'A COMPANION LIBRARY'

'A Companion Library' is a second stage of '(an incomplete) MUSEUM (of categories) for the FUTURE'. Working from collaged research materials based on specimen categories in my 'museum for the future' and from drawings being made of all the time-capsule contents, the project developed into a series of artworks, art cards and ultimately an 8 set seriesof printed artist books.

The Ayr Library residency [January through June 2016] featured a number of ways for the public to follow the specifics of this project and to participate and contribute. Below are a few of the projects in the library. I was in the library, for full days, on the first Saturday of every month and the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. The public was always invited to touch base with me there. The first of three specimen collecting walkabouts was held in April and a second and third walkabout followed in May. Collected items were painted in the studio and put on display at the library (alongside photographic books of nature specimen collections by Karl Blossfeldt). Selected items also become part of a special Ayr residency time-capsule for '(an incomplete) Museum (of categories) for the Future' and these were featured in one of the 'Companion Library' books.

The following text and images document the residency as it was happening. This site will soon be updated as an overview on the reidency, its projects and the now-published books.

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I've been collecting words and images from the CATEGORIES in '(an incomplete) MUSEUM (of categories) for the FUTURE' (as the residency project develops and advances, the list will expand to include sub-categories).

These cut-out materials and my own graphic art work are being combined for the books series 'A Companion Library'. I'll also be working with the public to use these same cut-out materials to make a menagerie of collaged imaginary flora and fauna during the residency. These will be included as a bookwork for 'A Companion Library' and also as bookmarks and postcards for the public.

'A Companion Library' READING LIST expands on the categories in '(an incomplete) MUSEUM (of categories) for the FUTURE' by using books that have words in their titles that are in my specimen category lists (or are related to the categories). I have been collecting books and making some of these available in the Ayr Library [on a designated shelf], and have been searching the library's stacks for books as well. The public can give me suggestions for the list, or perhaps donate books to my library shelf. These titles are being developed into text-based artworks during the residency, and I will also be collecting images of book covers for making 'companion books' to add to my 'Companion Library' series.