Making New Worlds: Li Yuan-chia & Friends is the first book to document the extraordinary activity at the LYC Museum & Art Gallery in Banks, Cumbria between 1972 and 1983. The LYC was the singleminded effort of the artist Li Yuan-chia, who moved to the rural North of England by way of London, Bologna, Taipei and Guangxi, China. At the LYC, Li organized exhibitions, published books, exhibited archelogical artifacts, arranged workshops and welcomed an array of visitors from local and international artists and art workers to nearby residents and travelers, many of whom became friends. In this book, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name at Kettle’s Yard, the curators Hammad Nasar, Amy Tobin and Sarah Victoria Turner, establish Li’s work at the LYC as a form of worldmaking, connecting his cosmic conceptual art practice, to his interest in participation and friendship as well as his engagement with nature and the landscape. Nasar, Tobin and Turner’s account is accompanied by nine short texts – by Elizabeth Fisher, Ysanne Holt, Annie Jael Kwan, Lesley Ma, Gustavo Grandal Montero, Luke Roberts, Nick Sawyer & Harriet Aspin, Nicola Simpson and Diana Yeh – that trace the diverse threads and ramifications of Li’s practice historically and in the present. Richly illustrated, Making New Worlds offers a provocative new way of thinking the history of British art in the 20th century.
October 21, 1982. Three singers stand on the steps of the High Court with large cheques and broken dreams. The women are Annie (Annabel Leventon, the book’s author), GB (Gaye Brown), and Di-Di (Diane Langton). Their dream was of a British three-woman rock band, unique and different from anything that had gone before. They called themselves Rock Bottom. They were raunchy, rude and hilarious – the contemporary media described them as ‘a cross between the female Rolling Stones and the female Marx Brothers’ – and they nearly made it.
Until Thames Television stole everything and made a major award-winning series called Rock Follies, about them, based on them, but without them. It made stars of the three lookalikes playing them. And they lost everything.
A common enough tale of showbiz betrayal. Except that they fought back. At the offset of the Court trial, the Head of Drama at Thames TV sarcastically quipped, ‘three little actresses against the might of EMI?’ Forget it, the three ladies were told. Move on. They didn’t. They took the case to the High Court and won. Breach of Confidence is now on the Statute Books and it has become one of the defining cases in Intellectual Property.
The Real Rock Follies is a real-life story of youthful trust betrayed, dreams of stardom dashed and cruel lessons learnt. The three girls, then in their late twenties, learned too late that in the harsh showbiz world you can hardly trust anyone, not even your friends. However, despite everything, they got the last laugh. Their promising career couldn’t be returned to them but they enjoyed the huge satisfaction (both emotional and financial) that the ruling confirmed that the creative concept behind Rock Follies was fully theirs.
Although Muzharul Islam (1923–2012) is already regarded as an important pioneer of tropical Modernity, his work is hardly known internationally outside the context of its development in today’s Bangladesh. This first internationally published monograph presents Islam’s career, approach and a series of exceptional buildings and projects to a wider audience.
Many themes that shape current global architectural debate are already addressed in the groundbreaking ideas and buildings of Muzharul Islam: climate-sensitive architecture, overcoming colonial mindsets, social engagement and self-sufficiency are aspects that Islam unceasingly investigated from the beginning of his career in the early 1950s.
His ideas are no less relevant today than those of Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi and Charles Correa, translating the often abstract conceptual construct of Modern building into a sensorial, approachable and contextual architecture that naturally integrates its users’ way of life.
Islam, who studied in the USA and England in the 1950s and 1960s, called for Modern architecture that was compatible with the local climate and culture, without lapsing into provincialism or unthinking internationalism. In keeping with his ideal of intercultural dialogue, he managed to attract international protagonists such as his teacher Paul Rudolph, his fellow student Stanley Tigerman and ultimately Louis I. Kahn to carry out important building tasks in his homeland.
