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Meet Gail Wight, our 2009
artist-in-residence. In
her own words:
"In attempts to understand life, I have:
made maps of various nervous systems, practiced art while under
hypnosis, conducted biochemical experiments on myself and willing
others, executed medical illustrations in black velvet, documented
dissections of humans, dissected machines and failed to put most of
them back together, removed my teeth to model information systems,
translated EEGs into music, painted with slime mold, made music with
mice, drawings with bones, and have attempted to create models of my
own confused state.
The interplay between art and biology, theories of evolution,
cognition and the animal state-of-being form the groundwork for my
thoughts. In what ways do we resemble worms? Is a machine more or
less reliable due to its lack of endorphins, emotions, and opiate
addictions? Can an artist collaborate with other species? What does
compassion look like at the neuroanatomical level?
My artwork investigates issues in biology and the history of science
and technology. It explores the cultural impact of scientific
practice, and our ongoing redefinition of self through
epistemological constructions. I try to follow the ways in which
these ideologies =96 both metaphysical and manifest =96 travel through
time, moving from the scientific to the social sphere, the social to
the scientific, and so often become the overlooked of the everyday.
"
Find out more about Gail on her website and read an article in the Stanford News about her work.
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Imprint Publications
These publications of the Imprint of the San Francisco Center for the Book are available for purchase. Shipping for each book is $7.50, and California residents add 8.5% tax. Purchases can be made online. Inquiries: (415) 565-0545 / imprint@sfcb.org
The Art of Stepping Through Time (2008)
Ala Ebtekar
Edition of 30
$365
Ala Ebtekar describes his works as visual narratives that are a
"crossroad where present day events meet history and mythology."
He draws on Persian culture, diaspora, and migration to create "synthetic
epics" with multiple interpretations and outcomes. The Art of Stepping
Through Time is the artist's response to a poem by the renowned Iranian
poet and scholar H. E. Sayeh, whose Farsi and English texts read in
opposite directions across a 7-panel accordion structure. Three layers of
letterpress-printed paper create a continuous loop of overlapping text and
imagery in an upright star-shaped display. The book features blind-embossed
Persian motif covers drawn by the artist and is housed in a felted,
hand-stitched wool pouch.
The Artist
Ala's work has been exhibited widely throughout the U.S., Europe, and the
Middle East. As a teenager, he worked with Tim Rollins' seminal group Kids
of Survival (K.O.S.) and later studied traditional Persian painting in
Tehran. He earned his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and his MFA
from Stanford University. He is a visiting lecturer at UC Berkeley and
Stanford University and is represented by Gallery Paule Anglim in San
Francisco.
The Relative Value of Things (2007)
Nigel Poor
Edition of 120
$365
The Relative Value of Things consists of three projects that investigate
the joys, follies and contradictions of collecting, desire and
valorization. The first project is the books' front covers, each uniquely
embellished with encapsulated hair or lint donated by a multitude of
individuals. The second is the books' contents, comprised of color images
and letterpress-printed lists documenting personal possessions discarded by
the artist over time. The third project comprises the back covers,
featuring meticulously drawn text that addresses the struggle to find
reassurance and meaning amidst life's mysteries and uncertainties.
The Artist
Nigel Poor's work has been shown in various national venues and can be
found in the collections of the SFMOMA, the M. H. de Young Museum, The San
Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
She has received several nationally recognized awards, including a SF Arts
Council Grant and a Polaroid Artist Support Grant. She received her BA from
Bennington College in Vermont and her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art
in Boston.
Nigel Poor is represented by Haines Gallery in San Francisco and is an
Assistant Professor of Photography at California State University,
Sacramento.
De Rekening (2006)
Nora Pauwels and John DeMerritt
Edition of 50
$365
De Rekening
is a work built upon an artist-created system of "fake writing"
used to mark the passing of time. Inspired by the anonymous entries in
19th Century ledgers and account books, De Rekening
borrows its form and
repetitive structure from those utilitarian yet evocative receptacles of
time. The ruled lines in the book were mechanically drawn using a pen
ruling machine at Golden Business Forms in West Burlington, Iowa,
especially for this edition. Pen ruling was widely used in the 19th and
early 20th Century in the ledger and account book trade; Golden Business
Forms is one of the last purveyors of this technology. Bound in Japanese
buckram with stamped title, the book was letterpress printed by the artists
at the Center for the Book.
The Artists
John DeMerritt operates a bindery in Emeryville specializing in small
editions and boxmaking. His client list includes many well-known artists,
photographers and galleries. He has taught at the San Francisco Center for
the Book, the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley and currently teaches
bookmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. He is married to printmaker
Nora Pauwels, with whom he collaborated on De Rekening.
Nora Pauwels is an
internationally recognized printmaker. Originally from Belgium, where she
was educated in fine arts and fine art restoration, Pauwels is notable for
her exploration of unusual means of creating intaglio prints, such as using
the Dremel tool with various plexigravure processes. Pauwels has been
actively involved with the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, where she has
created several portfolios of prints that have been collected both
nationally and internationally.
29 Degrees North (2005)
Michael Bartalos
Edition of 29
$450 (sold out)
Letterpress trade edition, unboxed, 3" x 4": $25
The title of our first publication
refers to a
degree of latitude shared by six destinations depicted in this artist's
travelogue. From west to east, the poem and images progress from Mexico to
Morocco, through India on to China, and over to Japan before terminating in
Hawaii. Two-color iconic images, printed by Nat Swope at Bloom Screen
Printing, Oakland, CA, extend over an accordion-fold structure which can be
unfolded in an attractive display. The binding was designed by John
DeMerritt in collaboration with the artist and features a deluxe clamshell
box covered in Japanese silk with foil-stamped title and illustration.
The Artist
Michael Bartalos attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and
Pratt Institute. Best known as an illustrator, Bartalos works extensively
in the graphic arts in the U.S., Europe and Japan. His fine art work
includes limited print editions, artist's books and sculptural assemblages.
Bartalos has created limited book editions with New York's Purgatory Pie
Press, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, where he served as an artist in
residence, and the Maryland Institute College of Art. He lives and works in
San Francisco.
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Small Plates
We've invited selected artists and writers to create books of a specific size and cohesive theme. For 2008, the books are four inches square and devoted to the theme "How-To." The artists are John Hersey, Kay Ryan with Tucker Nichols, William Wiley with Michael Hannon, and Nanette Wylde. The books are available for purchase individually or as a subscription to the series.
Subscription for the series:
$170 (plus shipping, California residents add sales tax of 8.5%).
To purchase, visit our online store or
contact us by email or call (415)565-0545
You can view the books by visiting the Center during business hours.
Thumb War
by John Hersey ($40)
Gray Matter Gardening
by Nanette Wylde ($40)
How Birds Sing
by Kay Ryan & Tucker Nichols ($40) [June 30 release]
Lyrica
by Michael Hannon & William T. Wiley ($70) [September 26 release]
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