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AMBruno: rhythm at BABE 2024

The rhythm books were shown at BABE (Bristol Artist's Book Event) on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June 2024 at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bower Ashton campus, Bristol.

'rhythm' books at BABE, Bristol, 2024

AMBruno: rhythm at Book Arts Day 2024

The rhythm books were shown at The Society of Bookbinders' annual Book Arts Day on Saturday 1st June in the upper hall of Kentish Town Congregational Church Halls, Kelly Street, London NW1 8PH, from 11am to 4pm.

Book Arts Day, London

Printed Matter, New York, exhibits rhythm

AMBruno is delighted that the rhythm books were exhibited at Printed Matter Chelsea, New York (231, 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001), 19th March-14th April 2024. Open Mon-Sat: 11am-7pm; Sun: 11am-6pm.

'rhythm' books at Printed Matter, New York

Proposals invited for AMBruno's 2024 Project: Intervals

A selection will be made from proposals for new book works conceived in response to the subject theme of Intervals. For instance: interval as an intervening time or a pause, or a break in activity, a space between two things - a gap, or the difference in pitch between two sounds.

Your proposal should consist of an outline of up to 200 words describing the book's material structure and content, and how your concept engages with the theme. Sketches may be included. The material book (papers, sequence, format and construction) should be integral to the idea and contribute to the meaning of the work.

The intended book must be a new work, originated and made for this project and with a minimum of 12 copies produced, and should be available for sale. Each book should have an acknowledgement such as - 'This book was made as part of the AMBruno Intervals project.'.

The Intervals books will be shown at book fairs, shown to institutional collections, and exhibited at other events as opportunities arise for a year starting in autumn 2024. An illustrated catalogue, including descriptive statements and artists' contact email addresses, will be produced to accompany the set of books. The Intervals books and all associated events will be documented on the AMBruno website, which is also has a shop window.

There is no participation fee, and the organisers do not take commission on sales; however, the cost of any book fair participation and of the production of catalogues will be divided amongst the participating artists.

One copy of each Intervals book is to be gifted to the AMBruno archive; this collection of the AMBruno books will be utilised in the future for education, survey displays and outreach programmes.

AMBruno is a coalition made up of the artists taking part, and their engagement in the course of the project is expected; for instance, invigilation at book fairs and other presentations of the work should be shared whenever possible.

The deadline for proposals is 15th March 2024; these should be sent to ambrunoprojects@gmail.com

Notice of whether your proposal is accepted or not will be given by the end of March 2024. Books are to be completed by 20th September 2024, and initially six copies are to be delivered by that date.

The organisers reserve the right not to show work that is not to a good standard of production.


Margins project, with Peter Rapp's 'The Hollow Book'

Part of AMBruno's Margins project,
with Peter Rapp's The Hollow Book (2022) in the foreground

The Tate buys rhythm

A complete set of rhythm books was bought by the Tate in December 2023.


The British Library buys rhythm

A complete set of rhythm books was bought by the British Library in November 2023.


AMBruno: rhythm at the Small Publishers Fair, London, 2023

The launch of the rhythm project was at the Small Publishers Fair, Conway Hall, London, 27th-28th October 2023.

These new book works were conceived in response to the subject theme of 'rhythm' in terms of one of these instances:

i A pattern of movement or sound
ii The measured flow of spoken and written language
iii A regularly recurring sequence of events or processes in time

The participating artists are Guy Bigland, Karen Blake, Laure Catugier, Judy Goldhill, Susan Johanknecht & Katharine Meynell, Julie Johnstone, Stefan Klein, Sophie Loss, John McDowall, Ximena Pérez Grobet & Kati Riquelme, Anne Rook, and Cally Trench.

Rhythm poster

AMBruno: rhythm at Vienna Art Book Fair #2, 2023

The preview of the rhythm project was at Vienna Art Book Fair #2, 20th-22nd October 2023, at dieAngewandte - University of Applied Arts Vienna, with twelve books by fourteen artists.