Numerous contemporary photographs, plans and reproductions of Islam’s masterful original drawings take the readership on a voyage of discovery. Essays by former companions and the editors present multifaceted perspectives on Islam’s work, placing him within a historical context and current global interconnections.
Beyoncé is a force of nature. Her iconic songs, viral dance moves and daring acts of defiance are always delivered in sensational style. In the words of fashion legend Thierry Mugler, she represents ‘the duality between being a woman and a warrior’. Strutting and sashaying in Valentino leopard-print catsuits and her signature thigh-high boots, Queen B is more than just a glamor puss extraordinaire. She’s a leader and an inspiration. Messages of self-empowerment and inner strength define her wardrobe as much as they electrify her songs. Her fashion connoisseurship has led to partnerships with numerous big names. Versace, Bottega, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton are just a few of the brands saluted in her 2022 Renaissance album, and Anna Wintour even handed Bey creative control of the September 2018 issue of American Vogue. Perfect for fans and fashionistas, Beyoncé and the Clothes She Wears charts her sartorial journey, from Destiny’s Child to the present day, in glorious visual detail.
Mixing Roman and medieval roots, Chichester sits at the heart of a storied landscape where South Down hills dotted with idyllic hamlets ripple back from a shoreline mixing wild dune-backed beaches with old-school seaside resorts. Reminders of smuggling and war add spice.
But a thrilling thread of modernity runs through this slice of West Sussex too. Chichester’s modernist Festival Theatre provided the foundation for London’s National Theatre, while masterpieces of contemporary architecture that draw admirers from around the world include Sea Lane House in East Preston and The White Tower in Bognor Regis.
Evocative ancient memorials abound. Chichester is blessed with the only English cathedral visible from the sea, while England’s largest castle rises above the ravishing – and cosmopolitan – riverside town of Arundel. Ancient yew trees mark the burial spots of Viking warriors in an idyllic Downland spot. And it’s a land vibrant with creative imprints: poets, painters, composers, from Blake and Keats to Joyce and Chagall.
This guidebook takes you exploring Chichester and its surroundings to find incomparable natural beauty, hidden secrets, astonishing history, art of all kinds, and much more.
Often referred to as Canada’s ‘Evergreen Playground’ Vancouver is a unique and breathtakingly beautiful city nestled between the ocean, mountains and forests. Its pristine fresh surroundings and mild laid back climate has always attracted artists, writers, thinkers and tinkers, and dreamers of every variety; over time they have left their indelible creative mark on this relatively young city. The outcome is a treasure trove of hidden sculptures, secret tree forts, quirky coffee shops, undiscovered galleries, eclectic stores, totem poles and bike lanes that wind around floatplanes and houseboats. From the glistening new glass and chrome towers of Downtown, to the worn cobblestone streets of Gastown, and the red pagodas of Chinatown, each neighborhood in the city contributes to a rich cultural mosaic. Diversity is not only celebrated in Vancouver, but it’s as widespread as the city’s frequent rain showers. Just as the seawall, which winds its way around Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park presents a new and fresh attraction around every corner, 111 Places Vancouver puts you on a path to discover new insights and perspectives on Canada’s beloved west coast gem.
Stephen Ellcock’s Book of Textiles is a unique collaboration between bestselling author Stephen Ellcock and textile expert Karun Thakar. Together, they share an inspiring vision of the world through the medium of textiles, leading the reader on a journey into the splendors of nature and the infinite complexities of the human condition.
A social-media sensation, Ellcock is widely known for his online curation of artworks, while Thakar owns one of the world’s most important and varied textile collections. Through a spellbinding selection of more than 200 of the most significant, extraordinary and distinctive pieces in Thakar’s collection, these pages cover everything from fashion, costume and adornment to pattern and design, rituals and magic, pure abstraction and the sublime.
Combining Ellcock’s singular vision with Thakar’s expert eye, Stephen Ellcock’s Book of Textiles is a ground-breaking compendium of wonders and a must-read for anybody with an interest in art and visual culture, as well as textile devotees, experts and enthusiasts.
