TWELFTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION WELCOME This catalogue documents the Australian Bookbinders Exhibition 2009. Established in 1998, and now in its twelfth year, the ABE continues via this annual exhibition to provide a focal point for contemporary practice in the artform known as Design Binding, as well as a challenge to further develop and refine the standards. The selection of works is guided by established criteria the object submitted should: • be a book • maintain traditional structural function as a book • be of strong construction; wherein the binding structure performs the function of practical protection of the text and other vulnerable parts of the book,
What emerges overall is that a book possesses the essential quality of fine design binding when it demonstrates strength and character of the binding in relation to the text in two crucial ways: in relation to the physical attributes of the book, and in the way the design reflects the content. That is, through craftsmanship, artistry, creative expression, and technical mastery of the form, in a way that bestows integrity upon the book as a whole. The annual Australian Bookbinders Exhibition is open to anyone who wishes to submit works for selection, and we look forward to receiving expressions of interest for the ABE 2010. Wayne Stock / Imogen Yang
• possess ‘readable’ content (ie. not be a blank book) • exhibit original contemporary design features, and • must not have been shown in Sydney before. It goes without saying, however, that these conditions must further suit the subjective values of the jury. We hope the works on show are testament to the flexibility of the artform without overly compromising the fundamentals of bookbinding.
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