{"id":10822,"date":"2016-11-14T01:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T06:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/?p=10822"},"modified":"2025-09-15T15:46:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:46:37","slug":"a-visit-to-the-annual-uk-bookbinding-competition-exhibit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/14\/a-visit-to-the-annual-uk-bookbinding-competition-exhibit\/","title":{"rendered":"A visit to the Annual UK Bookbinding Competition Exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

During my visit to London, I was delighted to have my trip overlap with the 2016 Annual UK Bookbinding Competition Exhibit.\u00a0A collection of bindings are on display at the St. Bride Foundation and during the opening reception on November 10th, many of the exhibitors received awards for their work. The exhibit is sponsored by Designer Bookbinders and The Folio Society, who provided the set book: La<\/em>\u00a0Vita Nuova<\/em> by Dante Alighieri. Written between 1292 and 1294 as an innovative mix of prose and poetry, La\u00a0<\/em>Vita Nuova<\/em> is considered Dante’s fist major work. The text is an expression on the torments and joys of young love before\u00a0transcending into the ether.<\/p>\n

In addition to the set book, many of the binders chose to submit an additional binding. If you are in the London area, the exhibit\u00a0will be on view until November 24th.\u00a0Check out my some of my favorite pieces from the show. I absolutely loved Ann Tout and Glenn Malkin’s books, but the bright red leather on their bindings were difficult to photograph well (on that line, please excuse any awkward reflections and glare).<\/p>\n

Kaitlin Barber<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-kaitlinbarber\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kaitlin Barber<\/a>‘s interpretation of Vita Nuova<\/em> extended beyond the book form with her 3-dimensional piece representing\u00a0Dante’s dream of Beatrice in flames. The binding is covered with hand-dyed goatskin and decorated using the\u00a0Sunago technique in gold leaf. Kaitlin’s binding won the St. Bride Foundation Prize for Finishing.<\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-kaitlinbarber2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kaitlin’s second submission was In Smoke: Ten Variations on Eugenio Montale<\/em> by Gary Michael Dault. Kaitlin created another beautiful binding using\u00a0a hand-dyed leather that creates so much movement.<\/p>\n

\"insmoke-kaitlinbarber\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The front and back boards have been debossed with leaves, with the front accented in gold leaf. The consistent themes of nature and repeated imagery of foliage and gardens within the text inspired Kaitlin’s design. The second place Clothworkers’ Prize of the Open Choice Book was awarded to Kaitlin’s second entry. I am so happy for Kaitlin, as a fellow North Bennet Street grad, it’s so great to see her skill and creativity grow. Congrats Kaitlin!<\/p>\n

\"insmoke-kaitlinbarber2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Bec Britain<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-becbritain\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Bec Britain<\/a> created this gorgeous binding for Vita Nuova<\/em>. As the exhibit pamphlet reads “the design reflects Dante’s evolving sense of the limitations of courtly love and its transition into sacred love.” The central design is created with crimson leather onlays, tooling and ink. Bec was awarded the Harmatan Ltd Leather Prize, which she completely deserves. Her combination of techniques created such a sleek and captivating design.<\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-becbritain2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Jeanette Koch<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-jeanettekoch\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeanette Koch’s binding for Vita Nuova<\/em> is covered in terra-cotta and burgundy goatskin. The leather is cut-out to reveal laminated decorative paper and transparent vellum. I love the way Jeanette transformed the decorative paper in her design.<\/p>\n

The edges are decorated with watercolor, palladium and gold leaf. Jeanette was honored with the Lisa von Clemm Prize for this binding.<\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-jeanettekoch2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeanette also submitted a binding of the late 14th-century\u00a0Sir Gawain and the Green Knight<\/em>, an Arthurian story on chivalric romance.<\/p>\n

\"sirgawainandthegreenknight-jeanettekoch\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is one of my favorite bindings from the exhibit. The judges seems to agree, as Jeanette\u00a0received The Judges’ Award and the Arthur Johnson Prize for this binding. Covered in green and burgundy French goatskin; Jeanette chose a beautiful green skin with stunning grain detail at the spine.<\/p>\n

Like Vita Nuova<\/em>, this binding also has cut-outs revealing laminated decorative Japanese paper and vellum.<\/p>\n

\"sirgawainandthegreenknight-jeanettekoch2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Kaori Maki<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-kaorimaki\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was so in awe of Kaori Maki<\/a>‘s binding for Vita Nuova<\/em>, which was bound in alum-tawed goatskin. Kaori decorated her binding with an intricate and bold\u00a0floral design using back-pared, cushioned onlays dyed red. Kaori’s binding received second place for The Folio Society Prize for the Set Book, which was so well deserved, her decorative work was so unique and captivating.<\/p>\n

