Birstwith

This delicate piece was submitted by Carol Sowden. Simply folded and made out of a paper tablecloth (as written on the back), the detail is painted with rust and rainwater. This gives a real connection with the natural world and perhaps to how this village interacts with it? Straight forward lines connect focal points in the village such as the school and the mill. Simplicity reflecting, perhaps, a simple and straight forward location? A really sensitive piece about a possible treasure of a place. Thank you so much.

Collective Atlas - Suzhous

The first of a number of submissions from students at Leeds College of Art (this one is anonymous as no name or contact details were written on the work - please leave a comment if this is your work!) on the city of Suzhou in China. The book is constructed using a very fine and delicate paper, folded in half in landscape format and then in a narrow concertina, to form a small narrow piece. On the front we see part of a stamp, in red, of chinese symbols, which in fact are in reverse having bled through from the other side of the paper. When the concertina is then stretched open a photo image appears showing traditional chinese buildings along waterways. When we open the page up we discover why, with interesting hand written facts about the city, which is often described as the "Venice of the East". There are two further images and some red pen that clearly bleeds through from the other side from hand written chinese symbols - no translation given. 

Though simple in structure, the book takes us on a physical exploration - opening and turning the piece over and over as we read the text one way then the other, and find on which side the marks originate. The paper is so light, yet almost like fabric with the soft airy fibres and the striking colour red, in conjunction with the images, immediately instill in the viewer ideas of China and the East. This really could be a pocket size guide of Suzhou's best places. However, it is also much more than that - the delicacy of the piece makes it something to be treasured.

It's been some time since we last posted any work up here, which is entirely my fault (sarah!). We had wonderful submissions from first year students on the BA (Hons) Art and Design Interdisciplinary course at Leeds College of Art posted through to us by the course administrator Scott Lee Crosby. What a wonderful submission to receive - a package full of different and vastly varied places to explore. 

Having not exhibited the Atlas since April, we are now looking at further opportunities to show the collection and spread the word whilst doing so. 

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 ...

www. beeches13.freeserve.co.uk

Ilkley

Another contribution sent in for the Collective Atlas - sent in by a few weeks ago by Helen Allsebrook. Sorry for the late posting!

A small book measuring 7.5 x 10cm packed full with information on Ilkley including facts and personal memories. The information is handwritten and then photocopied in negative and is written in small spaces and across pages, upside down and round about. This makes for a really intimate read as you try to follow the meandering text and diagrams/illustrations. What is written gives the reader a good sense of the place from the artist's perspective, which is intriguing, humourous and inviting. These are pieces of information you would not pick up on during a quick visit through Ilkley and so make the book a real discovery of the place. Thanks greatly for the contribution. Look forward to meeting you at the Leeds Artists Book fair!

Ritterstrasse, Berlin

Vicky Clark sent in an illustrated map (pencil and coloured pencils) of a particular street in Berlin - Ritterstrasse. The detailed drawings map out each building in it's position within the street in the style of very old town plans. Vicky has chosen to inform viewers about a very small part of Berlin. That fact, along with the delicate illustrations seem to highlight this place as a special hidden corner of Germany's capital city, which has now been noted as being of significant worth. Ritterstrasse's status within the greater whole of a nation has now been transformed. Thank you very much Vicky.