Search results for ""Author Thames"

The Library at Trinity College Dublin dates back to the establishment of the college by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The library is the largest in Ireland, containing more than 6.2 million volumes and an extensive collection of early manuscripts, including the internationally famous Book of Kells, which attracts around 1 million visitors annually from around the world. A visit to the Book of Kells includes a visit to the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library, and one of the most beautiful and impressive libraries and architectural spaces in the world. In this, the first of a new series called Pocket Photo Books, photographer Harry Cory Wright explores the richness of the architecture and collections of the Long Room, resulting in a book that brings the reader close to the sense of being there. With a brief introduction by Trinity’s Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton, about her own experience of the Long Room, this beautifully designed book of exquisite photographs will appeal to all visitors to Trinity College Dublin, and to anyone keen to explore in detail one of the most awe-inspiring libraries and architectural spaces in the world.

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Today’s artists have an unprecedented level of choice with regard to materials and methods available to them, yet the processes involved in making artworks are rarely addressed in books or exhibitions on art. Here, Glenn Adamson and Julia Bryan-Wilson argue that the materials and methods used to make artworks hold the key to artists’ motivations, their attitudes to authorship, uniqueness and the value of objects, the economic and social contexts from which they emerge, and their approach to the perceived opposition between materiality and conceptualism in art. The book’s introduction sets out a history of trends in artistic production and the possible catalysts for the proliferation of production strategies since the mid-twentieth century, followed by nine chapters that explore different methods and media. Detailed examples are interwoven with the discussion, including visuals that reveal the intricacies of each technique or material and its overall effect when presented as an artwork. Artists featured include Ai Weiwei, Ron Arad, Chris Burden, Katharina Fritsch, Isa Genzken, Jeff Koons, Los Carpinteros, Haroon Mirza, Takashi Murakami, Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo and Santiago Sierra

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Comet presents the amazing story of the Rosetta space probe and its interstellar voyage to the comet Tchoury. Its mission – to find clues to the origins of our solar system and the emergence of life on Earth. Following a ten-year voyage and a journey spanning millions of kilometres through our Solar System, the Rosetta entered the comet’s orbit. Its lander, Philae – a miniature science laboratory – landed directly on Tchoury’s surface and was able to take the photographs presented here. This triumph of scientific endeavour brought back a raft of incredible new photographs, the best of which are featured here. The book is built around the various phases in Rosetta’s journey: leaving Earth, breaching its atmosphere and watching the lights of home recede; skirting the Moon and coming close to Mars; plunging into the cosmos’ starry void and approaching the comet; and, finally, landing on Tchoury. The photographs are accompanied by a text that reflects on the objectives of the mission and the accomplishment of such a technological feat for humanity. Detailed captions provide the reader with accessible scientific information, enabling them to get to the heart of the subject.

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'Benoy K. Behl’s remarkable photographs, painstakingly gathered and digitally restored over thirty years of hard labour, are probably the best and truest record of these fabulous treasures that will ever be created.' William Dalrymple A revised edition of a classic title, now with digitally restored photographs, showcasing the finest surviving examples of ancient Buddhist art. Since their chance re-discovery in 1819, the breathtaking paintings and sculptures of the Ajanta caves have inspired and delighted experts and amateurs alike. Ranging in date from the second century BCE to the sixth century CE, these ancient Buddhist artworks rank among the world’s most important cultural treasures. Benoy K. Behl captured the beauty and luminosity of these works using long exposures and only natural light and now presents them here digitally restored to show the paintings closer to their original glory than ever before. The exquisite murals, depicting the tales of previous incarnations of Buddha, scenes of princely processions and fantastical birds and beasts, provide virtually the only evidence of painting styles that first developed in India and remain crucially important to the understanding of Buddhist art throughout Asia. On UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, the Ajanta caves survive as a potent symbol of the great beauty of India’s rich artistic past. This new edition provides for the first time a view of some of the masterpieces of Ajanta painstakingly digitally restored by Behl. Sensitively carried out, the restoration makes the paintings clearer without interfering with their original grace and nuance, leading to a deeper appreciation of their artistry. Accompanied by expert commentaries to fully immerse the reader in the cultural context of the murals, this book will help preserve the legacy of the glorious art of Ajanta for years to come.

