not in my country

I saw this piece in the Guardian many a moon ago. But speaking with a friend regarding comparative immigration issues and policy cross-nationally, it reminded me of this Joe Sacco pull out; Not in My country. The short piece details the significant and overwhelming issues that concern immigrants on the small island of Malta. Read it here.

I am currently half way through Sacco's 'Safe Area Gorazde' which has made me cry about 5 times so far. Such a heartbreaking account of the war in Bosnia and a really personal feel of Sacco's intimacy with the both the places and people that he meets. More so here than in other works.

For more of me on Sacco look here. He has two absolute corkers on the Palestinian situation: Palestine and Footnotes to Gaza. Read them. Now.

uk riots

if you didn't see the uk riots this month on the streets; in liverpool, in bristol, london, all over.. then you must have been hiding in hole.

big debate in clapham, my temporary home this year. listen to it.

my new favourite book

I have always had a gentle fascination for books. I love stories, reading them, hearing them, writing them. But the format of a book. the heavy shape, the dry texture, the musty smell of library books... The way that physical books make me feel is quite something else as to the mystery worlds they hold beneath the covers.

Whilst working at the Tate I found this book, which the staff kindly gave to me as my leaving present. It is full of beautiful art crafted out of books. Gestalten's Book Art.

I know this may seem strange, as my friend gt once told me, it is heresy to hurt a book. And as I do have a profound love for books, then I should not condone the tampering of such special objects. But In this book the pages transform into something else. Just as I love to see letters and words taking different shapes and telling different stories to their usual form, some of the works of art in here are completely stunning. They are not destroyed, but transformed.

Here are a couple of mouth waterers:

Alicia Martin

Richard Wentworth