Tony Broad | Liverpool Book Art

Artist: Tony Broad, UK

Work: Magellan (World View)

I propose to make a bookwork exploring the way claim was laid to these newly discovered territories by giving them new names. The prime example is ‘The pacific ocean’; the peaceful ocean is such a reductive term for such a massive, fundamental space. To me there seems to be something almost childlike about these names. Tierra del Fuego, land of fire, in one breath acknowledges the presence of the native people but on the other reduces it to a mere observation. Punta Arenas, sandy point, conveys nothing of the wonder and scale of the area and is the most work a day description of just what was observed. Puka-Puka was the first of the Tuamotus archipelago sighted by Magellan and was christened San Pablo because it was discovered on the day on which Paul of Tarsus is traditionally said to have become Christian. Together with Tiburones, Flint Island, they were collectively named Islas Infortunadas, Unfortunate islands in Spanish. I will construct a dos a dos format book. This will enable me to contrast the rich, colourful, seemingly exotic Spanish names with their literal, bald, childlike names. One side will be a layered narrative of the poetic, the other conjoined book will have a Boys Own feel to it including a simple “Smugglers Cove” type map with the directions to Shark Island. As history is written by the victors, maps are drawn by the conquerors. This is nowhere more obvious than the paucity of description overlaid on the new world. Dimensions: Width 30cms, Height 23cms, Depth 4cms. 4 copies for sale Price £450.00 (including commission)

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am a multi-disciplinary artist with special interests in printmaking and producing artist’s bookworks. I have been constructing Artists Books for over three years. While I enjoy and am challenged by the act of making books my real interest is to tease around the idea and try and shoehorn it into a meaningful book where the form extends the idea rather than just contains it. The book works I construct are sometimes just fun but mainly seem to be exploring how we perceive, not just the traditional book but also our expectations of the book form. Always I’m trying to avoid the obvious; which in itself are a real catalyst and a lot of personal stuff surfaces, the challenge is to keep to the designated theme. I believe there are three stages in how we interact with a bookwork 1. Encounter – what the hell is that 2. First contact – that feels weird 3. Reveal – well I never. Each of these stages can repeat or last as long as needed. Motto: No surprise for the maker means no surprise for the reader.