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We hurtle together into the future at ever-increasing speed – or so it seems to the collective psyche. Every day and every hour, human civilization expands, evolves and mutates. While we frequently lapse into celebrating the individual at the expense of the group, in science and art, at work and at play, at home and in transit, we increasingly live the collective life. Civilization shows how contemporary photography, notably art photography, is fascinated by, and attempts to decode and communicate, the way we live today. This landmark publication is accompanied by an internationally touring exhibition produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography – a global cultural event for a global subject. Civilization is presented through eight thematic chapters, each led by breathtaking imagery and accompanied by essays, quotes, commentaries and captions to provide a deeper understanding of its theme. Visually epic and ambitiously popular in approach, it will reach out beyond the boundaries of the photography world to connect with audiences worldwide.

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A head-to-toe exploration of Chinese dress through sumptuous, detailed photography of some of the most fascinating historic and contemporary pieces in the V&A’s outstanding collection. Chinese Dress in Detail reveals the beauty and variety of Chinese dress for women, men and children, both historically and geographically, showcasing the intricacy of decorative embroidery and rich use of materials and weaving and dyeing techniques. The reader is granted a unique opportunity to examine historical clothing that is often too fragile to display, from quivering hair ornaments, stunning silk jackets and coats, festive robes and pleated skirts, to pieces embellished with rare materials such as peacock-feather threads or created through unique craft skills, as well as handpicked contemporary designs. A general introduction provides an essential overview of the history of Chinese dress, plotting key developments in style, design and mode of dress, and the traditional importance of clothing as social signifier, followed by eight thematic chapters that examine Chinese dress in exquisite detail from head to toe. Each garment is accompanied by a short text and detail photography; front-and-back line drawings are provided for key items. An extraordinary exploration of the splendour and complexity of Chinese garments and accessories, Chinese Dress in Detail will delight all followers of fashion, costume and textiles.

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Karl Lagerfeld is a modern master of couture. He is also famously outspoken: his wise, surprising statements pop up like offbeat news flashes. This collection of quotations pays homage to the legendary éminence grise of the fashion world. Lagerfeld’s pronouncements – on fashion, women, art, politics, love, and life high and low – are famously oracular, seized upon by fashionistas, acolytes and sages around the world. Created with the full approval of the designer himself, this cornucopia of Lagerfeld’s maxims is required reading for us all today as we negotiate the trickiest curves of modern life. Cultivated, unpredictable, provocative, sometimes shocking, Lagerfeld’s ‘bons mots’ are always impossible to ignore.

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Biographies of artists and writers have traditionally presented an individual’s lone struggle for self-expression. In this book, critics and historians challenge these assumptions in a series of essays that focus on artist and writer couples who have shared sexual and artistic bonds. Featuring duos such as Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, this book combines biography with evaluation of each partner’s work in the context of the relationship.

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A spectacular collection of aerial photographs of Britain's most extraordinary prehistoric sites. This breathtaking collection of aerial images reveals ancient monuments from all around the British Isles, as they have never been seen before: Neolithic enclosures, cairns and stone circles; Bronze Age villages, farmsteads, tombs and burial mounds; and Iron Age hillforts, all photographed in spectacular bird’s-eye-view detail. Photographs taken directly above the sites, often at dawn, allow uniquely informative views, showing not only how ancient monuments fit into the surrounding landscape, but also how they define or respond to the area’s natural character. Stone cairns and circles evoke lost rituals and religious ceremonies; Iron Age ramparts hint at former strongholds; and tangible geographical clues reveal the scars of real or mythical battles. The oldest site in the collection was created nearly 6,000 years ago; the most recent originated shortly before the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. This is an inspiring way to discover the beauty and history of the British landscape, revealing the visible traces of our ancestors, from such famous monuments as Stonehenge to little-known gems that have never before been seen from the air.

