Artists' books 2

On Monday evening took a group from the British Library Advisory Group around Breaking the Rules: they liked it, especially the last sections. Talked to Martin Wade of the National Library of Scotland afterwards - he is very complimentary. and we discuss exhibition spaces, digitisation projects and the spending review. Tuesday: revise the heritage materials list - I maintain the list for our prioritisation meetings - items over £40K or that need external funding. There are some imminent important sales and we need to get our strategy for these honed. Whoever thinks a librarian/curator's job is dull needs to think again. Then it's a debrief from Ronald on the last Executive Team meeting on Monday.

Then after a few emails - the Library and Archives Copyright Alliance list is afflame with discussions of its paper on orphan works - that's materials where the rights holders are untraceable (maybe I should become a lawyer) - I have to give a talk in the gallery on artists' books. It's the best attended so far and the questions are interesting and thoughtful. I start with Kahnweiler's revolution in art dealership - exclusive contracts, publicity and his publishing of new i.e. unpublished literary works by writers who were the friends of artists who 'illustrated' the works. Then the 1912-4 'golden age' of the artist's book in St Petersburg/Moscow, using any and every printing technique available - lithography, letterpress, rubber stamp, hectography etc. And on wallpaper, newsprint, burlap - and even gingerbread. Anybody can make a book without the mediation of a publisher (and sometimes printer). We walk back to Cendars' and Delaunay's 'Transsiberien' which hovers between the deluxe livre d'artiste and the artist's book.

Then it's a Directorate forum with a presentation on the 21st Century Curator Project by Matthew and on the Content Strategy by Graham. After the questions I interject that curators should take more ownership of their own careers and their involvement in the content experts' groups.

I polish off more emails and send the Collection Powerpoints to my fellow Collection Heads - I use it for the induction sessions, but I can't make the next session and Jude wants to do it anyway.

Time to go home. I hate it when they 'regulate' the Tube - it's like an unfair punishment at school, when you are made to suffer for somebody else's sins. It must be illegal under Human Rights legislation. Eventually I get home and decide on what to cook: mashed sweet potato, fresh brown mushrooms in milk, and (apologies to vegetarians) veal and sage. A glass (well actually three) of Chilean red restores me to humanity.

Comments

[Mike Powell]

Congratulations on the exhibition.

I was really impressed by 'La Prose de transsiberian' which I had never seen in its full size before. I was also frustrated by the apparent absolute lack - anywhere on the internet - of any full size reproductions of the work which could be hung on a well lit wall and studied properly.

Given that I understand the copy on display was the BL's, did you not think of making posters of this and other key works on display? Are there reasons why you don't offer this opportunity for continuing engagement with the marerial? I am sure that on-site and via your on-line shop you would soon recoup the costs.

[BL Web Editor]

Hi Mike,

I was just doing some house-keeping on our blogs and came across your comment here. Not sure if Stephen has replied already, but in case not, I thought I would. I'm not sure why posters weren't produced - not our department I'm afraid - but there is actually a zoomable version of 'La Prose du Transsiberien' available on the main Breaking The Rules web-site - click here. You'll need Flash to view it, and I'm afraid you can't download it to pin it on your wall, but you can zoom in very close and read every word! Hope this helps :)