Page 14 - Studio International - September 1972

Feedback consisted of almost straight reproductions of volumes as an extension of their work and many
book covers, with others in the same vein; in of these are being published by their dealers.
particular Hours with Men and Books in which For example Situation have just published
he has presented two views of the gutted case of Hollow Lane by Hamish Fulton (£1.50):
[It is intended that this column will draw
attention to articles in other magazines, to new a book, inside and outside, lovingly reproducing landscape photographs which relate to recent
both the disintegrating newsprint backing of
magazines, to exhibition catalogues and other journeys made by the artist, and Retrospective,
publications that are not normally discussed or the spine, and every frayed thread of the King for a day and 999 other pieces /works/ things,
reviewed widely, as well as to other media of covering. etc. 1969 by Bruce McLean (1972, £1.50) a
communication relevant to the visual arts, In the last few years it would seem that somewhat gimmicky production but one which
regardless of origin. Items should be sent to visual artists have literally discovered the book includes original and multiple artworks, a
Clive Phillpot, `Feedback', Studio International, as a medium, or as a vehicle for their visual couple of which make handy bookmarks.
37 Museum Street, London WCI .] ideas. Warhol exploited some of the devices The Lisson Gallery publications are
peculiar to books, such as that delight of generally related to exhibitions, but are not
childhood, the pop-up picture, in Andy necessarily exhibition catalogues, they can be
Warhol's Index (Book) (New York, Random enjoyed in their own right. The booklet Wall
House, 1967). If you ever wondered how often Show (1971, 75p) includes pieces by Arnatt,
The use of the book by the artist has taken the sanctity of the National Art Library was Edmonds, Flanagan, Rinke, Tremlett and many
many forms, from Archimboldo's Il disturbed by the activation of the squeaker others, pages have often been acted upon
Bibliotecario to Baj's book as box of bricks. The concealed between two of the leaves of this directly. John Latham's least event/ one second
latter will probably be seized upon by a fair book, you need wonder no more, it is not in drawings/ blind work/24 second painting (1970,
number of artists as an example of the irrelevance stock. 45p) is a crisply produced booklet with some
of the book in the evolution of art today. That Claes Oldenburg gave the term softback new pleasantly scruffy page layouts. Anyone who
this is a superficial attitude, and contrary to a meaning with the appearance of the friendly has seen Bob Law's recent work will know
tradition of involvement with the book by floppy monograph by Barbara Rose (New York, what to expect of 16 Drawings (1971, 6op). Sol
visual artists, is quickly born out on one level by Museum of Modern Art 1970, $25.00). The LeWitt's Four Basic Colours and their
a consideration of the significance of the book as covers may be soft (and not designed for Combinations (1971, £1.25) is very satisfying, a
a vehicle for artistic theory in this century, such regular handling) but in other respects this model publication of its kind. Finally Richard
series as the Bauhausbücher and the Wittenborn example of the exhibition catalogue as book is Long's Two sheepdogs cross in and out/ of the
Documents of Modern Art immediately conjure well up to MoMA's high standards. Whilst passing shadows The clouds/drift over the hill
up an impression of the wealth of published referring to Oldenburg, it is worth mentioning with a storm (1971, 75p) includes photographs
texts by artists. The letters, diaries and also his miniatures of his notebook pages Notes of places and works with running captions.
notebooks of artists also have a continuing in Hand (Professional Prints/Petersburg Press Nigel Greenwood has published David
importance, and one can extend this short list 1971, £1 .75) which he supervised from start to Lamelas's Publication; responses to 3 statements
of the varieties of verbal activity by highlighting finish. (1971, £1.00) —no pictures—but some
a recent publication : Wols's Aphorisms and Paolozzi is an artist who has been more characteristic pieces from Burgin, Latham,
Pictures published by Arc (Gillingham, 1971, consistently involved with book production, Reise and several others, including Gilbert and
45p); the translation of Braque's Illustrated from Lawrence Alloway's book about his work : George whose response is a suitably mechanical
Notebooks 1917-1955 into English is also Metallization of a Dream (Lion and Unicorn replay of a multipurpose statement : 'Oh Art,
now available (Dover 1971, $3.00). Press 1963) which he helped to compile, and what are you? You are so strong and...'. Nigel
More commonly in the recent past the artist Metafisikal Translations (1962) which he Greenwood also distributes an example of the
has extended his oeuvre in the direction of book published with the Kelpra Studio, to Kex flicker book as exhibition catalogue, entitled
illustration, Picasso, Matisse, Dufy, Leger, edited by Richard Hamilton (Lund Humphries `Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York'. This was
Grosz, Kirchner, have all made important for the Copley Foundation 1966) and Abba published to coincide with the Gilbert and
contributions in this field. But the example of Zaba edited and printed by Hansjorg Mayer and George exhibition at the Kunstmuseum,
the artist/typographer or designer such as the students of Watford School of Art (1970). Lucerne (1972, £1.50); it is a full-size booklet
Rodchenko, Lissitzky, van Doesburg, The latter consist of found images and found with successive stills of G and G sculpting it
Schwitters, Moholy-Nagy, Bill, is of more texts and are really examples of the book as up on The Duke of York Steps ( ? ?), the text
significance for the book as a complete entity, multiple, if one didn't already think of books in is in German, the captions in English. Gerard
there is a tremendous visual resonance in their this way. Hemsworth's 13.7.70 19.7.70 South West Coast
publications. Mayer is also in the process of publishing the of England is a series of landscape photos
However there seems to be a growing complete works of Dieter Rot—more play with (£1•50).
preoccupation with the book as a physical printed matter—and has also published Tom Finally Ed Ruscha is another artist who has
object: witness the inexorable progression from Phillips's trailer (1971), £1.50). This paperback is used the book/pamphlet format consistently
the incorporation of printed paper into collage literally a trailer to A Humument (which is still over a period of years. While his Book of Stains
to the incorporation of the book into assemblage. in progress), in that it consists of 'fragmentary (1969) is a very limited edition, only 70 copies,
Enter John Latham—who has conducted a glimpses of the longer work', which must by from Twenty Six Gasoline Stations (1962,
semi-public love hate relationship with the now be familiar to many from the extracts $4.00) on his publications have been in editions
book, the latter emotion apparently which have appeared quite widely. Briefly, of several hundreds, even thousands.
predominating in, for example, the affair of the A Humument is a treated version of a Victorian From these last few examples one can
book and the salivary juices, and the gesturally novel, A Human Document; page by page Tom conclude that artists are using the book format,
significant but disturbing burning of the skoob. Phillips has obliterated words and letters so that not only because it has acquired a new status,
Another attitude has been evident in the work of the remaining words and parts of words regroup as a convenient record of events as a result of
Kitaj, from the time of his first exhibition at the to form new meanings. The obliteration is often the advent of performance art and evanescent
Marlborough, when he appended a bibliography, accomplished in such a way as to provide a artworks, but also as a specific visual medium
not to the catalogue text, but to the pictures visual equivalent or accompaniment to the new with its own possibilities and limitations, which
themselves, to his most recent prints in which verbal image. also happens to be activated by the 'reader'. ॑
he has followed the suite In Our Time, which Several artists are now producing slim CLIVE PHILLPOT

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