Monday 12 April 2010

South London

This contribution is by the Somethink Collective's very own Carolina Martinez-Marin, a graduate from the MA Visual Art course at Camberwell College. She has chosen to make a book about South London, where she currently lives. The book is a simple folded piece, which opens the opposite way a "normal" book would open, and contains imagery on both sides of the strong paper/card. The only text  used is in the title - "South London, from a Plane going back Home (Reconstruction). The imagery has been constructed using photos and images which have been digitally re-worked and layered. On the one side the images are deep and intense, with the other side using subtle tones of grey with more delicate pictures including a cup cake, flours, and clouds. The deep colours portray a random landscape including buildings, park areas, a destroyed sofa, a washing line, shrubbery and figure from ages past. It might be a rather gloomy image if the colours were not so vibrant and the contrast so effective. Carolina's hand altered digital images with a "scribble"effect give the viewer an idea of a hazy sketch, of memories and of imagination. They also give the piece a real warmth - a really positive way of viewing the randomness of South London.





York

Another contribution to the Collective Atlas. This one comes from Margaret Beech ; Calligrapher, Book Artist and Craft Woman. Margaret chose to represent her home town of York using a mono-chrome map of the city as the "base" of the book. On to this she has stuck coloured imagery of places of interest from around the city. On opening the book the viewer is confronted by an intricate fractured concertina revealing spaces through which we can see further into the book. On closer inspection it becomes clear that the book can be opened out in full to reveal the information behind. The architectural structure of the book mirrors the images contained very effectively. The interesting folds reveal little "nooks and crannies" of information as if exploring individual neighbourhoods within York itself. A really interesting and inviting introduction to the city.  







Please explore Margaret's wonderful Calligraphy and Bookwork further here ...