SALT+SHAW
Celebrating 21 years of making limited edition and artefact books.
Our books are tactile and intimate, revealing and enclosing their stories through words, pictures, found objects, collage, drawing and print. Structure, experimentation and construction are vital; uniting the physicality of making with the creative development of each book and its inextricably linked contents. Our work creates a narrative, by exploring themes and ideas and also appealing to the senses: the sound of a cover opening, the creak of metal hinges; the feel of textured surfaces; the smell of wood, ink and leather; the discovery of hidden text and objects.
We began making books together via a long route through painting, drawing, writing, installation, printmaking, sculpture and photography. As SALT+SHAW, working on location underpins our practice. We have a history of exploring cities and wild places, rummaging around in junk shops and museums, searching shorelines and following routes or rivers. This has resulted in a reflex action to collect objects and information, gather ideas, create journals, take photographs, write and make images. These raw materials gradually reveal their content, narrative and structure.
The book is an ideal format for our work, enabling us to combine individual interests and ways of working. We have developed a joined-up approach to making books together, either led by one of us and underpinned by mutual support, or co-produced as a joint piece through a process of negotiation, discussion and sheer bloody mindedness.
SALT+SHAW
Making limited edition and artefact books since 2002
In the collections of:
The British Library, London; Tate Britain Library, London; National Art Library, V&A Museum, London; Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton; Glasgow School of Art; University of the West of England, Bristol; The Wellcome Trust, London; York University; London College of Communication; Chelsea College of Art and Design, London; Coventry University; Teesside University; University of Arts, Bournemouth; Manchester Metropolitan University; Neil Crawford, London; Books On Books and private collectors in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia
Solo exhibitions:
'Taking A Journey' - University of the West of England, 2024
'Taking A Journey' - Winchester School of Art and University of Southampton, 2023
‘Travelogue’ - Bookartbookshop, London, 2015
‘On Location’ - University of the West of England, 2010
Group exhibitions:
‘Ghosts In The Machine’ World Book Night 2022 - Bower Ashton Library, University of the West of England, Bristol and Hong Kong Design Institute Library (LRC)
‘Room 103: A Tribute To George Orwell’ – Oriel Q Gallery, Narberth, Wales, 2022
‘Winter Collection’ – Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester, 2019
‘Room 103: A Tribute To George Orwell’ - Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester, 2018
‘Fashion and Sustainability’ – Winchester School of Art, 2018
‘Redesigning The Medieval Book’- Bower Ashton Library, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2018
‘Bound To Bristol’ - University of the West of England, Bristol, 2018
‘Material Matters’ - Manchester Metropolitan University, 2014
‘Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh’ - Academy of Makers, Sheffield, 2014
‘Sense of Place in Artists’ Books’ - Architecture and Landscape Library, University of Minnesota, USA, 2012
‘Regenerator II’ – University of the West of England, Bristol, 2010
‘Small’ - Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh, 2010
‘The Art of The Book: Journals Then and Now’ – Gallery 210, University of Missouri, USA; University of the West of England, Bristol and Winchester School of Art, 2010
‘Place, Memory and Identity’ – Gracefield Art Gallery, Dumfries and touring Dumfries and Galloway, 2009 – 2010
‘Inkubator 2’ – Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, 2009
‘Small, Smaller, Smallest’ – Bristol Central Library, 2009
‘Sitting Room, Another Room’ – Almeda, California, 2008; Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, 2007
‘Arcadia Id Est’ – Noosa Regional Gallery, Queensland, Australia; Rhode Island School of Art and Design, Providence, USA; National Print Museum of Ireland and Washington University Libraries, St. Louis, USA, 2007
‘Bibliomania’ – Holden Gallery, Manchester, 2007
‘Inkubator’ – Edinburgh Printmakers, 2007
‘Regenerator Altered Books Project’ - Off Centre Gallery, Bristol, 2007
‘Sitting Room’ - The Enschede Academy of Visual Arts, Netherlands; Artist’s Book
Exhibition Area, University of the West of England, Bristol; Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge; Permanent Gallery, Brighton and Winchester Art Gallery, 2007
‘Sitting Room’ - Alsager Arts Centre, Cheshire; Manchester Craft & Design Centre and touring UK, 2006
‘Arcadia Id Est’ - University of the West of England, Bristol; TRACE Gallery, Weymouth, 2005 and touring worldwide until 2008
Recent artists’ book fairs:
Pages, University of Leeds, 2023
BABE (Bristol Artists Book Event), 2022
Small Publishers’ Fair, London, 2018 and 2019
International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair, Tetley, Leeds 2017 and 2018
Previously: BABE, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol; Glasgow International Artists’ Book Fair; Manchester Metropolitan University Artists’ Book Fair; Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair, University of Leeds; By Leaves We Live, Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh; BALTIC Artists’ Book Fair, Newcastle upon Tyne; Pagemakers, Cirencester; Small Publishers’ Fair, London.
Talks, workshops and bespoke books include:
'Ravine' - talk and book launch, BABE 2022
‘Collaboration and Dissent – How We Make Books Together’ talk, Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh and Pagemakers Artists’ Book Fair, Cirencester
‘Word, Image, Object’ talk and writing workshop, Bank Street Arts, Sheffield
Workshops - book structures and bindings, prose and poetry writing, painting, drawing, printing and mixed media workshops, projects and courses.
‘The Book of Matt Black’ – commissioned by Writing Yorkshire, Sheffield
‘Blank Books' - 4 x A2, 250 page books, private commission
Book bindings for promotion of new book cloth, for Ratchford's, Stockport
Written by us:
'SALT+SHAW: Taking A Journey' - Book Arts Newsletter No.159 March - mid-April 2024
'SALT+SHAW On Location' - The Blue Notebook, Vol.18 No. 1 Autumn - Winter 2023
'SALT+SHAW: 21 Years of Collaboration' - Book Arts Newsletter, No.155 September - October 2023 (cover artists)
Written about us:
'Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of Steingruber's Architectural Alphabet' - R. Bolick, The Blue Notebook, 2022
‘Books On Books Collection - SALT+SHAW’ – R. Bolick, Books On Book, 2019
‘Artists’ Books #28 SALT+SHAW’ – Sarah Bodman, Artists’ Newsletter, 2018
‘Book Making Book Art – Architecture’ – R. Bolick, Books On Books, 2018
‘Balancing Act: The Inextricably Bound Book Works of SALT+SHAW’ – Linda Newington, The Artist’s Book Year Book, Impact Press, 2012-2013
‘Artefact Books: Towards a Multi-field, Analytical Framework for Literary Research’ – Jen Smith, Ph.D dissertation, 2011
‘A Brief History of Artefact Books: Paul Salt’s York’ - Jen Smith, conference paper for ‘Thinking About Things’ University College Dublin, 2009
