Stone: Ten Bindings opens at Crafts Council Gallery
Designer Bookbinders take residence from 15 March - 15 April
‘Waterfall’, fine binding by Faith Shannon (book)
This Spring, Crafts Council's new exhibition invites the public to step into the world of esteemed bookbinder and artist Faith Shannon MBE. The free-to-attend event has been curated by Designer Bookbinders - one of the foremost societies devoted to the craft of Contemporary bookbinding.
Faith Shannon (1938 -2018) sought to blur the boundaries between bookbinding and sculpture. The exhibition focuses specifically on the artist’s seminal labour of love - Stone: Ten Bindings, a collection of bindings for ‘Stone’, a book comprising poems by George Mackay Brown and photographs by Gunnie Moberg. Created in and inspired by Faith's home on the West Coast of Scotland, the project took a total of 16 years to complete, with the final collection of works now widely regarded as a masterpiece.
Visitors can experience a rare opportunity to see the original ten bindings of ‘Stone’, accompanied by their poems and photographs. The displays also feature a small workshop room offering a glimpse into the artist’s mind and process of making, alongside some earlier bindings by Faith Shannon from Crafts Council Collection.
Faith's book, apron, bonefolder and glasses Portrait of Faith. All photos: Shannon Tofts
“The book offers the perfect vehicle for the combination of a painter's eye, a designer's training, a craftsman's skills, an artist's imagination, a soul, a love of invention - and a sense of humour!”
- Faith Shannon
Founded more than fifty years ago, Designer Bookbinders is a registered charity and has helped to establish the reputation of British bookbinding worldwide by means of events, education, exhibitions and publications.
The society's membership includes some of the most highly regarded creators in the fields of fine bookbinding, book arts and artists’ books, each with a passion for presenting the bound text as a unique art object. Inspiration is the book in all its aspects – text, structure, illustration, print and paper – and the completed bindings are as diverse as the individuals who create them.
Mossy Phyllite, detail of foot of book Mossy Phyllite, detail head of book
“Faith was surrounded by stones - in fields, on beaches, inside walls, and on graveyards. It was the organic textures observed in this landscape that motivated Stone: Ten Bindings - a body of work that would take Faith sixteen years to complete.”
- Designer Bookbinders
Plan your visit
Free entry, no booking required.
Opening times
15 March - 15 April
Open: Wednesday - Saturday, 11-5pm
Closed: Sunday - Tuesday
The Gallery will be open on Thursday 6 April but closed on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
