AMBruno
Blue

AMBruno showed new books on the theme of Blue at the London Art Book Fair, The Whitechapel Art Gallery (23 to 25 September 2011). The project was initiated by Sophie Loss.

The theme of Blue resulted in a great diversity of works which were very well received. It was probably AMBruno's most successful book fair at that time, with sales to two of the major national collections, and many of the titles sold out completely by the Sunday afternoon. A copy of each of the blue-themed AMBrunobooks was bought by the V&A.

In addition, Ode to Words, a peripatetic performance for three voices, created by Sophie Loss and based on words from Gulliver's Travels, took place during the London Art Book Fair between 3 and 4pm on 23, 24 and 25 September 2011.

There were fourteen Blue books.

Louise Atkinson & Gareth Durasow - Vintage Brecht The book is produced as a decorator swatch book of blue paint samples with associated names and attempts to highlight the disconnection between word and image. As with Derrida's différance, colour can also be changed in relation being seen in context with other colours.

Claire Deniau - Complementary?
"Blue is orange for me" - Yves Klein
Digitally printed. Open edition.

Ana Efe - Como um bicho que engoliu o coração - like a critter that swallowed the heart An overview of images of tiles present in Portuguese architecture. The word itself, tile, comes from the Arabic, azzelij (zuleycha or al, al zuléija, zulaiju al, al zulaco) which means small polished stone and was used to designate the Byzantine mosaic of the Middle East. Often, however, it relates to the word blue (Persian term lazhward, lapis lazuli). Much of Portuguese tile production is characterized by this colour, but the real origin of the word is Arabic. Original Portuguese tile (as front cover of the book). Photographic paper, printed text and image. Edition of 10.

Judy Goldhill - BROKEN BY SAYING THIS. An anthology of received emails. Hard back book. Designed and bound by Book Works.

Jane Grisewood - Separations Encounters with the horizon line between sky and sea in 11 different locations recorded through photographs, coordinates and dates. First edition 2011: 20 signed and numbered copies. Second edition 2012, with individual prints in solander box. Printed and bound by Book Works.

Sharon Kivland - La mer est si bleue Hello from Stella beach where I am spending a nice holiday, despite the bad weather. Best wishes, Marie-Claire. Edition of 100.

Heidi Locher - Blue Star takes the notion of Rapture and the female body as its central thesis, paying direct attention to Yves Klein, the path of art, devotion and initiation which was the true fable of two young artists, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe and the music of UNKLE.

Sophie Loss - If Blue Tossing the uncertain if in the air where it coloured the blue into maybes, greens, black cats and possibles. Somewhere between if and blue there is an unreliable/dodgy/awkward/changeable world of neither word nor exclusively images.

John McDowall - Of time: ppp Sewn pamphlet of two folios, landscape format, on the second recto a text printed in very light grey - as pale as possible a blue. The as possible in the text implies a direction, a 'to have' and the softmess of the alliteration and subtleness of the colour resolution reflect the notion. On the turn of the page to a clear space, this resonance of a blue may be carried over and quietly imagined. Open edition. 8 pages. Digital print.

Valérie Mary - Summertime Blues consists of 7 different etchings. Each etching is printed twice; the first print on tracing paper, the second (its trace) on Velin D'Arches 220gsm. Summertime Blues is a brief blue history of the relationship between man and nature, from Novalis' dream of a blue flower to the Fukushima disaster. Edition of 6. Series of etchings. Hardcover with blue cloth and Japanese binding

Maureen O'Brien - All Ways Blue Book 1 of a series of three on the theme of blue. A concertina book/wall hanging with 8 abstract digital images of original papiers collés artwork by Maureen O'Brien. Edition of 6.

Steve Perfect - The Sky is Crying Inspired by rain and a great blues song by Elmore James.

Cally Trench & Philip Lee - Blue Home Grown Home Grown by Roy Hay was a gardening hit of 1956, based on a BBC TV programme. We have taken photographs of a blue man gardening, following the advice given in the original Home Grown black-and-white photographs. This edition of six books alternates pages of the original photographs with our new ones, and is a friendly homage to the original work. Photographs interleaved with original pages from Home Grown.

Charlotte Vallance - (Delft) Blue A collection of buildings from Amsterdam. Delft refers to the idea of tradition in Holland and gives an indication where the idea for the book came from. The book has 2 spreads + a hidden compartment where you will find a boat and a bike - keeping up the Dutch theme.