after every word had been said

I touched the place where last she slept and

lay down in a snow

back into oblivion I went, further

and further wearing only a thin coat, the skin of me numb

white as a thousand other daughters

the chopping of basil,

the sweet washing of fruit, the food we put to our mouths for pleasure

more than hunger

all gone now.

Appeared in ESC #3

The post After – a poem by Annemarie Ní Churreáin appeared first on ESC [zine].

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”

 ~Francis Bacon, Essays (1625) 

by: Alexander Telfer for: The Sketchbook Project: 2012 theme: The last of the people I know

The term ‘artist’s book’ gets bandied about a lot, rather like the term ‘zine’ or ‘self-publishing’ or ‘get a job, ya bum.’

We realised during the creation process of ESC #3 that ESC was becoming much more than the standard idea of a zine, and was becoming an artist’s book.

So what actually is an artist’s book?

Put simply, an artist’s book is a work of art in the

The Wizard of Oz by Raiders of the Lost Art

form of a book. They’re usually published in small editions or even as one-of-a-kind, unique objects.

The Smithsonian Libraries’ blog puts it best:

An artist’s book is a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of “book” as inspiration. It is the artistic initiative seen in the illustration, choice of materials, creation process, layout and design that makes it an art object. A book that only contains text is simply a book; even if authored by an artist, it would be a book that belongs in a book store or the shelves of a library.

Boarding School is a brother sister team from Seattle & Maine.

What truly makes an artist’s book is the artist’s intent, and artists have used the book as inspiration in a myriad of ways and techniques, from traditional to the experimental. The book could be made through fine press printing or hand-crafted, the pages illustrated with computer-generated images or cheap photocopies; books became sculptures, tiny and gargantuan; books were sliced up and reconfigured, made from all kinds of materials with unconventional objects incorporated, in unique or limited editions, or produced in multiple copies. With all sorts of ideas behind them, artists continue to challenge the idea, content and structure of the traditional book.

Artist’s book resources

‘Filmboekje’, artists’ book by Beppe Kessler, Amsterdam, Netherlands, about 1987. Pressmark: X890073

When researching for this blog post I found a whole tumblr dedicated to what an artist’s book is, which is fantastic. You can find it, conveniently, at What Is An Artist’s Book. 

The Smithsonian Libraries has a whole section devoted to artist’s books, called Unbound. It’s a fascinating resource, and full of great pictures.

The V&A in London has an extensive collection of artist’s books and group tours can be arranged to go to view them.

There’s also the Artist’s Book Journal (or JAB for short).

‘Map ed Veveiis’, artist’s book, by Genevieve Seille, 1990. Pressmark X920025 © Genevieve Seille.

The post What is an artist’s book? appeared first on ESC [zine].

Featuring photography, illustration, poetry and prose by Annie Yang, Steven Maybury, Áine Belton, WT Beck III, Jesse Bradley, Vivienne Baillie, Michael Andrew, Robert Doyle, David Tomaloff, and Louisa Love.

Get your copy for only €5 including P&P in Europe. (International rates may vary but we’ll keep it as cheap as possible!) Simply email us at escpeople@gmail.com to order your copy.

The post The stellar ESC#4 – out now! appeared first on ESC [zine].

Even with the cello music, she could not bear to look at the photographs of polio victims that were stickytaped onto the walls of her recovery room. The space was dark, artificially lit, the windows boarded over. It was thought by some that sunlight would hasten her transformation.

She closed her eyes, ignoring the pump and grind of the machine that encased her, straining to divert all of her attention to the sound of the music that was drifting up from downstairs. Downstairs, where the living were, the windows would be open onto the lawn, and there would be conversation, the clack of teacups, badminton perhaps. Maybe she was imagining the badminton part. She couldn’t quite remember what the thing [shuttlecock?] looked like anyway.

She opened her eyes, turning them to the ceiling, her gaze instantly skittering away from the poster of a child with legs deformed into a bird’s. She concentrated on a corner of the room, the crush of the machine filling her mind now, her lungs opening and closing.