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Featuring fresh insights from Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie, Unzipped digs deeper than ever before into the Stones’ archives to present a comprehensive collection of Stones artworks, instruments, stage outfits and notebooks alongside key work by some of the legends of rock photography. As 2022 marks The Rolling Stones' 60th anniversary, Unzipped reflects on the years the band have helped shape popular culture around the globe. The book captures the compelling character and dynamic spectacle of the band through distinctive photography and interviews with the Stones themselves, tracing their impact and influence on rock music, art, design, fashion, photography and filmmaking. Evocative archive photos, artworks, outtakes and memorabilia, together with dazzling images of the band’s instruments and outfits, plunge you into the ever-changing world of the Stones. Many of the instruments and outfits are paired with pertinent archive photos, so you can examine the detail and see the objects in use. Peppered throughout with engrossing and insightful new commentary by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, the book also features a compelling introduction by Anthony DeCurtis, which chronicles their career, and perceptive articles by some of their most important creative collaborators, including Buddy Guy, Don Was, Anna Sui, John Varvatos, Martin Scorsese, Shepherd Fairey, Patrick Woodroffe and Willie Williams. Bold, glamorous and captivating – and beautifully bound and finished – Unzipped is the perfect showcase for ‘the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world’. With 400 illustrations, 370 in colour

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The story of the Highland clans is a gripping one, full of celebrated names and heroic deeds. It is also, as Alistair Moffat reveals, the story of a fearless people, shaped by the unique traditions and landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Here, he traces the history of the clans from their Celtic origins to the coming of the Romans, through the great battles of Bannockburn and Flodden, to the Clearances and the present day. The images bring the stories to life with historical portraits and depictions of significant events such as the battles or the Highland dances, to name but a few. The story of the clans is also about the pain of leaving, with the great emigrations to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Complete with a clan map and an alphabetical list of the clans of the Scottish Highlands, this is a must for anyone interested in the history of Scotland.

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This third, updated and expanded edition of Christiane Paul’s acclaimed book investigates key areas of digital art practice that have gained in prominence in recent years, including the emergence and impact of location-based media, interactive public installation, augmentive and mixed reality, social networking and file-sharing and tablet technologies. It explores themes raised by digital artworks, such as viewer interaction, artificial life and intelligence, political and social activism, networks and telepresence, and issues surrounding the collection, presentation and preservation of digital art. It also looks at the impact of digital techniques and media on traditional forms of art such as printing, painting, photography and sculpture, as well as exploring the ways in which entirely new forms such as internet and software art, digital installation and virtual reality have emerged as recognized artistic practices.

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Stimulate your senses, and discover the incredible benefits of natural essential oils with Aromatherapist in a Box, an instructional card set by Jo Kellett and illustrator Elin Svensson. Understand the 50 most common essential oils and their therapeutic uses with this attractive and practical box. Following the instructions on the cards, you’ll learn how to treat a host of ailments in an entirely natural—and surprisingly effective—way. The cards give you all the information you need to choose and apply the right essential oils—lavender, sandalwood, neroli, peppermint, and many more—and the book tells you how to make your own candles, massage oils, and bath salts.

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Four Seasons: Create Four Elegant Collages with the Images in this Surprising Kit is a unique introduction to the art of collage. In the same style as her trademark collage “pin-ups,” Maria Rivans presents four “seasons” with all the images and backgrounds you need to re-create them yourself; and after the satisfying process of composition, the four finished collages will work together as complementary artworks to adorn your walls. Maria provides a choice of backdrops, hundreds of surprising collage elements (which the reader cuts out themselves), and the practical advice—you bring your own spin for a unique, contemporary result.

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This spectacular collection of nearly 200 jewelled weapons and priceless accoutrements from the Indian subcontinent was assembled over many decades by Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah for The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait. Produced for aristocratic patrons who valued the arts, these richly decorated edged weapons and other princely objects bear witness to the legendary opulence and refinement of the Indian courts during the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Many incorporate decorative features originating in Central Asia, the Iranian world, China, and even Renaissance Europe, testifying to centuries of trade, travel and warfare. At the same time, these ornate and uniquely Indian weapons are masterpieces of a long and unparalleled tradition of artistic craftsmanship on the subcontinent, displaying distinctive techniques of gemstone setting, hardstone carving, enamelling and blade damascening.

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The spiral is the natural form of growth, and has become, in every culture and in every age, man’s symbol of the progress of the soul towards eternal life. As the inward-winding labyrinth, it constitutes the hero’s journey to the still centre where the secret of life is found. As the spherical vortex, spiralling through its own centre, it combines the inward and outward directions of movement. In this original and engrossing book, Jill Purce traces the significance of one man’s central symbols from the double spirals of Stone Age art and the interlocking spirals of the Chinese Yin Yang symbol to the whorls of Celtic crosses, Maori tattoos and the Islamic arabesque. Many of the superb images here were intended as objects of contemplation; for the spiral is a cosmic symbol.

