The Material Space of the Library: One Artist Relates its Influence on Artist Book Research and Creation
Clyde McGill (Curtin)
Abstract: Space occurs as a flux in three ways for me as an artist: as imaginings, as material, as creative.
Libraries are an enveloping example of this space. This research explores a project comprising three related artist books and the use of how I consider conventional library space as an artist in residence at the State Library of Queensland; how I approach a sacred site of aboriginal art as a witness to degradation by mining; and the material of a city and an ancient throughway as a geographic and temporal border of Broadway as a passage through New York City over a one year transit to draw, photograph and perform along the way.
The spine of this research and the ensuing artist books runs alongside the work of two well-known writers and thinkers. First, the Marxist geographer David Harvey who used as a base material the three views of space as absolute, relative and relational, and secondly, philosopher Henri Lefebvre, who described three modes of space, perceived, conceived and lived (Whaley 2018). The process of my research and subsequent artist books is described in this paper supported by material evidence such as photos videos and performance.
Whaley,L (2018) Human Arenas, 1, 21-36
About: Clyde is a visual artist, with a PhD in Fine Art from RMIT University. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in visual and performance art in 2009/2010 for Parsons School of Fine Art, New York. His art is in the National Gallery of Australia, the State Gallery of South Australia, the British Library and other significant collections. He exhibits in Australia and internationally.
His interests include artist books, drawing, printmaking, photography, video, sound and performance in the fields of politics, aesthetics, national borders and place.
Clyde lives and works in Fremantle, WA.