This May, Liverpool Book Art will be curating a third major exhibition of Book Art in the city’s Central Library. Following the great success of 2016’s ‘Shakespeare Now’ exhibition, organisers have decided to celebrate the fact that 2018 marks 200 years since the first edition of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus’.
Frankenstein is a classic work for a variety of reasons. Not only is it arguably the very first work of science fiction, but it is also a core text of Gothic literature, with Dracula not being published until nearly 80 years later. Its themes of ambition and hubris, ethics and morality, responsibility for the consequence of one’s actions, free will and empathy have been important since the book was first published. Today, they appear hugely relevant, whether considering genetic manipulation and synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, or Silicon Valley’s ‘disruptive technologies’.
What is book art? We’re glad you asked… the book art banner houses a whole host of interesting, intriguing and imaginative pieces of work, from unique hand-made books to book sculptures. A hybrid of art and a book – the Frankenstein monster of the art world?
Book artists from around the world have responded with a hugely creative range of ideas. Some have been stimulated by the themes in the book; others have been inspired by the way the story is told; others have made links between Frankenstein and other classic stories such as Dracula and The Golem.
Liverpool Book Art’s long-standing collaboration with Liverpool Central Library continues in 2018. The exhibition will open there on May 14th in the magnificent Hornby room, and run until mid-August. The exhibition will move to Knowsley’s Kirkby Gallery from 17th September until 26th January 2019. New works will be created for the Kirkby Gallery show. Previous Liverpool Artists’ Book Exhibitions have been a great success, attracting international submissions of the highest quality, with works from Japan, Australia, Russia, U.S.A., and across Europe and the U.K. Liverpool Central Library will also be the venue for the fifth Liverpool Artists’ Book Fair, taking place on Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th July 2018. The Fair showcases unique hand-made books, notebooks and cards, bookbinding, book sculptures and everything in between.
The iconic Liverpool Central Library is located in the heart of the city centre, on William Brown Street, between the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum – and just a few hundred metres from Liverpool Lime Street train station.
Liverpool Book Art Website: liverpoolbookart.com Facebook: LiverpoolBookArt Twitter: @LpoolBookArt Liverpool Central Library Website: liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/find-a-library/central-library/ Kirkby Gallery Website: knowsley.gov.uk/things-to-do/museums-and-galleries/exhibitions