Like shells.

Read more here.

The post Eerie speculative fiction: ‘olio.’ appeared first on ESC [zine].

We talked about Tania Hershman before. Remember? Here she is in video form, reading the title story from her new collection of fictions, My Mother Was An Upright Piano. Find out more about the book at the Amazon shop.

The post My Mother Was An Upright Piano, by Tania Hershman [video] appeared first on ESC [zine].

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all submitters for the diverse range of thought-provoking work that we now have to review. As there can only be in and around 8 final photographers in the issue, the decisions are going to be tough and hopefully not acrimonious (we get passionate about our photography).

As we said before, accepted submissions will not only appear in the issue, but be featured at an exclusive gallery show in Eight Gallery Dublin, and featured in the PhotoIreland Festival brochures, gaining international exposure.

The original announcement in full about Photo_ESC: Abroad can be read here.

The post Submissions Closed for Photo_ESC 2013 appeared first on ESC [zine].

The date has been set for the 2013 Independents’ Day fair. Put it in your diaries folks! It’s 23rd June 2013.

So what is Independents Day?

Well. The website is here for you to explore. In a nutshell though, Independents Day is a DIY fair of zines, comics, records, crafts, and info stalls, complete with workshops, screenings, performances and exhibitions. There are also readings and live music, and beautiful beautiful food.

The post Independents Day 2013 Announced appeared first on ESC [zine].

Submissions Close on Monday May 13th, 6pm GMT.

To recap:

Focusing on Irish and Ireland-based photographers: if this is you and you take photos, read this. Following from the phenomenal success of our publication for the PhotoIreland Festival 2012, ESC zine is seeking photography submissions for a second edition to be launched at the PhotoIreland Festival 2013.

Accepted submissions will not only appear in the issue, but be featured at an exclusive gallery show in Dublin and featured in the PhotoIreland Festival brochures, gaining international exposure.

• Submitters can enter two photographs for €10, and submit their work as many times as they wish.
• Work must be emailed to escpeople@gmail.com with a brief statement, and payment made through PayPal donation (the option to do so is on this website).
• Deadline is Monday May 13th, 6pm GMT.
• All work for the issue will be chosen and artists notified by June 2013 at the latest.

The post Deadline Approaching for ESC_Abroad appeared first on ESC [zine].

Private spaces are constructed for a public gaze and appear both familiar and strangely foreign.

Elizabeth Moran explores ideas and assumptions surrounding space, context and the private gaze in The Armory, an ongoing look at pornographic film sets that are momentarily devoid of people.

We’ll be talking more later about Elizabeth Moran – studying her online portfolio makes it impossible not to want to return and return, and then speak…and speak again.

Amour, Armor, Armory, Amoury

We found The Armory series rather creepy, in that Freudian uncanny way, because they at once seem so familiar but yet … not quite right. These could be sets for horror films as well as for pornography. These spaces were created to contain a riot of action with a constantly-changing cast. Seen stripped of their protagonists and their purposes here, the imagination of the viewer fills in the blanks.

We have included some of Elizabeth Moran’s images below. Go to her website for more.

The post Elizabeth Moran, pornography, photography & the gaze appeared first on ESC [zine].

What is this Visit of which you speak?

Visit 2013 is a weekend event which will see artist’s studios organisations all over Dublin city opening their doors to the public. Artists make their artworks in buildings that are scattered throughout the city, and Visit 2013 invites you to enter these usually private spaces, talk to the artists and see their work first hand.

In Dublin City, artist’s [sic] studios old and new exist in a variety of buildings including industrial warehouses, Georgian buildings, converted stables and former shop units. You might not be aware that the building on the corner or down the road from your house is actually a hub of artistic activity. If you have ever been curious about what goes on inside an artists studios, Visit 2013 is your chance to find out! More detailed information on Visit 2013 will be announced shortly.

 Check out Visit 2013 and plan your 12th of May.

The post “Are you coming to visit ESC this May?” – VISIT 2013 appeared first on ESC [zine].