Annual Book Sale at The Lit & Phil

The Lit and Phil’s annual book sale Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th November, is an excellent opportunity to pick up some fantastic books and Xmas presents.

The Lit & Phil Xmas Card designed by Theresa Easton

This year Theresa Easton was asked by the  Lit & Phil to design their  Xmas card.  Theresa  decided to give the card a contemporary feel and  silk screen printed  the design.  All sales of the card go towards The Lit & Phil Appeal.  To date the Appeal has raised £100,000.  The target is £1 million.

Installation at The Lit & Phil Photo: David Lawson

If you have never been to The Lit & Phil its worth a visit.

The library is open to the public and staff are extremely friendly & helpful and happy to show visitors around the building.

 The library is used for talks and lectures as well as providing space for art installations including exhbitions and site specific pieces.

 

Installation by Theresa Easton ‘Fragile Knowledge’

 

Between 2006-2007 Theresa  negotiated an artist residency in the library.  The opportunity provided a space and context to create work which culminated in a site specific exhibition of printed enamelled glass and china  using the established glass cases, shelves and surfaces in the library.

Photo credit David Lawson

Theresa was attracted to the library because of its rich history,  there are currently two books documenting the history and development of the library, but what  intrigued Theresa most was the oral history that existed amongst the staff and members.  Stories and urban myths circulated amongst the book shelves and study areas.

Printed China Cups at the Lit & Phil

Theresa captured these tales using  printed text and images using hand silk screened transfers onto reclaimed china.  The printed cups & saucers replaced the Lit & Phil’s usual drinking vessels and created an environment for discussion and reflection as members refilled  their cups during the afternoon and recounted their personal Lit & Phil tales. 

These tea drinking meetings, informed further work including a series of artist’s books, Chap Books and silks screen prints.

The Penny Histories Silk Screened printed book by Theresa Easton

The Lit & Phil provided the venue for an exhibition of artist’s books from The Artist’s Books Partnership Exhibition Programme (ABPP) from Sarah Bodman, Research Fellow for Artists’ Books  Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK in 2010 as part of the Gallery North Artist’s Book Fair.

The Artist’s Books Partnership Exhibition Programme (ABPP) Photo Credit Roger Coulam

 The Lit & Phil continues to provide inspiration for research and creative production.  New projects and initiatives for 2012-13 will involve further collaboration and new international connections.  Based on the international collective the al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition, Theresa plans to design and print three new Chap Books based on a quote ‘Eqypt Writes, Lebanon Prints, Iraq Reads’.

The quote was provided by Beau Beausoleil, an American poet and bookseller based in San Francisco, who was inspired to act after the 2007 bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad.  He created the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here project because “I felt this connection between Al-Mutanabbi Street and here, and myself, on a visceral level. If I were an Iraqi, a bookseller, a poet, I would be on that street. I felt we needed some sort of response [to the bombing] from our own arts community.” Beau Beausoleil