Imprinted Matter

(2004)

“everybody leaves their trace…”

In 1894, four years after the death of Patrick Allan Fraser, an edition of 14 copies of The Book of Hospitalfield was privately printed. As a book of memorial, it speaks of a life, a death and a legacy. His estate was left for the ‘education in the Arts’ specifically to “those young men with not sufficient means of their own” to pursue careers as artists. Imprinted Matter is linked to The Book of Hospitalfield as a contemporary companion piece, by looking at how others left their mark on the house over the past century. Fourteen copies were believed to have been printed, so in the spirit of the original, Imprinted Matter is also an edition of fourteen.


Emerging from a residency at Hospitalfield House (2003), Imprinted Matter focussed on the traces left in the house by other artists, servants and even pets of the house.  The project included exhibiting both books at Stills in Autumn 2004, which launched the attempt to trace current owners of the 19th century books, in order to donate the appropriately numbered copy of Imprinted Matter. Out of the fourteen, seven have been found alongside one unnumbered copy.  The remaining books are now presumed lost.


Imprinted Matter, 2004

Cream Buckram Book in Solander Box, Edition of 14
30 190gsm Bockingford pages
21 illustrations, full colour
Book: 21.5 cm wide x 28 cm height x 1.5 cm depth
Box: 23.5 cm wide x 31 cm height x 3 cm depth

Wild Pansy Press, Leeds 2004