Back in their ’90s heyday, the Spice Girls were unstoppable. Their individual style choices and Britpop-tastic attitude aimed a defiant kick at the cultural status quo, defining a new era of British creativity and challenging the male-dominated music industry to change. With their unapologetic energy and knockout charisma, they launched a global pop-culture tidal wave, while their rallying cry of ‘Girl Power!’ changed the face of feminism almost overnight.
Featuring insights from bestselling author Terry Newman, Spice Girls and the Clothes They Wear celebrates their iconic outfits from the early days to their grown-up designer wardrobes. From Scary Spice’s animal prints to the story of Ginger Spice’s repurposed Union Jack tea towel, their bold looks once epitomized Y2K fashion and continue to occupy a special place in our hearts. Amid rumors of a massive reunion for the upcoming 30th anniversary of their formation, this latest addition to a popular celebrity series is perfect for fashionistas and Spice Girls fans, young and old.
This book presents the richness, diversity and strength of the work of the most famous street art artist in the world… and yet nobody knows his identity. We are invited to follow the evolution of the artist from England to the United States, France, Israel and the Ukraine, and through more than a hundred emblematic works, all explained. This is the original Catalog Raisonné of the Banksy Museum, in which all these works are reproduced in their urban contexts, allowing the general public to discover them in a realistic way and to grasp their strength, including those that have been stolen or defaced and no longer exist.
The monumental 17th century Solebay Tapestry series captures the first major naval battle of the third Anglo-Dutch war (1672-1674), which took place off the coast of England. Of the 12 tapestries created after drawings by the artist Willem van de Velde the Elder (who witnessed the battle firsthand), two are in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. The first tapestry shows the burning of the flagship of the English fleet, the Royal James. The other depicts the two war fleets as they line up in a long line, ready to continue the battle the next morning. This is the first book in a series that highlights the objects in the National Maritime Museum of the Netherlands.
The Bayeux Tapestry is impressive in its initial richness and, almost a thousand years after it was made, miraculously preserved. Entirely needle-embroidered in colored woolen threads, it recounts the conquest of the Kingdom of England by Duke William of Normandy. The universal significance of this secular masterpiece from the eleventh century has earned it a place on UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” register. This beautiful book unfolds the whole work with accompanying detailed commentaries. It provides an update on current research, bringing together two erudite points of view from both sides of the Channel.
Sparkling wine has delighted humanity for nearly 500 years. It has become essential at celebratory meals, a toast to new marriages, new babies, new jobs, and is even used to launch ships, but there’s more to it than the fizzy and festive. In Fizz!, Anthony Rose takes an in-depth look at sparkling wines around the world, exploring how and where they are made, and why they are such a joy to drink.
The first part of Fizz! delves into the history of sparkling wine, including early accidents and experiments in sparkling winemaking, its nineteenth-century surge in popularity (and associated debauchery) and the breakthroughs in vineyard and cellar that ensured Champagne’s place among the great wines of the world. Rose then goes on to detail fizz-making techniques, from the traditional method to pet nat, and explores the terroirs and grapes suited to producing the wines, from the Champagne trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier to the native varieties producing compelling effervescence worldwide.
Following a look at the science behind the bubbles, Rose begins his global quest in search of sparkling wines. Traveling Europe, from Portugal to Moldova, he samples Cava from Spain, proves there’s more to France than Champagne, finds out why southern England makes some of the world’s best bubbles, discovers Sekt secrets of the Germans and explores Italy beyond the Prosecco that began the new fashion for fizz. Journeying further afield, Rose recommends the best fizz from California, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, tastes some of South Africa’s Cap Classique and even finds sparklers of note in Japan and China.
This comprehensive celebration of sparkling wine is rounded off with thorough appendices, making it essential reading for wine lovers and students of wine.
