TRIPLE BLUFF CANYON
Mike Nelson

Commissioned by the elegantly exacting Suzanne Cotter, this book was published to accompany the exhibition by 2004 Turner Prize nominee Mike Nelson at Modern Art Oxford.

The front cover utilised an Arts Magazine cover from May 1978 depicting a seminal work by Robert Smithson that the artist had recreated in the gallery at MAO. As such, the title and cover information was transferred to the reverse, adopting the typographic style of the gallery ads of that period.

First published, in an edition of 1000 copies, by Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK, 01 January 1999; edited by Suzanne Cotter; texts: Jeremy Millar and Brian Aldiss; 210x170mm; 72pp; 58 images, including 8pp colour plate section, 50 b&w image in uncoated section; paperback with 4-colour cover thread sewn; printed by Art Quarters, UK.

Context, from Andrew Mead at the Architect’s Journal website:
‘Entering a Mike Nelson installation is like stumbling into a minicab office in the early hours of the morning in the wrong part of a town you don’t know – and then things get worse’

PLATFORM
Identity: print

The development of the gallery identity for a contemporary art project space, and accompanying publications. As befitting the name of the space, the stationery, announcement cards and advertising employed the Johnston typeface and made reference to the London Underground signage and tube line colour scheme.

PERFORMANCE RESEARCH
Journal

From its inception SecMoCo devised the identity, design and layout of the journal Performance Research, for the Centre for Performance Research, Cardiff. Working closely with its editors Richard Gough, Claire MacDonald and Ric Allsopp, from 1995–1999.

For visual and textual information on each issue go to: http://www.performance-research.org/past-issue.php

CLUB TO CATWALK
V&A Museum

One from deep within the vaults; no involvement on the design for this one, rather, that’s my painting behind Scarlett!

Originally commissioned for Blitz magazine in 1985.

Photography: Monica Curtin; styling: John Derry-Bunce; hair: Ross Cannon; make-up: Jalle Bakke; model: Scarlett.

Context:
V&A: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-from-club-to-catwalk-london-fashion-in-the-80s/

Shapers of the 80’s : http://shapersofthe80s.com/tag/va/

For an interview with Scarlett by Charlie Porter see: http://charlieporter.net/stories/7321

3 SERIES: Modern Art Oxford/
Camden Arts Centre/Arnolfini

The then curator at Modern Art Oxford, Suzanne Cotter, kindly invited SecMoCo to devise a series design for the publications to accompany three artists’ commissions jointly organised by Modern Art Oxford; Camden Arts Centre, London; and Arnolfini, Bristol under the collective title of the 3 Series. In this initiative the work of the three artists (Mircea Cantor, Johanna Billing and Kerry Tribe) toured three galleries in the UK over a period of three years.

An understated design was called for, to foreground each artists work and also to allow for maximum flexibility over the course of the three year development of the project. This was achieved formaly rather than stylisticly, with the format and layout of the casebound books remaining constant, the font and colour scheme changing across the series for each publication.

Each book first published, in an edition of 1000 copies, by Modern Art Oxford / Camden Arts Centre / Arnolfini, Bristol, in 2008, 2009, and 2010 respectively; 196mm x 262mm; 64pp; images– variable; 4-colour printed paper case cover (no dust jacket), thread sewn.

Book 1: The Need For Uncertainty Mircea Cantor: Edited, and with an introduction by Bruce Haines; book 2: I’m Lost Without Your Rhythm Johanna Billing: Edited, and with an introduction by Bruce Haines; book 3: Dead Star Light Kerry Tribe: Edited, and with an introduction by Nav Haq; texts by Juli Carson, Anne Ellegood, Herbert Martin

LITTLE PRIVATE GOVERNMENTS
Amanda Beech & Matthew Poole

SecMoCo were flattered to be approached by this grouping of cutting-edge contemporary theorists/artists to devise an identity relavent to the ideas informing their exhibition, catalogue and symposium Little Private Governments which examined the relationship of art to organizational systems and power (University Gallery Essex, 01 February 2006).

First published by University of the West of England, 2006; edited, and with a foreword by, Amanda Beech & Matthew Poole; texts by Suhail Malik and Roman Vasseur; 210 x 148 mm; 48 pp; 20 color images; softcover with 4-colour cover.

Accompanying 4-colour poster edition, incorporating design for the catalogue cover: 420 x 297mm.

Context, from the exhibition and symposium publicity:
Little Private Governments brings together emerging and established artists whose work demonstrates a long-term interest in the rhetoric of freedom and democracy. The exhibition includes works by Amanda Beech, Pil & Galia Kollectiv, Jenny Holzer, Martin Kippenberger, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Roman Vasseur. The accompanying catalogue includes commisioned new writing from three authors covering current debates on aesthetics and politics: a collaborative essay by Beech and Poole, and essays by Dr Suhail Malik and Roman Vasseur.

Jointly curated by Matthew Poole and Amanda Beech ‘Little Private Governments’ addresses the place of art within the structures of capitalism, democracy and idealism.

Links:
www.romanvasseur.com

EXECUTIVE OUTCOMES
Exhibition

In 2000 I jointly curated an exhibition investigating the relationship between art and the military.

Fiona Banner
William Burroughs
Pietro Mattioli
Polly Staple
John Timberlake

Platform, Spitalfileds, London 02.02.00 – 25. 06. 00

BOOK DESIGN:
Series

I was the Senior Graphic Designer at Routledge, London, UK, until 1995. Here I carried out cover and text design, plus commissioning of illustration, photography and freelance designers, over a range of titles for various lists, totaling over 200 books annually.

I have continued to work for Routledge, and other academic publishers, to the present day on a freelance commissioned basis.

Above are a selection of series designs for Routledge, to see images of individual, non-series, titles see ‘Book design: non-fiction’ on the homepage.

BOOK DESIGN
Non-fiction

I have continued to design for Routledge, and other academic publishers, to the present day on a freelance commissioned basis.

Above is a selection of individual designs, to see images of series designs see ‘Book design: series’ on the home page.

SUMMER SEASON 2009
TATE St Ives

SecMoco were approached by Tate St Ives’ inspiring Artistic Director Martin Clark, to design a collection of seven artist’s monographs to accompany the exhibition ‘Summer Season 2009’ Tate St Ives, UK, published by Tate 2009.

First published in an edition of 1,500 copies, by Tate, UK, 2009; edited, and with a foreword by, Martin Clark; additional texts: various; 210 x 148 mm, 196pp, 4-colour images throughout; 7x thread-sewn booklets within 1-colour printed slipcase.

From www.specificobject.com: ‘Boxed-set of seven exhibition catalogues published in conjunction with the exhibition held May 16 – September 27, 2009. Each catalogue is devoted to the individual work of each of the following artists: Alfred Wallis, Lucie Rie, Barbara Hepworth, Lawrence Weiner, Carol Bove, Bojan Sarcevic and Katy Moran. Texts by Sara Hughes on Katy Moran; Melissa Gronlund on Bojan Sarcevic; Martin Herbert on Carol Bove; Herbert Read and Edwin Mullins on Barbara Hepworth; Emmanuel Cooper on Lucie Rie; and Billy Childish on Alfred Wallis. Each catalogue includes black-and-white and color illustrations’.