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The ultimate guide for aspiring artists with a love of manga. Following How to Draw a Graphic Novel, Balthazar Pagani returns, joined by manga expert Asuka Ozumi, to demystify the process of creating manga, from the creative spark that inspires a story, to what it's like to work in a professional manga studio. Featuring the work of Italian manga illustrator Silvia Vanni, and told from the point of view of two young manga fans, How to be a Manga Artist delivers a blend of professional advice and practical tips to guide aspiring creators, including how to construct a compelling narrative, develop characters your readers will fall in love with, and the basics of printing, digital file set-up, and self-promotion. How to be a Manga Artist also includes a specially commissioned chapter by renowned Japanese illustrator Fumio Obata - who encourages readers to look beyond the aesthetics of manga and to put themselves into the story to develop a style that is entirely original and true

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The latest book in Shinsuke Yoshitake’s bestselling ‘Imagination’ series takes a whimsical and wildly inventive look at maps. If you get lost, it’s simple – you just look at a map, and hey presto! You can find out where you are. But might there be other things a map can show? How about treasure maps, maps of your feelings, maps of how things work…? When you think about it, a map can have a million uses. This charming new picture book by Shinsuke Yoshitake is an ingenious exploration of the wonderful world of maps and how they help to guide us.

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A colourful, fact-filled introduction to the world of fish. There are 1,001 fish inside this book, and they can’t wait to show you the ocean. Follow them and meet a host of fascinating creatures that live below the waves. Dive into the deepest depths, find out why humans need to take care of the sea - and watch out for hungry predators! Awash with lively illustrations and full of fascinating facts, this book is a must for all children interested in the natural world.

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BRONZE award winner, MadeForMums Awards 2021 BRONZE award winner, Junior Design Awards, 'Best Designed / Illustrated Book For Children' category Marvellous Magicians celebrates the work of eight pioneering illusionists, both famous and under-represented, whose tricks have been the making of modern magic. Through a magical blend of biography, history and illustration, it brings these amazing magicians and their illusions into the spotlight. They include one of the first female magicians, Adelaide Herrmann, and African American illusionist Richard Potter, alongside such well-known greats as Houdini and his namesake and inspiration, Houdin. Two spectacular fold-out pages reveal the secret workings of the Automata Chess Player and Howard Thurston’s dramatic transformation of an empty box into a world of wonders, while themed spreads explore the early history of magic, the eight effects of magic on which all tricks are based, the magician’s tool box, and the under-appreciated role of the magician’s assistant. For its finale, Marvellous Magicians explores the hidden societies who have kept the secrets of illusions closely guarded for decades, provides advice on becoming a magician and introduces readers to contemporary magicians from around the world including Australia, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK and USA. Written in a theatrical style and illustrated with original gouache paintings, Marvellous Magicians is the perfect book for all aspiring magicians.

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Harold is turning seven years old. He’s never had a real birthday party. His parents are too grumpy. But this year is going to be different. Thanks to an amazing man named Mr. Ponzio, something incredible is going to happen on Harold’s birthday – and it’s going to be absolutely extraordinary

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Peter Sís blends a true story from his childhood with the fictional adventure of Robinson Crusoe to create a magical picture book filled with heart and imagination that readers will want to return to again and again.

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Why is a flamingo pink? Can a parrot talk? Is a bald eagle really bald? This follow-up to the hugely successful The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts and The Big Book of the Blue answers these questions and many more. It opens with introductory spreads explaining how to recognize different bird’s eggs, the bird family tree, why different species of birds have different beaks and feathers, and why some birds migrate and travel vast distances every year. Subsequent spreads, illustrated with various habitats, are dedicated to specific varieties of bird, including hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, albatrosses and red-crowned cranes. Some will teach children how to spot different birds within a specific variety, for example how to differentiate the American robin from the European robin. Others explore bird habitats, for example showing how birds adapt to live in cities. Finally, the book invites young bird spotters to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird friendly. This is a big, beautiful book to look at again and again.

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This charming book takes readers on a thrilling adventure through London with the most amazing of all nannies, Mary Poppins, as a guide. Hélène Druvert’s intricate lasercuts and delicate illustrations show the city and its sights at their very best, and offer a wonderfully imaginative introduction both to London and to the world of Pamela L. Travers’ eternally popular Mary Poppins.

