In the Palour

2011-09-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

We're top of the bill (how nice) at The Manchester Print Fair tomorrow (Sunday 25th September). We'll be occupying the stage with a reading room / grandma (with excellent taste in reading material) sitting room set-up from 11am - 5pm.

It'll be real nice - we don't even care if you buy anything - reading is our only aim.

Night and Day Cafe

26 Oldham Street

Northern Quarter

Manchester

M1 1JN

2011-08-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

the reading room
at
the kenton
kenton road
Hackney
London
E9 7AB

Wayzgoose

2011-05-03T03:02:00.000-07:00

A little pic of our Reading Room for the Hotbed Press Wayzgoose last weekend...

Sights

2011-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Wayzgoose! (Salford style...)As part of Sights from the Other City as part of Sounds From the Other City...This Sat and Sun at Hotbed Press. We have a little corner of books for you to have a look at...As well as this there will also be lots of lovely prints to buy and you can have a nosy round Hotbed Press if you fancy too...

CALL FOR APPROPRIATIONS...

2011-03-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

Help a Parlour Presser on her latest endeavor.
(feel free to reblog/forward)
I would like to invite all blog followers and beyond to participate in the following project:

Words shift in meaning based on subjective experiences and encounters with language. This shifting shapes interpretation of speech and text. This is an investigation into how different people approach text, language and form in order to gain understanding and where this leaves both author and audience. Through the handling and interpreting of this text users are generating their own narratives, perhaps then we could form a new united author based on our differences.

How to participate....
I am inviting you to take ownership of a piece of text. To write/mark upon the sheet of paper as you might do with a theoretical or academic writing. Creating a sort of map of your approach to the text. Interrogate it, change it, edit it, define it, critique it, re-write it, empathise with it, engage with it... do whatever you like as long as you act upon the page. APPROPRIATE IT.
 
The result will be a rewriting of the original text in order to make it more complete through collective understanding/interpretations, or more flawed text as intention may have all together deteriorated. The rewritten text will be generated by you, the reader who through reading, understanding and marking the sheet will become a part of the collective author.

The collated responses and rewritten text will then be reproduced in the form of a publication.
To participate simply download the image, print, digest the contents, appropriate the text and then return it to me via email.
Please forward the image to any one else that may also be interested in participating
(please cc usergeneration@gmail.com to help keep track of the project, I will not hound you with emails I promise)

If you would prefer a hard copy of the text please send postal address to ::::::::: usergeneration@gmail.com :::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

INSTRUCTIONS:
THE TEXT:

::::::::::::::
usergeneration@gmail.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
www.usergenerated-text.tumblr.com
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Leeds Artist Book Fair 2011

2011-03-03T13:57:00.001-08:00

Scans of the most recent PP book piece 'If you Lived in This Town.' Images stolen from Casablanca (1942) and words by Aidan John Moffat (International Valentine 2008). Laser printed and stapled with love (by Caitlin). Thankyou Dave Arthur for the idea...we will be selling this book and a few others at The Leeds Art Book Fair next weekend (11-12 March) with Hotbed Press. If you are in Leeds, you should come.

Zine Fair at The Art Corner

2011-02-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

Pictures from last Saturdays Zine Fair at The Art Corner, Fallowfield, made a little beer money and caught up with some old pals. Above are screen prints made @HotBedPress. Watch this space for more residency news and new work!

Zine fair this Saturday

2011-02-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

We'll be at The Art Corner, Fallowfield this Saturday 12th February from 12 - 5pm. Pop down to see us!

Hot Bed Press

2011-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we went to look round Hot Bed Press, our new residency home for six months. Excited to make some new stuff and make the most of our time there...

Manchester Artist Book Fair 2010

2010-11-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was the Manchester Artist Book Fair in the Holden Gallery at Manchester School of Art as organised by Hot Bed Press. It was a lovely day for Parlour Press as we found out we are soon to be artists in residence at the amazing Hot Bed Press studio in Salford for six whole months!! There will be more news on this soon...But for now here is an Instax pic of a couple of Parlour Press girls.

Piccadilly Self Publishing Fair and Exhibition and Ffotogallery Book Arts Fayre‏

2010-11-02T12:46:00.001-07:00

Parlour Press recently attended the wonderful (and rainy!) Piccadilly Self Publishing Fair as organised by cool friends (and fellow Parlour Pressers) Piccadilly Projects. Some of our work was also on display in the following Piccadilly Self Publishing Exhibition...A good week for artists books all round. Also last month we got down to Penarth's Ffotogallery Book Arts Fayre. A fun day out across the border!