“I have never read a text which goes even half as far as this one in expressing the particular poignancy which lay at the heart of the impressionist movement. I say this as an art critic. As a novelist I would simply like to pay my tribute to the mastery of language, portraiture and storytelling which Figes has now at her command.” – John Berger
“A small masterpiece” – Susan Hill
“A luminous prose poem” – Joyce Carol Oates
This shimmering novel is an extraordinary portrait of a day in the life of an artist at work and at home. In prose as luminous as the colors Monet is using to portray his garden, Eva Figes guides us from dawn (‘midnight blueblack growing grey and misty’) through midday (‘the sun was high now… shrinking what little shadow remained, fading colors, the pink rambler roses on the fence by the railway track looked almost white’) to evening (‘the tide of shadows rising as the sunset glow faded outside.’) Monet’s wife, grieving for a lost daughter; a living daughter, fretting that she will not be able to marry the man she loves; their friend the abbé, eating and drinking with them; two children playing, closest to Monet in the freshness and certainty of their vision; all experiencing in different ways the richness of the light that Monet works unceasingly to pin down in his last, great paintings.
Born in 1935 in France, Jean-Louis Avril studied architecture at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Technique is central to his building process. He is passionate about jazz and is interested in American minimal art, particularly the work of Donald Judd. This monograph traces his career and focuses on his furniture, which represents the taste and aspirations of a generation of baby boomers. The choice of Celloderm, a derivative of cardboard, allows for a simple and accurate design language. The solutions display strong ideas: a beautiful shape, a practical function, an accessible price. His creations are very successful. With the creation of the company Marty-Lac (Carton Applications) in 1967 associated with his father-in-law, he achieved commercial success by developing numerous models of furniture, seats, tables, bed, shelves and lighting. They offer a strategy, a catalog, sales outlet and export to England with Hull traders. Faithful to his commitment as an architect, he also imagines interior spaces with great spatial efficiency.
Text in French.
Worldwide heart-throbs BTS exploded onto the internet in 2010 with their infectious tunes and youthful looks. As cheeky as the Beatles and as stylish as Rihanna, these electric, rapping, K-pop crooners have brought a fresh dose of Korean culture to the Western World, along with a series of awesome outfits.
From the close harmonies of their stage-show uniforms to the fabulous discordance of their solo styles, BTS have dressed for success from day one. And it’s no wonder – every announcement, every new song and every social media post is met with a web-breaking rapture. Having changed the face of the music biz forever, their ascent to the highest reaches of pop stardom continues to defy borders, language barriers and cultural differences everywhere.
The perfect gift for fans and fashionistas alike, BTS and the Clothes They Wear celebrates the Bangtan Boys’ biggest fashion mic drops.
“Those looking to further explore the Monroe mystique can delve into “Marilyn Monroe Style,” (ACC Art Books) by Terry Newman.” — WWD
“If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Marilyn Monroe think again. Terry Newman is a masterful writer with a forensically investigative style, revealing so much more about Monroe’s role as a fashion influencer than the bombshell sex goddess in shimmering sequins, that became shorthand for her image.” — Forbes
“Eternally stylish…How Marilyn Monroe continues to influence fashion today.” — Tempus Magazine
Marilyn Monroe’s world was the stuff of fairy-tale – the orphan who conquered Hollywood and hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world before her untimely death in 1962.
Marilyn Monroe Style celebrates Marilyn’s impact on fashion by revealing the influence of her many iconic looks. Her wardrobe encompassed sensual femininity as well as low-key minimalism. Outfits span from shimmering showpieces such as the Jean Louis gown worn to serenade JFK on his birthday, to Pucci slacks and cats-eye spectacles.
Born Norma Jeane Mortensen, whenever she ‘became’ Marilyn, she mesmerized onlookers with showstopping outfits that helped make her a legend, yet throughout her life the clothes she wore represented many ways of being a woman.
Written by Terry Newman – the bestselling author of Taylor Swift and the Clothes She Wears – this book tells the story of Marilyn’s life through clothes and is essential reading for Marilyn Monroe fans everywhere.