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Tuwim’s rhythmic poem Locomotive invites us aboard an old steam train as it chuffs and puffs out of the station. As it races along, rattling and clattering past bridges and valleys, we look inside some of the train’s many carriages. There’s a wagon of bananas, one full of pianos, another is carrying animals off to the zoo, there are giraffes and elephants and bicycles and umbrellas, and a trio of men, all eating sausages. Le Witt and Him’s illustrations capture inventively the smoke and the speed and the humorous cargo. Replicating the original edition, this book includes two more short stories – the well-loved folk tale about a turnip so enormous that the farmer can’t pull it up and the hilarious story of chatterbox birds who can’t agree on anything. Harking back to precedents in Russian children’s book-making and looking forward to the Picture Puffins and other hugely successful models in Britain and North America, Locomotive stands out as a beacon of quality and imagination that works its charm on children and parents in the twenty-first century just as much as it did on its first publication eighty years ago.

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A short, entertaining text narrated by the young Tony introduces Miró, a quiet, kind and smartly dressed man, who ‘dreamed when he was awake’ and painted wonderfully strange worlds filled with magical animals. The book is beautifully illustrated with some of Miró’s finest works, as well as evocative archive photography by Lee Miller and specially commissioned artworks by children done in the style of Miró. Tony recalls a visit by Miró to his childhood home and a trip to London Zoo, during which Miró asked to see ‘large birds, snakes, and strange creatures of the night’. With its vibrant colours and artworks, this book will inspire and appeal to art fans of any age.

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Strap yourself in an prepare for take off! This is a first: a flying course for children who relish the detail of dials, widgets and flight panels, and who dream of one day becoming airborne. Using plenty of photographs, diagrams and illustrations, this book offers children their very own flying lessons. Covering the essential science and technology of flight, it is filled with stacks of stats and facts, and will be essential reading for all turbocharged kids in thrall to the wonder of flight.

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This Empty World, Nick Brandt’s new monograph, features a series of dramatically staged photographs that bring together and reveal the animals and people of East Africa as the victims of environmental degradation in an emotionally powerful, cinematic way. Moving into colour photography for the first time, the work is both a technical tour-de-force and a massively ambitious project in which several sets are constructed on a scale typically only seen in film production. Each panoramic image is a combination of two moments in time, almost all of them captured weeks apart from the exact same camera position. Brandt first builds and lights a partial set, then waits for the animals that inhabit the region to enter the frame. Once captured on camera, the full set is built with the camera remaining fixed in place. The sets include bridge and highway construction sites, a petrol station, a bus station and even a dead forest. Completing the scene with a huge cast drawn from local communities, Brandt then photographs the second sequence. The final large scale prints are a composite of the two intricately plotted elements. Viewed as a whole, the images vividly illustrate a world in which, overwhelmed by runaway human development, there is no longer space for animals to survive, and beg the question: what kind of world will we live in when stripped of its natural wonders. Photographed on unprotected, inhabited Maasai community land, after the sets were removed and their elements recycled, no evidence of the images now remains in the landscape.

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Anja Niemi: In Character is the first career retrospective/monograph by one of the most exciting talents working in contemporary photography, whose work has emerged as a distinctive force within the venerable tradition of conceptual self-portraiture. A photo-artist who works alone – photographing, staging and acting out the characters in all of her images – Niemi is a constant presence, in character, in her work, developing complex, nuanced narratives through evocative costume and styling, her characters framed and formed within meticulously staged mise-en-scène. In her bewitching ‘Darlene & Me’ series, for example, she reconfigures the concept of the Hitchcock blonde within a pristine Lynchian landscape for her own visual pleasure – and ours – while in ‘She Could Have Been A Cowboy’ she turns the lens to a life lived under the constraints of conformity. Anja Niemi is now at the ‘breakout moment’ in her career, having had exhibitions in Amsterdam, London, New York, Oslo and Paris, and with her first museum retrospective show opening at Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm in February 2019. With over 100 photographs organized into the six series that have marked Niemi’s career to date, supported by an essay and interview by Max Houghton, Anja Niemi: In Character is the perfect introduction for those encountering Niemi’s work for the first time, and a comprehensive retrospective of her career to date for her long-time followers.

