National Library of Ireland talk

I had the privilege of speaking at the National Library of Ireland this November for the Library Association of Ireland Rare Books Group annual seminar. This one-day gathering brought together experts and enthusiasts of rare books and printmaking, and I was honored to present alongside other distinguished speakers.

My presentation looked at artist’s books, exploring historical techniques and tools that bridge traditional bookbinding with my contemporary book art practice. The audience was deeply engaged, asking insightful questions and offering feedback on my work.

It was really interesting being in a room full of librarians and archivists. I felt lucky to get their perspective on artist’s books. One thing I learnt was the importance of colophons from an archivist point of view - something I hadn’t considered before. I made a very public promise at the Q&A session to up my game when it comes to colophons!

The event was an inspiring mix of presentations, including topics like contemporary printmaking, paper marbling, and the art of fore-edge painting with speakers from Graphic Studio Dublin, Belgrave Private Press and more. My favourite talk was by Nataliia Dragunova about paper marbling. Her enthusiasm and excitement about paper marbling was infectious and I learnt so much about it’s history and techniques.