Reading presence at the New York & London Art Book Fairs

MoMA

Last week saw the annual, simultaneously programmed, Art Book Fairs at MoMA PS1 in New York and the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Contributors from the Typography Department’s Art Information symposium, first staged in April at London’s ICA, presented again in New York and organiser Ruth Blacksell was invited to talk at NYCUs Artists Institute space in Manhattan. John Morgan, who will follow on at the Artists Institute this Autumn, presented live at the London Fair with his sell-out Whitechapel event ‘I will not make any more boring books’. Amongst the plethora of conference presentations and events across locations, other highlights included AA Bronson in conversation (London), the ‘Unbinding the book’ projects (London), ‘Publishing as research and development’ featuring the web-based magazines Triple Canopy and East of Borneo (NY), Norway’s Kunstnerbøker focus (NY), David Reinfurt of Dexter Sinister on Bruno Munari (NY) and Emily McVarish from California College of the Arts on the book designs of Phil Zimmerman (NY).

NY Art Book Fair

The London Art Book Fair at the Whitechapel Gallery

Xerox

Printed Matter

Art Information symposium at the ICA – Saturday 26 April 2014

This one-day event looks at acts of publishing in contemporary art & curatorial practice.Aspen#4_box_McLuhan_inside

Organised by Ruth Blacksell, Programme Director of the MA in Book Design, this event features presentations by Jo Melvin, Chelsea College of Arts, London; Lucy Mulroney, Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center, New York; Stuart Bailey, Dexter Sinister/The Serving Library, New York; and John Russell, Professor of Art at the University of Reading. Click here for more information and tickets.

Postgraduate Taught Open Day Thursday 20 March 2014

MA Book Design
MA Information Design
MA(Res) Typography & Graphic Communication

We will be holding a Postgraduate Open Day at the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication on Thursday 20 March 2014. The day is primarily aimed at students who are interested in pursuing a Masters degree with us.

The itinerary for the day is as below:
• 10.30 Coffee
• 10.45 Introduction to the Department
• 11.00 Information sessions on MA programmes
• 13:00 Opportunity to sit in on a seminar

Please email Zoe Ryan if you are interested in attending, or if you have any questions.

Postgraduate Taught Open Day Thursday 14 November 2013

MA Book Design
MA Information Design
MA Typeface Design
MA(Res) Typography & Graphic Communication

We will be holding a Postgraduate Open Day at the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication on Thursday 14 November 2013. The day is primarily aimed at students who are interested in pursuing a Masters degree with us.

The itinerary for the day is as below:

• 10.30 Coffee
• 10.45 Introduction to the Department
• 11.00 Information sessions on MA programmes
• 13:00 Opportunity to sit in on a seminar

Please email Zoe Ryan if you are interested in attending, or if you have any questions.

Exhibiting Aspen

600px
Aspen, described in the 1960s as ‘the first three-dimensional magazine’, was produced in California and published in New York on an irregular schedule from 1965 to 1971. Many leading figures in contemporary North American and European art and cultural criticism were involved in its production as editors, designers or contributors and this, along with its unique format, has contributed to its art historical importance and continued relevance to contemporary art and design practices of today. Rather than bound printed pages, Aspen was issued in a customized box or folder containing a wide range of items including posters, postcards, tickets, booklets, reels of Super-8 movie film and ‘flexi disc’ phonographic recordings. These different published formats turned the magazine into a space where artists were able to move outside the gallery and engage with a broader social and political sphere. As the magazine’s editor Phyllis Johnson put it: ‘Aspen presents actual works of art! Exactly as the artist created them. In exactly the medium s/he created them for.’ Few complete sets of Aspen remain and this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see items from across all ten issues as well as many important individual pieces which have acquired specific art historical and cultural significance.

Hosted by the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication from 18 June – 2 July 2013 (Monday–Friday / 9am– 5pm). This joint exhibition by the Department of Art and the Department of Typography has been curated and designed by MA Book Designer Lisa Stephanides. The exhibition is supported by the Arts Committee at the University of Reading. We would like to extend our thanks to Professor Alun Rowlands from the University of Reading’s Department of Art for his generosity and support in the loan of this collection.

Support for local people to do a PhD

The University is offering bursaries to cover the cost of home/EU fees for local people who wish to begin their PhD at the University on either a part-time or full-time basis.  Candidates must normally live within 25 miles of the University, and must satisfy normal entry requirements.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 1 May 2013.  Please click here for further details.

Contact Mary Dyson if you would like to discuss your proposed research.