Vol VI MG SPBH
Photographs by Melinda Gibson
SPBH Editions, London, 2014
Hardcover, Lithography, Each book smoked
15 x 20cm
144 pages, 140 colour plates
Edition of 300, Signed & Numbered
SPBH Book Club VI is a forensic exploration of loss and renewal by artist Melinda Gibson. During a fire at her South London studio, Gibson watched as smoke and water poured into the space. Her response at the time was instinctive and visceral, taping large format negatives to the walls, exposing them to these elements and watching as they abstracted, each one becoming an alluring record of what happened there. In the aftermath, she combed through what remained, analyzing and photographing material and drawing it together in the form of a book. The making of the book itself became a cathartic process of understanding and survival.
In a ritualistic act of defiance, each book is ‘smoked’ by Gibson in hand built smokehouse and sealed in plastic to contain the scent – each one becoming a unique, sensorial object offering an experience that transcends the pages of the book.
Melinda Gibson (b. 1985) is a British artist based in London.
REVIEWS
Colin Pantall Reviews
Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam
The Guardian
LISTS
Photo-Eyes Best Books of 2014