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One of the most significant photographers of our time, Stephen Shore has often been considered alongside other artists who rose to prominence in the 1970s by capturing the mundane aspects of American popular culture in straightforward, unglamorous images. But Shore has worked with many forms of photography, switching from cheap automatic cameras to large-format cameras in the 1970s, pioneering the use of colour before returning to black and white in the 1990s, and in the 2000s taking up the opportunities of digital photography, digital printing and social media. Stephen Shore encompasses the entirety of the artist’s work of the last five decades, during which he has conducted a continual, restless interrogation of image making, from the gelatin silver prints he made as a teenager to his current engagement with digital platforms. Published to accompany the major exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the book allows for a fuller understanding of Shore’s work, and demonstrates his singular vision – defined by an interest in daily life, a taste for serial and often systematic approaches, a strong intellectual underpinning, a restrained style, sly humour and visual casualness – and uncompromising pursuit of photography’s possibilities.

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Limited to 100 copies (+ 5 artist's copies) numbered 1-100. Includes a print of 'Candlelight' (2014), signed and numbered by Roger Ballen.Separated into four parts, Ballenesque takes readers on a visual, chronological journey through Roger Ballen’s entire oeuvre, including both iconic images and previously unpublished photographs. Part I explores his formative artistic influences and his later rediscovery of boyhood through photography, culminating in his first published monograph, Boyhood, in 1979. Part II then charts the period between 1980 and 2000, during which time his deeper search for the elemental self found its way into the ‘Dorps’, or small towns, of South Africa and concluding with the release of his seminal monograph Outland. Part III covers the years 2000–2013, when Ballen achieved global recogition with Shadow Chamber and Boarding House and his work began to veer away from portraiture altogether. Finally, in Part IV, Ballen reflects upon his career in its entirety. With over 300 photographs and an introduction by eminent academic Robert J. C. Young, this book provides both an entirely new way of seeing Ballen’s work for those who already follow his career and a comprehensive introduction for those encountering his photographs for the first time.

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The Theatre of Apparitions is a highly anticipated body of work by one of the most original image-makers of our times, whose remarkable artistic trajectory spans the past 40 years. This book is the culmination of his ongoing study of the connections between photography, drawing, the mind and the body. Created between the years 2004 and 2008, these 90-odd black-and-white images encourage viewers to delve deep into the darkest part of their psyches. The images in this new monograph were inspired by the simple act of drawing on windows – a practice that Ballen observed first-hand in many communities. From there, he started to experiment using different spray paints on glass and then ‘drawing on’ or removing the paint with a sharp object to let natural light through. Finally, he photographed the results with a macro lens using black-and-white film. These black, dimensionless spaces effectively operate as canvases onto which Ballen projects pictorially his thoughts and emotions, creating, in effect, a theatre of the mind. The plates are separated into seven chapters or ‘acts’, with each one introduced by a text written by Ballen himself. Carving out a realm that is both earthly and otherworldly, physical and spiritual, his work transcends all traditional concepts of photography.

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‘Here Comes Everybody’ is a phrase that echoes repeatedly through the shifting dream-narrative of James Joyce’s FinnegansWake. It aptly captures the intense poetry of this new collection of photographs by Chris Killip, taken over repeated trips to Ireland between 1993 and 2005. On each visit Killip attended the annual pilgrimages at Croagh Patrick and Máméan in the west of Ireland, places of wild beauty and ancient spirituality. His poignant photographs convey the dedication and community of the modern pilgrims’ journey as they make their way across shingled mountainsides to take part in age-old rites. Images of the pilgrims’ trek are complemented by landscapes, townscapes and details photographed in the west of Ireland and beyond. Presented as a facsimile of an album of prints from a decade of travels, this book includes the first colour photographs Killip has ever published. This Limited edition features hand-tipped reproductions and a signed and numbered print.

