth. Burning Books and Levelling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction, (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2006).

71David Holmgren. Permaculture – Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. (Hepburn, Victoria: Holmgren Design Services, 2002); Bill Mollison, Introduction to Permaculture. (Tyalgum, Australia: Tagari. 1991); Bill Mollison, Permaculture, A Designers Manual, (Tyalgum, Australia: Tagari. 1988); Rosemary Morrow, Earth Users Guide to Permaculture, (Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press,1993);

72Rob Hopkins. The Transition Handbook – From oil dependency to local resilience. (Totnes UK: Green Books Ltd, 2008); http://www.transitiontowns.org/ (19.3.2010); Shaun Chamberlain. The Transition Timeline for a local, resilient future, (Totnes: Green Books, 2009); Tamzin Pinkerton & Rob Hopkins. Local Food, (Totnes: Green Books, 2009).

73http://brogo.org.au/index.php?id=582 (accessed 19.3.2010)

74http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/ (accessed 23.3.2010)

75 E. F. Schumacher, Small is beautiful: a study of economics as if people mattered. (London: Blond and Briggs, 1973).

76Lucy R. Lippard. The Lure of the Local. Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. (New York: The New Press, 1997).

77Wendell Berry. Another turn of the crank, (Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 1995); Wendell Berry. Life is a miracle : an essay against modern superstition, (Washington, D.C: Counterpoint 2000).

78Wes Jackson. New roots for agriculture, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1985); William Vitek and Wes Jackson ed. Rooted in the land : essays on community and place, (New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press 1996); Eric T. Freyfogle ed. The new agrarianism : land, culture, and the community of life, (Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2001).

79http://www.robertsmithson.com/ (accessed 19.3.2010)

80Andy Goldsworthy. Andy Goldsworthy: a collaboration with nature, (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1990); Andy Goldsworthy. Time, (London:Thames & Hudson, 2000); Andy Goldsworthy. Passage, (London: Thames & Hudson, 2004).

81Julian Andrews. The sculpture of David Nash. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999); Richard Cork and Susan Daniel-McElroy. David Nash : making and placing : abstract sculpture, 1978-2004. (London: Tate St Ives. 2004).

82Mel Gooding. herman de vries: chance and change. (London: Thames & Hudson, 2006).

83Richard Long. Richard Long : walking the line. (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2002).

84http://www.hamish-fulton.com/ (accessed 24.3.2010)

85Sue Spaid. Ecovention, Current art to transform ecologies, (Cincinnati: The Contemporary Art Center, 2002)

86http://www.greenmuseum.org/ (accessed 19.3.2010); http://blog.greenmuseum.org/blog/ (accessed 23.3.2010)

87Fig 12. Chaco Kato 'Breathing Soil: 2009' Perspex, organic materials. 150cm heights x 80 cm diameter, 2009 installation for Montalto Sculpture Award 2009.

88http://www.chacokato.com/index.html (accessed 19.3.2010)

89http://sac-ts2.blogspot.com/ (accessed 19.10.2009)