In 2001 Contemporary Artists Books & Related Events was established by artists John McDowall and Chris Taylor as an umbrella organisation for developing and overseeing a number of related artist book projects. One of these, ARCHIVE, exists as a collection of artists’ books, catalogues and documentation, an accessible and tangible resource available as a portable exhibition.

The collection comprises 55 artists’ book works, the majority of which were purchased from participants at the 2001 and 2002 International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fairs held at Dean Clough, Halifax and aims to provide a cross-section of the type of media used and content produced during that particular period of research.

From the very beginning ARCHIVE was defined by three criteria: a decision to incorporate a diverse range of production techniques, a set budget and, most importantly, to highlight the array of conceptual experimentation currently at play within the structure and function of the book format. Whilst the term ‘archive’ may suggest something historic rather than a reflection of the present, this archive remains a snapshot of recent contemporary practice in which the genre of artists’ books is explored, discussed and disseminated to both dedicated and new audiences through what I have previously termed “a living history”. 

ARCHIVE started life at the very beginning of this Contemporary Artists Books & Related Events project, well before a number of the books that now reside in it had even been considered or produced and still has the potential to grow and change. ARCHIVE provides an educational resource to inform and inspire an audience through the book’s natural interplay of space, rhythm and sequence, something it successfully continues to do on a daily basis.

The contents of the collection are documented in an index, a ring-bound series of cards. As well as providing details on the artist, imprint, media and date of publication, these cards contain a short description of the book written and compiled by the curators. The individual descriptions are intended as stepping-stones towards understanding each particular book work and providing the reader/viewer with an opening into some of the more abstract concepts and formats: 55 thoughts inspired by 55 objects – a collection and a new book work in itself.