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Spices have played an intrinsic part in the human story, running through history, geography, anthropology, politics, religion, culture, art and design. From alligator pepper seeds which, in the Yoruba culture, are given to newborn babies to taste a few minutes after birth, to charoli seeds, which are used in traditional Indian sweets eaten during the festival of Holi, and caraway seeds, which were added to medieval love potions, each spice has its own significance in the lives of the people who use it. The story of spice is really the stories of human relationships, from growers and traders to cooks and explorers, all starting with a tiny seed. The Grammar of Spice is one of the world’s missing books. It will change the way we understand spices and the role they play in defining not only our food but also our place in the world. The essence of each spice is explored in a brief history peppered with interesting anecdotes and tips, and accompanied by reproductions of surface decoration from Owen Jones’s original book, The Grammar of Ornament. The book is beautiful to look at and hold, packed with well-researched material, and will change the way a generation appreciates the incredible world of flavours and tastes that spices open up to us.

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Included in Electronic Sound magazine’s Books of the Year Round UpThis spectacular volume is a compendium of beautiful recording and playback equipment and at the same time an engaging, comprehensive history of sound recording. Organized chronologically, it showcases specially commissioned photography of the beautiful, iconic and rarely seen objects contained within the diverse collections of the EMI Archive Trust. Recording equipment, playback devices, catalogues, artist files, records, master tapes, radios and televisions are all here, accompanied by detailed specifications and intriguing archival photographs. Interspersed with the timeline and images are in-depth articles that tell the complete stories of the pioneering advances in the evolution of sound technology, from the invention of the ‘Gramophone’ method to the development of electronic signal amplifiers, and from the arrival of magnetic tape recording to the advent of CDs and the dawn of the digital age. It is sure to prove irresistible to music geeks and design lovers alike.

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Commissioned in 1750, the Palazzo Venier was planned as a testimony to the power and wealth of a great Venetian family, but the fortunes of the Venier family waned and the project was abandoned with only one storey complete. Empty, unfinished, and in a gradual state of decay, the building was considered an eyesore. Yet in the early 20th century the Unfinished Palazzo’s quality of fairytale abandonment, and its potential for transformation, were to attract and inspire three fascinating women at key moments in their lives: Luisa Casati, Doris Castlerosse and Peggy Guggenheim. Each chose the Palazzo Venier as the stage on which to build her own world of art and imagination, surrounded by an amazing supporting cast, from d’Annunzio and Nijinsky, via Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton, to Yoko Ono. Luisa turned her home into an aesthete’s fantasy where she hosted parties as extravagant and decadent as Renaissance court operas – spending small fortunes on her own costumes in her quest to become a ‘living work of art’ and muse to the artists of the late belle époque and early modernist eras. Doris strove to make her mark in London and Venice during the glamorous, hedonistic interwar years, hosting film stars and royalty at glittering parties. In the postwar years, Peggy turned the Palazzo into a model of modernist simplicity that served as a home for her exquisite collection of modern art that today draws tourists and art-lovers from around the world. Mackrell tells each life story vividly in turn, weaving an intricate history of these legendary characters and the Unfinished Palazzo that they all at different times called home.

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There is no other designer quite like Anouska Hempel, and this volume is both a celebration of her achievement and an intimate insight into it. Here is a designer whose vision and creative flair know no bounds, whose interiors and landscapes are truly incomparable. The book is divided into thirteen chapters, each highlighting one of her many stunning achievements. There is Beluga , Hempel’s own opulent yacht, masquerading as a black-sailed pirate ship; the luxurious interiors and perfectly manicured gardens of Cole Park, the quintessential English country house; the clean lines of the Grosvenor House Apartments in Mayfair; and more. With over 400 stunning colour photographs of interiors, architecture and gardens, this beautiful volume is itself a masterwork of art, a joy for lovers of distinctive design and an essential reference for design professionals.

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Fifty-six Irish writers have contributed new short stories, essays and poems to this anthology inspired by art from the National Gallery of Ireland collection. It includes work by acclaimed figures in contemporary Irish literature such as Colm Tóibín, John Banville, Roddy Doyle, Colum McCann and Seamus Heaney. Each of the writers has selected a picture and used it as a setting-off point to explore ideas about art, love, loss, family, dreams, memory, places and privacy. Both the artworks and the literary responses to them are vibrantly diverse. The works range from paintings by old masters such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, El Greco and Velázquez to pictures by Claude Monet, Pierre Bonnard and Gabrielle Münter, and by Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats, John Lavery, Gerard Dillon and Paul Henry. Published to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Gallery of Ireland, this beautifully illustrated book is edited by Janet McLean, Curator of European Art 1850-1950 at the NGI.

