The British Council is celebrating the best of new British publication design in The Book Corner, a new touring exhibition that acknowledges the vitality, diversity and technical ingenuity of Britain’s print industry. Launched this April in Milan at the annual international furniture fair, the exhibition will premier in London next month.
The Book Corner does not look like any library that you have ever seen. All the same, Martino Gamper’s idiosyncratic shelving and seating are utterly recognisable as a place to take time and enjoy books. Likewise, Åbäke’s posters, signage and labelling bear on the language of libraries, but strike a tone all of their own.
The Book Corner covers the entire range of British publication design, from expensive full-colour tomes - such as Graphic Thought Facility’s photographic catalogue I am a Camera - to much more ephemeral pieces like Anthony Burrill’s photocopied, self-promotional booklets and a special section of magazines and journals. The exhibition is curated by Emily King, freelance writer and design editor of the magazine Frieze.
Publications in the exhibition were chosen primarily for the qualities of their graphic design and typography and, while a large proportion of them are on design and art related topics, others deal with more unlikely subjects, for example cookery or children’s books. All the books included in the exhibition are listed in a computerised catalogue and a librarian will be on hand to offer help and advice. Visitors are encouraged to share their experience of The Book Corner by marking favourite volumes and making photocopies to display on the library noticeboard or to take home.
Featured designers include:
Jonathan Barnbrook, Stuart Bailey, Maria Beddoes, Anthony Burrill, Fuel, GTF, Paul Khera, Herman Lelie, Pentagram, Peter Willberg.
Featured publishers include:
Artangel, August, Bookworks, Booth-Clibborn Editions, Fourth Estate, InIVA, Laurence King, Rotovision, Violette Editions, Walker Books.
Curator Emily King said:
‘The Book Corner exhibition is tangible proof that there has never been a more exciting time for print. The wide range of styles and techniques on display in the exhibition are typical of the widespread experimentation in the UK in hitherto unprecedented formats and materials’.
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