\"vitanuova-kaorimaki2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Yuko Matsuno<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"throughthewoods-yukomatsuno\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The most celebrated binding of the evening was crafted by Yuko Matsuno. Her binding of Through the Woods<\/em> by H.E. Bates is bound in grey goatskin with decorative underlays. Ink-dotted calfskin and Zerkall paper peeks through a forest silhouette with animal onlays of colored Gampi and cushioned calfskin.<\/p>\n

The edges and endpapers are decorated using soft pastel to mimic the imagery from the cover. Yuko received first place for The Clothworkers’ Prize for the Open Choice Book and the ultimate prize: The Mansfield Medal for the Best Book in the Competition.<\/p>\n

\"throughthewoods-yukomatsuno2\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During my visit to London, I was delighted to have my trip overlap with the 2016 Annual UK Bookbinding Competition Exhibit.\u00a0A collection of bindings are on display at the St. Bride Foundation and during the opening reception on November 10th, many of the exhibitors received awards for their work. The exhibit is sponsored by Designer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[68],"tags":[2093,2095,665,2096,1795,2097,2092,2094,2098],"class_list":["post-10822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookbinding","tag-bec-britain","tag-dante-alighieri","tag-designer-bookbinders","tag-jeanette-koch","tag-kaitlin-barber","tag-kaori-maki","tag-the-folio-society","tag-vita-nuova","tag-yuko-matsuno"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Btis-2Oy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11737,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/01\/bookbinder-of-the-month-eduardo-gimenez-burgos\/","url_meta":{"origin":10822,"position":0},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Eduardo Gim\u00e9nez Burgos \/\/ Interview","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"January 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Eduardo Gim\u00e9nez participated in the 2009 Designer Bookbinders International Competition, where binders were asked to bind a copy of A Selection of Poems on the Theme of Water. Eduardo's binding is covered in black buffalo skin with painted acrylic silicone drops inset into the boards. Using blue leather onlays to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Water-EduardoGimenez.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Water-EduardoGimenez.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Water-EduardoGimenez.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Water-EduardoGimenez.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9790,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/05\/bookbinder-of-the-month-ben-elbel\/","url_meta":{"origin":10822,"position":1},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Ben Elbel","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"July 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For the\u00a0Designer Bookbinders International Bookbinding Competition\u00a0in 2009, binders were invited to produce a binding for the set book Water, a collection of poems and illustrations based on the the theme of water.\u00a0The set book was published by\u00a0Incline Press\u00a0in a limited, letterpress edition that included images from various talented illustrators and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Water2-BenElbel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Water2-BenElbel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Water2-BenElbel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Water2-BenElbel.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6071,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/30\/bookbinder-of-the-month-sonya-sheats-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":10822,"position":2},"title":"Bookbinder of the Month: Sonya Sheats","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"June 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When Harold Pinter was award the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, the Nobel Museum\u00a0(located in Stockholm) began a collaboration with the Swedish Bookbinders Guild to offer an annual Nobel Museum Bookbinding Exhibition. 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Bound in a dark grey goatskin with miscellaneous leather bird onlays\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/dontlooknow_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/dontlooknow_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/dontlooknow_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4069,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/01\/february-bookbinder-of-the-month-hannah-brown\/","url_meta":{"origin":10822,"position":4},"title":"February \/\/ Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"February 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This gorgeous fine binding was bound by Hannah Brown for the 2012 Designer Bookbinders International Competition. The theme of the competition was Shakespeare. Bound in full purple goatskin is a 1906 edition of\u00a0Flowers from Shakespeare's Garden: A Posy From the Plays\u00a0with illustration from Walter Crane. The book contains quotes from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "binder of the month"","block_context":{"text":"binder of the month","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/binder-of-the-month\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/shakespeare_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/shakespeare_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/shakespeare_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/shakespeare_hannahbrown3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12843,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/04\/wild-life-exhibit-at-american-bookbinders-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":10822,"position":5},"title":"Wild\/LIFE Exhibit at American Bookbinders Museum","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"June 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"My binding of At Low Water by Rebecca Chamlee is now on view at the American Bookbinders Museum in San Francisco as part of the Guild of Book Workers Traveling Exhibit Wild\/LIFE. The work in on view from June 2 - August 7, 2021. 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