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This is the indispensible, inspirational and practical guide to being resourceful by design in your home. Save money, save the planet and stay ahead in the style stakes: if there’s something going spare, there’s a use for it somewhere. With a wealth of tricks and tips, design examples from leading luminaries such as Jasper Morrison and Marcel Waanders, and step-by-step projects you can try around the house, Remake It: Home provides design inspiration and practical ‘know how’ in equal measure. Smart, savvy, entertaining and fully illustrated throughout, this book will show you how to make the most of the things you already have – in style.

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The star pieces from fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent's art collection – including works by Cézanne, Picasso, Mondrian and Matisse – have been unveiled in the Grand Palais, Paris, ahead of what auctioneers have dubbed the art ‘sale of the century.’Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé amassed the collection together before the designer’s death in June 2008. The works, which had adorned the pair’s Paris flats, the Chateau Gabriel in Normandy and their home in Morocco, include antiquities, Old Master and 19th-century paintings and drawings, Art Deco pieces and European furniture and art. Now Pierre Bergé has decided to sell the entire collection. It’s the end of an era and the sale has already excited enormous interest and speculation. This book shows, for the first time, the collection in situ in the pair’s homes. Although some pieces have been photographed separately in the past, they have never been photographed together, making this beautifully produced book the ultimate record of one of the 20th century’s great collections.

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The first book to explore the life and times of Chinese artist, businesswoman, socialite and style expert ‘Madame Song’, whose life was spent in the company of a Who’s Who of Cold War China and which paralleled the highs and lows of the country’s history. The extraordinary life story of Song Huai-Kuei, better known as Madame Song, follows the arc of 20th-century history. Artist, entrepreneur and impresario, Song broke cultural barriers for love, transcended Cold War borders for her art, and laid the foundations for a global fashion industry. With her cosmopolitan outlook, she defined an influential vision for Chinese culture on the world stage and asserted an Asian perspective in 21st-century art and design. Madame Song is a name that everyone interested in the roots of contemporary visual culture needs to know. At the heart of this volume is a critical biography that explores Song’s youth in revolutionary China, her cross-cultural marriage to Bulgarian fibre artist Maryn Varbanov, her success within avant-garde circles in Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War, and finally her efforts within China to revive traditional aesthetics in tandem with the explosive rise of global couture. Throughout her life, she cultivated an aspirational image of what a modern Chinese woman could be within a changing and opening world. A consummate networker, Song built bridges between people, disciplines and business interests, often in the elegant surroundings of Maxim’s de Paris, Beijing, the restaurant she famously helped to open. In tracking the highs and lows of the massive social changes that occurred throughout her lifetime, Madame Song’s exceptional life serves as a fascinating lens through which to view 20th-century China.

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Everywhere in the world, tiles add colour and decoration to the façades and interiors of buildings. Both functional and decorative, and found in a multitude of shapes, sizes and designs – ranging from complex geometrical Islamic patterns to figurative 17th-century Delftware – they are among the most varied ceramic products. This striking book gathers together a diverse collection of ceramic tiles, and explores their rich history, purpose and decorative qualities. An introduction traces the little-known history of tiles, from their earliest mass production in Europe in the 13th century to today, and presents the development of different types of tile. Throughout this stunning book, tiles in every variety of shape are organized chronologically to illustrate the evolution of styles. The Tile Book is luxuriously illustrated, with generous examples of individual tile types and their overall laid patterns exhibited over double-page spreads. Captions provide descriptions of each tile, with some detailing interesting locations, trends or influential designers. Interspersed in this invaluable sourcebook, are tiles shown in situ around the world and at different periods in their remarkable history. This book is a dazzling mosaic, with colours and patterns that will uplift and inspire.

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Odysseus' ten-year homecoming in 1,000 pieces: dive into Homer's timeless epic with this jigsaw puzzle and concertina fold-out. Homer's Odyssey, predating the invention of writing in ancient Greece, is revived in this 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Encounter the one-eyed Cyclops, who feasts on the flesh of men; bewitching women, who charm with songs and spells; and meddling gods and goddesses, who shape the hero's fate. Follow Odysseus' journey using the accompanying concertina, exploring twenty key scenes. Daisy Dunn's text will ignite fresh interest in one of the world's oldest and greatest poems. Get ready for a modern take on this ancient masterpiece.

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