Up and Coming

2010-11-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

This Saturday (6th November )Parlour Press will be returning to the fifth Manchester Artist Book Fair in the Holden Gallery at Manchester School of Art, Cavendish Street, Manchester, held this year by Hot Bed Press! We will be selling our new hand bound beauties as well as some old faves, so pop down for a peruse and a purchase!

New kids on the book block

2009-11-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

We set up shop...

... conjured up some prices...

... cut up some flyers...

... as we were not expecting to sell anything, we had no bags, so envelopes had to be adapted...

... then we were ready for the crowds

There was a certain naivety that came with Parlour Press' first artist book fair. We hoped it was endearing as opposed to unprofessional.

A successful day for the new kids.

Welcome to the parlour.

2009-11-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Castle Hotel, Thursday 9th July.
Five girls meet, three are recent graphic design graduates, two are photography students. The designers have seen the photographers around, as, in turn have the photographers seen the designers. Sheepish glances across the communal bindery, brief friendly smiles then back to sewing some spines, or covering some grey board in cloth. A quick awkward grin across the MMU's Mac suite whilst paginating, Indesigning, Photoshopping, and manual feeding.

They meet, in the Parlour of the Old Castle Hotel, transforming it into a small library of beautiful handcrafted books - an exhibiton entitled "The Reading Room". The two groups had barely known each other a day yet immediately bond over a love for books, words, images, zines and bone folders. Over the five hours we exhibited, masses of people piled into the cozy Parlour, each taking a seat around the sofa'd perimeter of the room, picking up a book and absorbing themselves in its contents. The contents varied, witty words playing with each other, surreal stories, close encounters, mozart, stalking, slang, food maps, conversation, idiolect, story boxes, zines, photographs and a bible. All over looked by the words of Castle Hotel Regular Celek Perkin "A Book and a beer and I'm happy".

We were questioned by our guests, praised by them, had our hands shaken by them... And then there was Geoff... In Lucy Vann's words:

"The Reading Room exhibition was a great deal of fun, despite an encounter with local Geoff. He gave me a long lecture on the history of the Northern Quarter. The subtext being, people like me are ruining the spirit of Manchester. Geoff then probed me as to what my books were about; Was I selling them? Which bit is artistic about them? What is the point of them? How am I going to make a career out of this? Assuming I hadn't already been asking myself this constantly, for about a year. He told me The Smiths' song 'Cemetry Gates' was written about the time "me and my mates beat up Morrissey in a cemetry, Obnoxious Bastard." Nice Guy!"

Despite Geoff we had a successful evening and vowed to take the books on tour.

This is what we are about...

Who?
Parlour Press is a book collective founded on the love of handcrafted books. No ISBN's allowed, we are self publishers.

Mandi Goodier

www.mandigoodier.co.uk

Caitlin Howard

www.caitlinscountry.blogspot.com

Sophie Lee

www.sophiemeganlee.blogspot.com

Libby Scarlett

www.libbyscarlett.co.uk

Lucy Vann

www.lucy-vann.blogspot.com

What?
Our books focus on language, narrative, alternative communication, what you see is not always what you get.

Where?
We aim to take our books to the far corners of the United Kingdom seeking out unusual and beautiful libraries and reading spots.

Why?
We all still have the naivety to say that money, that a steady job, that a stable home, that procreation, that ownership of land, that bricks and mortar, that wealth, are not (yet) important, are not the meaning of life, are not our destiny, will not define our purpose.

We still have the naivety to say that literature, that beautiful places, that observation, that human frailty, that excessive collections, that new experience, that shared experience, that self expression, that fragile talent, that subversive pages, that sharing, that showing, that embracing everyone and everything will somehow make the world a better place to live in. That love and experience needs to be shared, can be spread over everybody like soft butter.

Because we are young enough to dream, because we are old enough to know that time will not wait, we believe that this moment is all we have - we are going to make the most of it.

We wish to share our thoughts, our views, our obsessions, our eccentricities, our expression, our experience, our aches, our pains, our ecstasy, our minds, our craft, our talent, our skills, our passions with you. We hope that you oblige.

We will not sell out, we are not old enough to sell out. We will encourage beauty and story telling and share our art until it is absolutely necessary, absolutely essential to get a proper job!

Wait, so, er, what's your purpose again?
To stick it to Geoff - Screw you Geoff!

Contemporary book makers or contemporary close vocal harmony group for the hip kids? You decide.

Dig our work? Got something to show us? Have any propositions?
Drop us an email parlourpress@gmail.com