George Cullen

book arts and design blog [email protected] www.georgecullen.com

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Yesterday I was using the hot Foil machine to add some foil details to the cover of my book. I went for the simple silver type on the cover but there were lots of choices.

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blue-screen book test

I have had an idea in my head for some time to make a “blue screen book”.  A book with blue pages that I could film being interacted with and then place a film over the top. I thought it would make quite an interesting experiment in the structure and form of the book to be able to alter its content and shape by overlaying other images. 

Here is the first experiment. Its is very crude but I hope that it will lead to some interesting outcomes.

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Playing around with the proofs and getting a feel for the finished book. Risograph images overlaying letterpresses text.

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Today saw me letterpressing onto tracing papers. I really like the text on the translucent paper. As I was turning the handle for the press it made a nice link to the book I'm making. This book is all about movement and in particular this page, with its links to the movement of the sea it correlates quite nicely to rowing motion and constant repetion of the press.

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Today I was on the Vandercook press, printing all day. It was very satisfying to get so much done. The book is getting a little closer to being finished...

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Today I have been at the London Centre for Book Arts working on an idea for a book. I have been organising all the texts that I will letterpress tomorrow. It has been really interesting spending some time here today and working away from home. They have great resources. Hopefully it will make me think more professionally about what I do.

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Art Language Location

On Thursday I went to Cambridge with my art collective ‘Collective Investigations’ to install a piece of art called MIRROR ECHO. The work is part of an art fair called Art Language Location which sees works by various artists dotted around Cambridge. 

We have chosen three double sided notice boards outside a lecture theatre in Cambridge University’s Sidgwick Site. 

The piece is a play on perception and reflections. We want you to look at what is reflected on the boards instead of what is in them. Underneath a glass surface are a white sheet, black sheet and sheets with gradients from black to white and vice versa. 

The outer boards have the gradients so reflect the rest of the campus in a slightly distorted way. A black surface reflecting much clearer than a white one. The gradient boards act like a lens flare in a photograph masking out parts of the image. It is something that has to be seen to really experience it,  as the photographs have a kind ‘photoshopped’ quality, where the boards look false or artificial. It is something that you have to walk alongside, in doing so you see your reflection disappear and reemerge.

On the reverse of these gradient boards are printed two words: MIRROR and ECHO. These words reflect on the centre board. As you walk though the space you get caught in the reflection. You may notice the words printed backwards or you may notice the reflection of the word, but to see one board is to see the other. Situated outside the doors to lecture theatres that see multiple lectures a day there is a lot of passing traffic. I hope at least a few stop and contemplate on the space. 

MIRROR ECHO is located on the Noticeboards outside Lecture Block A, Cambridge University, Sidgwick Site, Sidgwick Avenue, CB3 9DA. They will be there from 15 October – 1 November 2015

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I now have a new website! www.georgecullen.com I'm listing all my book work and various other things I do.

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The book stand at Kalied 2014.

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Kalied 2014 - Artist Book Exhibition

Today I am going to set up a table with my colleagues in Collective Investigations- (http://collectiveinvestigations.tumblr.com/) Egidija and Chris.

We have a table at Kalied Editions (http://www.kaleideditions.com/eshop/). The show will be open to the public on Saturday 19th July in Borough, London: The Art Academy, Mermaid Court,165a Borough High Street, London SE1 1HR. Open from 11am-8pm

So if your free come along. I will be showing my new work ‘the mind follows’ along with my colleagues work.

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Getting my work ready for the show. Cutting at the London Centre for Book Arts :-)

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Bookmarks back for the workshop and talk promotion.

http://collectiveinvestigations.tumblr.com/

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I have been working on this project with Chris Gibson and Egidija Čiricaitė. Codex: between this and that. It is a collaborative piece of book arts in the form of a book exploring the codex and an exhibition.

http://collectiveinvestigations.tumblr.com/

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Images of work from the Book Arsenal - Kiev.

Where my Film - 'AND' and a selection of book works were show.

Work in the show by: Margaret Cooter, Fanfan Yang, Maya Ohashi, Di Suo, Yue Li, Karen Apps, Jing Yao, Xizhi Li, Janet Marie Bradley, Shou Wei Tsai, Carolina Diaz Carmona, Mariana Valenca, George Cullen, Roland Brauchli, Egidija Čiricaitė.

photos by Egidija.

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Book Arsenal

This weekend I have some work on show as part of a group show at the second international book festival in Kiev. 

http://artarsenal.in.ua/eng/event49.html

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AND - flipbook based on the film of the rotating doors. 

The word 'and' connects words as the spine connects pages. The book structure allows you to read back and forth through a changing image. A reconfiguration of the before and after.

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closer- further. One page folded. A basic book experiment.