Published in collaboration with the Estate of Marilyn Monroe.
This, the first monograph on acclaimed London- and South Wales-based artist Jacqueline Poncelet (b. 1947, Liège, Belgium), surveys 50 years of the artist’s practice. Working across diverse media, Poncelet transforms patterns from urban and rural contexts, exploring how fashions play out in the ways humans dress, decorate living spaces, and shape architecture.
Having trained in ceramics, Poncelet moved into sculpture, painting, and textiles before turning to public commissions. The publication presents works from different eras, including small-scale ceramics from the 1970s, large, brightly colored paintings and textiles from the 1990s, as well as woven textiles, watercolors, and wallpapers made in the 2020s.
The publication, which includes documentation of In the Making, an exhibition by Poncelet at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, in 2024, features a foreword by Laura Sillars; an essay by Elinor Morgan; texts by Salena Barry, Claire Doherty, and Penelope Curtis; and an interview by Hettie Judah.
This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition Helen McNicoll. An Impressionist Journey at Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, Quebec City, Canada 20 June 2024 to 05 January 2025. Edited by Anne-Marie Bouchard, curator of Modern Art, the volume focuses on the idea of mobility in the life of the Canadian artist Helen McNicoll (1879-1915).
In the early 1900s, when women from well-to-do backgrounds were often confined to family and domestic life, Canadian Impressionist Helen McNicoll stood out for her love of travel and the discovery of new spaces. The artist emphasized painting outdoors and researching the effects of light and atmosphere that her numerous trips sustained. Her favorite subjects were scenes of everyday life, although she succeeded in offering an interpretation distinct from the Impressionists in that she focused more extensively on women’s labor.
The Helen McNicoll. An Impressionist Journey exhibition presents more than 60 works by the artist, 25 of them from the Pierre Lassonde collection. Through the prism of travel, the book thus examines the themes of female independence, risk-taking, friendship, and freedom for women in the stimulating context of the struggle by English suffragettes to win the right to vote.
Text in English and French.
Coastal areas worldwide are most at risk from the disastrous impacts of over-development and climate change, none more so than our eastern Florida lagoons. Although we generally accept that human activities stress our environment, many of us remain unaware of how severe these impacts are locally and the enormity of our potential losses. Most importantly, we tend to think there is little as individuals we can do to reverse course.
Written for the non-scientist, this book is a wake-up call on both themes. It looks first at important lagoon ecosystems, their interdependence, and their typically rapid and recent declines. It then moves on to more hopeful notes, introducing some of the many organizations dedicated to restoring a healthy lagoon environment, and new technologies being deployed to assist that effort. It concludes with a call to action, listing organizations to support and activities to engage in, allowing all concerned citizens to do their part in saving an amazing ecological treasure.
“What is Bangkok like?” asked an American visitor, rhetorically in 1903. Some answer the question by relying on cliches ‘Venice of the east’ or ‘city of places in temples’. Others insisted that its contrasts and contradictions made an easy description impossible.
Bangkok at the turn of the 20th century was a city in transition, mixing as it did east with west and traditions with modernity. Here live the diverse communities which made it what it is today but this collection of writings by a huge variety of visitors to Bangkok captures the city through foreign eyes.
In Bangkok is a collection of texts which reflect the foreign experience of the city the foreigners in question being both long-term residence and short-term visitors. It draws on a wide range of sources including travel books, memoirs, novels, short stories, verses, inscriptions, newspaper reports, directories and advertisements. It is richly illustrated with contemporary artwork and photographs.
If you really want to get to know Washington, DC, you have to go out and get walking. Beyond the bounty of the National Mall and well-known historic sites, DC is a vibrant city full of unusual places, stories, and experiences that both avid and casual urban explorers will want to seek out.