Vienna Art Book Fair #2


Prix Bob Calle du livre d'artiste 2023

Three books made by AMBruno artists were nominated for the Prix Bob Calle du livre d'artiste 2023: Susan Johanknecht & Katharine Meynell's Manhole: a marginal duet (made for AMBruno's Margins project), Ximena Pérez Grobet's Around the Corner (made for AMBruno's One and many pages project), which received a Special Mention, and John McDowall's A place within a place, which was short-listed. Congratulations to all four artists, who enjoyed a great visit to Paris.

Prix Bob Calle du livre d'artiste 2023

Prix Bob Calle  2023

Prix Bob Calle  2023

AMBruno: Margins at Offprint London 2023

The Margins project was shown at Offprint London 2023 in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern on 12th-14th May 2023.

Margins at Offprint London 2023

AMBruno: rhythm

AMBruno's themed project for 2023 is rhythm. The selector was Catriona Gourlay, Assistant Curator, Word and Image at the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum. Catriona studied Fine Art in Edinburgh and worked as a Research Assistant at the National Galleries of Scotland before becoming Assistant Curator in the National Art Library at the V&A. Her 2019-22 V&A exhibition, Landscape and Language in Artists' Books, explored how artists since the 1960s have used thought-provoking combinations of word and image to respond to landscape or evoke imaginary places.

AMBruno at Printed Matter, 2022

Catriona chose twelve books by fourteen artists from the anonymised proposals. The artists are Guy Bigland, Karen Blake, Laure Catugier, Judy Goldhill, Susan Johanknecht & Katharine Meynell, Julie Johnstone, Stefan Klein, Sophie Loss, John McDowall, Ximena Pérez Grobet & Kati Riquelme, Anne Rook, and Cally Trench.

Catriona Gourlay wrote: "It was a pleasure to select this year's AMBruno proposals and fascinating to see the different takes on the theme of rhythm. Music and language were recurring subjects with many proposals evoking sound or containing abstract imagery that reminded me of musical notation or a conductor's score. There were coincidental connections between proposals which I look forward to retracing in the finished works, and it was especially pleasing to see original approaches to rhythms inherent in the structure of books such as sequence, narrative and pace of reading."


AMBruno: Margins at PAGES: Reset Contemporary Artists' Book Fair in Leeds

The Margins project was shown at PAGES: Reset Contemporary Artists' Book Fair in the Parkinson Building at the University of Leeds on 17th-18th March 2023.


Proposals invited for AMBruno's 2023 Project: rhythm

A selection will be made from proposals for new book works conceived in response to the subject theme of rhythm in terms of one of these instances:

i. A pattern of movement or sound
ii. The measured flow of spoken and written language
iii. A regularly recurring sequence of events or processes in time

Your proposal should consist of an outline of up to 200 words describing the book's material structure and content, and how your concept engages with the theme. Images may be included. The structure (materials, sequence, format and construction) of the book should be integral to the idea, and contribute to the meaning of the work. The intended book must be a new work, originated and made for this project and be produced with at least 12 copies, and should be available for sale.

The books will be shown at book fairs and exhibitions throughout the year starting in autumn 2023. The rhythm books will also be presented to institutional collections, and exhibited at other events as opportunities arise throughout 2023/2024. The books and associated events will be documented on this website, which is also a shop window. An illustrated printed and online catalogue will be produced, which will include a descriptive statement about each book and the artist's contact email.

There is no participation fee, and the organisers do not take commission on sales; however, the cost of any book fair participation and of the production of catalogues will be divided amongst the participating artists.

One copy of each rhythm book is to be gifted to the AMBruno archive; this collection of the AMBruno books will be utilised in the future for education, survey displays and outreach programmes.

AMBruno is a coalition made up of the artists taking part, and their engagement in the course of the project is expected; for instance, the invigilation at fairs and other presentations of the work should be shared whenever possible.

The deadline for proposals is 10th March 2023; these should be sent to ambrunoprojects@gmail.com

Notice of whether your proposal is accepted or not will be given by the end of March 2023. Books are to be completed by 29th September 2023, and initially five copies are to be delivered/posted to Sophie Loss in London by that date.

Each book should have an acknowledgement such as - 'This book was made as part of the AMBruno rhythm project.'

The organisers reserve the right to not show work that is not to a good standard of production.

