A manifesto for the book: Book - artist's book - artist's publication - book art?

This paper was based on the results of a two-year research project led by Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, March 2008-February 2010. This project investigated the context and future of the artist's book in an attempt to extend critical debate into what actually constitutes an 'artist's book' in the twenty-first century. One key point was to include all the book-related activity that artists currently engage with, work that is produced on, and exclusively for, digital technologies within the book arts field, and not leave it floudering on the edge; if the artist considered what they were producing to be a book, then the researchers felt it should be included. The researchers also discussed the continued practice of traditional production for artists' books such as letterpress, etching, lithography, screenprint and woodcut, and interviewed a range of artists and publishers who work with these, as well as those producing livres d'artistes, fine press books, design bindings, multiples, installation and audio books.The project was set up for international artists to openly debate and contribute online with forums through Artist Books 3.0, downloadable survey forms to fill in and diagrams to alter and return for artists, curators, librarians, collectors, teachers, students, dealers and publishers. The researchers used these alongside findings from a series of in-depth interviews and case studies with 53 artists and other professionals involved in the book arts in many countries. The team also hosted symposia and a conference, with an exhibition of 119 international aritsts' books to show examples of contemporary works.