DC insiders and adventurers Paige Muller and Andrea Seiger take you on 22 self-guided walks that blend the city’s rich history and vibrant culture, with some dishy tidbits thrown in for good measure. You’ll discover lesser-known facts behind popular icons and uncover wonderful spots, often hiding in plain sight.
There is a secret royal connection that lurks in an upper Northwest neighborhood, and a historic building that stands in for the White House in multiple Hollywood movies. See if you can spot the hidden graffiti on a well-known memorial. Discover what inspired Kate Winslet’s famous pose on the Titanic’s bow. And find out all about the Civil War officer whose missing leg is allegedly entombed in a wall.
Hollywood: Confidential is the latest collection of beautifully timed photos from bestselling society photographer Dafydd Jones. Formerly of Tatler and Vanity Fair, Jones is a serial capturer of intimate moments during high-society functions. As famous Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter puts it, when it comes to party photographers, ‘Dafydd Jones is the sniper’s sniper – the best of the best.’
On numerous occasions in the 1990s and 2000s, Jones turned his lens to the faces of Hollywood with all his usual impudence, as they mingled and danced at private events in the Hollywood Hills, Oscar-night parties and awards ceremonies. The result is a rare thing – photographs that convey the underlying personalities of the world’s most public personas.
Following on from England: The Last Hurrah and New York: High Life / Low Life, this is an essential portrait of celebrity culture from behind the scenes, featuring the likes of Anna Nicole Smith, Tom Cruise, Prince, Winona Ryder, Tony Curtis, Oprah, Nicholas Cage and more.
Praise for Dafydd Jones:
“Dafydd catches those moments of genuine exhilaration, wealth and youth.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Mr. Jones goes about his business with cheery zest and a wicked eye.” – New York Times
“Some carefully tended public images are punctured with such rapier precision that one can hear the hiss as they deflate.” – Mitchell Owens, The World of Interiors
“Sublime vintage photographs…”– Hermione Eyre, the Telegraph
“Modest though he is, Dafydd’s photographs will endure for having perfectly captured a society on the brink of decline.” – Country & Townhouse podcast
“The New York book is an evocative historical document, brimming with nostalgia and menace.” – Hannah Marriott, The Guardian
“The best party photographers, and their numbers are few, are like snipers… Dafydd Jones is the sniper’s sniper – the best of the best.” Graydon Carter, foreword from New York: High Life / Low Life
“Dafydd’s brilliant evocation of a time and a class only seem more potent today, when we know that so many of the moneyed twits in his ’80s portfolio ended up running the country, as they always have” – Tina Brown, The New Yorker
This Boston guide is the newest addition to the internationally successful series The 500 Hidden Secrets. Like the other city guides in the series, it contains 500 places to visit or things to know. All of them are addresses or activities the author, savvy Boston local Natalia Ivanytsky, would recommend to friends visiting her hometown. A new feature are the two city walks included in the book, leading past a selection of the 500 secrets: a great way for first-time visitors to get to know the city.
This bulky selection of Boston tips is based only on the author’s personal opinions after thorough research: Natalia wandered through the many Boston streets and neighborhoods accompanied by her dog, looking for the best places to eat, drink, shop, visit, dive into the cultural scene, … She drank and ate her way through the best brunch spots, cocktail bars, and restaurants with family and friends, looking for the five best on-the-go sandwiches, the five tastiest street food trucks, the nicest shops for New England-inspired home décor or five urban oasis garden escapes. She also tells you which unofficial stops along the Freedom Trail are worthwhile, or where to find cool outdoor art installations. Her aim is to showcase Boston’s strong culture beyond sports and history, and to help you discover new, unexplored places.
“The most exciting travel guide I’ve read in years.” – Huffington Post
This classic guidebook, full of the little-known treasures of the Île de France, is now fully updated and revised, with two new chapters.
Discover half-hidden chateaux and artists’ country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns and country footpaths; and eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s décor. Based on over 20 years’ experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit includes the essential historical context and practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians.
Written with humor and a flair for the unusual and authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos and local maps. It includes a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.