When I visited the exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary, I came across this book in the gift shop. I was drawn by both the title and the image on the cover. The whole aesthetic of the book just by looking at the cover seemed to mimic that of ancient history, or some kind of mystical element and I wasn't disappointed when I purchased it and opened the pages.
The book is written by a Stephen Ellcock and Mat Osman and is - basically - a compilation of art inspired by or within England. Both writers, one a curator and the other a writer and musician have come together to compile this mass visual archive of art.
I espeically love the poetic nature of this book, each chapter takes you through a different journey of a theme, including Darkness, wilderness, water, to name a few. The layout and the story you follow throughout each chapter feels as if you're stepping straight into a storybook, whimsical yet unsettling, aided by the artistic renditions throughout.
I took note of a few artists that I would love to look deeper into, some of which are shown in the images above. But I adored the imagery that was placed aside each other, such as Dan Hilter's 'Seer' placed alongside Mat Collishaw's 'Albion', two very different mediums and works yet placed together to give the same expression of light, perhaps holiness or blessings? Placed in the final chapter named 'Visions' each image in this book has a purpose and meaning, theres something philosophical and dreamlike about it.
I would highly recommend this book, if not for the fantastical and thoughtful story throughout, then perhaps the images and information within.
Комментарии