Who We Are, What We Do

The bookRoom research cluster, based and funded by The University College for the Creative Arts at Farnham, was formed in 2004 and includes members of staff from Design and Photography departments.

Led by Anna Fox and Emmanuelle Waeckerlé from the photography department, the cluster has taken as its theme the way in which the book, the magazine page and other printed or digital works have provided a vehicle for the dissemination of photographic, graphic and text based works, posing a number of key issues about design, structure and editorial control.

We are very interested in the development of books made by artists designers and photographers, evolving in parallel to more conventional publishing such as monographs and illustrated books – an autonomous art form with its own particular means of production and distribution (including the world wide web) where the artists involved are often designers, writers and publishers of their own works.

The bookRoom has also developed a reputation for delivering high quality debate, through its annual study days, with international contributors. A Case of Books (2006), In Print (2007), Photo/Graphics (2008), and fostering an engagement with the production of new works, in the form of artist’s books, by both staff and students predominantly in the photography department. We have started to collect book works from staff members, visiting lecturers and graduates of the photography course. These are exhibited at a number of international artist’s book fairs and work has been sold to important collections including the British Library and the Women’s Library.

bookRoom is currently developing a number of international connections in America, France, Spain and India, aiming to develop a series of international workshops investigating the possibility of collaborative practices and the formation of an international network of academic and non academic researchers and practitioners.

Close links have been formed with the Photographic Archive Research Centre at the London College of Communication and the two institutions both now collaboratively provide editorial and administrative support for a new journal Photographic & Culture launched by Berg in 2008. Val Williams (University of the Arts), Kathy Kubicki (UCA) and Alison Nordstrom (George Eastman house USA) are the three editors.