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Happy Exchanges from 37 Looe Street

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A birds eye view of the artist books and ephemera that were received in exchange for books in the Reading the Migration Library exchange event at 37 Looe Stree in Plymouth, UK on September 19, 2023. In clockwise order starting top left, colour printed cards and poster from "Ruptured Domesticity" project, a handwritten lyric sheet on rulled paper by Mo Bottomley, a small colou-printed 'zine titled "Episoded in two flats and an office" by Sef Penrose, a colour printed and coil-bound picture book called "The Leak" by Tim Britton, a thick, hardcover artist monogram titled "Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Significant Moments: Documenting an Artist's Research and Processes" by Lisa Watts, a grey artist's cataglogue called "Materials of REsistance" by Clare Thornton, and a sheaf of loose printed papers making up a publications called "Neighbourhood 1. (Series 1:3 2021) by Merrydith Russell.

In September, 2023 the RML project was featured in a week-long artist residency and artist talk and book exchange event at 37 Looe Street, Plymouth, UK. 37 Looe Street is a wonderful small-scale arts centre in an historic site that once held a larger regional art centre and vegan restaurant. Angela Piccini and Sef Penrose have taken on the property with a mandate to offer residencies and events that serve a local arts ecosystem. The talk and book exchange was an evening event that was jam-packed with content, people, and artist book exchanges.

The artist talk and book exchange was an opportunity to focus on the most recent RML publication, Henry Frederick Terry (1907-1980) ~ I Remember by Ginger Mason (Victoria). Ginger Mason joined the event on zoom from Canada and graciously took part in the discussion. The story of Mason’s grandfather’s origins in East London and migration as an underage farm labourer to Canada had resonance for those at the event who knew of the London locations Fred Terry left as a 12 year old.

The event also noted the delivery of Renegade Library Box #14 to 37 Looe Street’s emerging artist book collection. The location has been uploaded to the global RL map. Like most of the other boxes I carried RL Box #14 in my luggage. At the event we toured through its contents: 22 book objects from the 1998 exhibition (Renegade Library, Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba), a copy of the original catalogue that was sent to each of the participants in 1998, a few additional related items that were generated following the exhibition, a DVD copy of Margaret Dragu’s Verb Woman: A Discreet Dictionary, the RML library, and bosque brotante.

Also available for exchange at the 37 Looe Street book exchange were print copies of these books that I brought in my luggage:

In the place of RML books and the RL Box, these delightful items from the book exchange came home with me:

  • Tim Britton, The Leak (a full colour, coil-bound, graphic tale of a safari aimed at resolving a gush of water; produced by Forkbeard Fantasy, Somerset, UK, in 2015).
  • Mo Bottomley and Mélisande Fitzsimons, Tractatus de armore et de armorisiemedio (hand written song lyrics performed by Bottomley and Fitzsimons on August 16, 2023).
  • Dr. Sana Murrani (project lead) and participants, Ruptured Domesticity: mapping spaces of refuge in Iraq (documentation in the form of cards and poster from a 2023 exhibition hosted by LSE Middle East Centre and LSE Arts Atrium Gallery, London). https://ruptureddomesticity.org/
  • Dr. Sana Murrani (project lead) and participants, Refugees Mapping Memories: An Exhibition of Creative Recovery (pamphlet from a 2019 exhibition at <UNDER>[behind KARST], Plymouth, UK. https://mappingcreativerecovery.org/
  • Sef Penrose, Episodes in two flats and an office (small colour zine published by 37 Looe Street, Plymouth, UK).
  • Merrydith Russell with others, Neighbourhood 1. / Series 1:3 2021 (one of three publications responding to approaches to neighbourood in Kingston Upon Thames).
  • Clare Thornton, Materials of Resistance (a publication produced in conjunction with a 2018 solo exhibition of the late Clare Thornton at the Plymouth Arts Centre, the location now occupied by 37 Looe Street).
  • Lisa Watts, Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Significant Momements: Documenting an Artist’s Research and Processes (a hard covered, multi-coloured document reflecting on Lisa Watts’ 2013-2014 performance art hosted by Spacex in Exeter, Vane in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and The Tetley in Leeds). Lisa Watts was the inaugural Clare Thornton Memorial Residency (CTMR) artist at 37 Looe Street in 2020.
An open spread from the book "Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Significant Moments: Documenting an Artist's Research and Processes" by Lisa Watts. The pages include 3 images of the artist in solo performances: a single figure wearing a shiny gold-coloured pantsuit and with brown hair in a bob cut, in a white walled room with polished wood plank floor. The artist walks and stands near a box with a brown cushion and white shoes. In one photo she is putting the shoes on. There are white powdered foot prints on the floor.
The cover of the book "Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Significant Moments: Documenting an Artist's Research and Processes" by Lisa Watts. The title is embossed and printed in red ink on the creamy white board cover. The spine of the book is yellow.
Loose papers making up the publications called "Neighbourhood 1. (Series 1:3 2021) by Merrydith Russell are spread out on a grey table.
A grey artist's catalogue called "Materials of Resistance" from the exhibition by Clare Thornton.
A small poster from "Ruptured Domesticity" project by Sana Murrani and project participants. Picturing a grid formation, the poster features 15 illustrations of houses of refuge in Iraq made into folded models in brown tones.
The cover of the exhibition brochure "Refugees Mapping Memories" that includes a stylized picture of red pushpins holding intersecting red strings with notes attached to each point.
A worn, lined sheet of paper with a set of song lyrics hand written in ink.
A spread from the artist book "Episodes in two flats and an office" by Sef Penrose. Pictured on the left is a colour drawing of a piece of wall paper featuring fragements of green ivy. On the right, the text appears to be a copy of old news type. It reads, "Ivy - European colonists introduced English ivy to Virginia as early as 1727. It is an aggressive invader."
A page from the book "The Leak" by Tim Britton. In it, a small boy in safari gear reaches for the inside door knob of an old British apartment. Under the door, water from the hallway is leaking into the apartment. The boy is accompanied by a scruffy small dog, and a tiny black cat. The floor has wooden floorboards and a red carpet appears to cover most of the room's floor.
Angela Piccini (L) holds RL Box#14 While Lois Klassen (R) holds a handful of artist books that have been traded for the box. Angela is wearing dark, shirt-sleaved coveralls with a front zipper. She has salt and pepper colored hair. Lois is wearing a pale pink button-down shirt with a darker pink v-necked sweater. Both have light-coloured skin. Lois has short dark brown hair and glasses.
Lois Klassen (L) holds a folded paper with song lyrics and Mo Bottemley (R) holds copies of RML books. Lois is wearing a pale pink button-down shirt with a darker pink v-necked sweater. Both have light-coloured skin. Lois has short dark brown hair and glasses. Mo has hair pulled back in a pony tail. He is wearing a grey vest over a wine-coloured collarless shirt. Lois and Mo are smiling excitedly.
Sana Murrani (L) is holding 3 RML publications. Sana is wearing a purple collarless pullover. Sana has loosely curled salt and pepper coloured short hair. Lois is wearing a pale pink button-down shirt with a darker pink v-necked sweater. Lois has short dark brown hair and glasses.
Lois Klassen's laptop displays Ginger Mason (L) and Lois Klassen (R) in conversation using zoom. In the background, the screen is projected on the wall. In between there is the back of an audience member's head. They have dark red hair.

Looking through the rain-marked bay window of 37 Looe Street, RL Box#14 and various books from the RML project are seen arranged on the interior window sill. The exterior window frame is painted in bright blue.

Lois Klassen

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