Bookend is a collaboration with artist Matt Hale.

We played with and modified books, testing them in different ways through burning, burying, soaking, sawing, drilling and more recently putting through a pug mill and growing fungi in them.

Some of the processes were filmed and the edited video displayed on screens inserted into large format books. 

 

Books are often thought to be sacrosanct and the idea of destroying them anathema to most people including us, but billions of them are made every year and many are repulped or sent to landfill. Apart from obviously rare volumes or limited editions is there any reason why using them as a plastic material is any different to cutting down a tree or hewing marble to make an artwork? I think we were partly  testing  our own limits as we put them through various trials.

 

There were books that were given to us, found on the street and in charity shops and from our own collections. As we decided on a particular tome to experiment on there were times when a certain book was rejected because it had some emotional resonance from childhood or just that it seemed too good a reference to take out of circulation.

Some of the processes were not about destruction but had a more positive outlook. A Plane tree was planted in an art reference book and others floated down a local river and made to fly.

Libraries far from keeping everything have an endless churn of books removing those that are damaged but also ones that are deemed out of date. Law books that we used were purchased from Ealing Library for pennies, books that originally cost hundreds of pounds become redundant. Likewise encyclopedia which used to be bought on expensive subscriptions are now virtually rendundant with the amount of information on the internet which can also be constantly updated.

 

Whilst making the book objects we discussed all these concerns and also the issue around library closures due to financial austerity and changing priorities. Libraries were vital for those that could not afford to buy books but also for access to  information about the local area, law and information about housing and access to benefits etc. They are also safe spaces for the homeless or itinerant,  a space to access a toilet or even have a quick doze, possibily to the annoyance of library staff. These adjacent concerns and  thoughts may be addressed in a future exhibition. 

 

2016  Oct  -The initial BOOKEND exhibition was at Westminster Reference Library 

2022  March - Then it was installed in Worcester at Pitt Studio in exhibition PULP curated by Nat Pitt who asked us  to re-install it at The Art House in Worcester University School of Art, June July August

2024  14 Sept - 19 Oct -The third iteration of BOOKEND under the Mutant Library title invited work from 8 other artists in addition to our book objects, and was installed at Tension Fine Art. This installation was a more linear arrangement with the library shelving  in two banks of three in-line. Carpet tile flooring was introduced to complete the library aesthetic.