The artists' alliance AMBruno has, since 2008, facilitated the development and dissemination of the book as primary medium in art practice. A distinctive feature of this initiative is that works are produced to a given topic for each new annual project. Gathered, the books enter a conversation following the thread of the originating topic, as manifold readings and connections are made between the diversity of forms and interpretations.

AMBruno's 2023 project: rhythm

The British Library buys Margins and Volume

The complete sets of both the Margins and Volume books were bought by the British Library in 2022.


AMBruno: Margins at the Volumes Art Publishing Days, Zürich

The Margins project was shown at the Volumes Art Publishing Days in Zürich on 26th-27th November 2022.


AMBruno: Margins at the Small Publishers Fair, London

The launch of the Margins project was at the Small Publishers Fair, Conway Hall, London, 28th-29th October 2022, with eleven books by twelve artists: Karen Blake, Susan Johanknecht & Katharine Meynell, Julie Johnstone, Philip Lee, John McDowall, Linda Parr, Peter Rapp, Mireille Ribière, Maddy Rosenberg, Cally Trench, and Maria White.


AMBruno at Printed Matter, New York

The Printed Matter store in New York hosted a mini-exhibition of AMBruno's Volume and One and many pages projects. The books were on display at Printed Matter's main location at 231, 11th Avenue, New York City from 28th June to 24th July 2022. The books were stocked and available for sale at the shop, and online during and after the display. For more information and photographs, see AMBruno at Printed Matter 2022

AMBruno at Printed Matter, 2022

AMBruno: Volume and One and many pages at BABE and MISS READ

AMBruno presented the two most recent collections of books - Volume and One and many pages - at BABE, Bristol, 23rd to 24th April 2022, and at Miss Read, Berlin, 29th April to 1st May 2022. For more information and photographs, see AMBruno at BABE and Miss Read 2022


AMBruno: Margins

The proposals that have been chosen for the latest AMBruno collection, Margins, were announced on 31st March 2022. The selector was Regine Ehleiter, a Berlin-based curator and art historian with a research focus on exhibition history, artists' publications, conceptualism and contemporary photography. She works as a research fellow in the theory department of the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig.

Regine wrote: 'I would like to thank AMBruno for the opportunity to select this year's proposals on the theme 'Margins'. In the current political situation, with a war raging in Europe, what constitutes the centre and the periphery is, again, being called into question. Events taking place anywhere in the continent affect us all. Analogously, many of the submissions suggested a shift of focus, inviting us to turn our attention from the body of the text to the spaces around it, and consider what specific use and role that frame might have, not only as a space for note taking, but for alternative storytelling, imbued with a life of its own. The selected proposals offer manifold interpretations of this theme, making use of the specific form of the book to communicate their ideas.'


AMBruno: Visit to the National Art Library, V&A

Following a visit by Elizabeth James of the National Art Library, V&A, to see AMBruno's last two projects, One and many pages and Volume, she in turn invited participating artists to a special viewing on 28th March 2022 of the Landscape and Language in Artists' Books exhibition, and to meet the display's curator, Catriona Gourlay.

Landscape and Language in Artists' Books

AMBruno: Visit to the V&A

AMBruno: Visit to the V&A

AMBruno: QR CODE

AMBruno acquired a QR code in March 2022, which will allow people to access this website easily.

AMBruno: QR code

AMBruno: BABE and Miss Read

AMBruno was at two artists' book fairs in spring 2022: BABE at the University of the West of England (Bower Ashton campus), Bristol Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th April, and Miss Read at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May. The books shown were the One and many pages and Volume collections.

BABE

Miss Read


AMBruno: Purchases by the Tate Library

In January 2022, the Tate Library made a number of purchases from the One and many pages and Volume collections.


AMBruno: Shop Window

In January 2022, AMBruno opened a Shop Window on this website. We will forward emails from potential buyers to the artists, who will, as far as possible, respond to the query within 48 hours. The artists themselves will make arrangements directly the buyer for any payment and postage/delivery.

Shop Window


AMBruno: A very private view

AMBruno launched two projects on 19th December 2021 in London: Volume for 2021 and One and many pages for 2020. While the One and many pages books had been seen online at an art book fair, none of the books themselves had been seen in person. This event for the artists was a cautious, small scale and yet perfect event appropriate to the times.

A very private view



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