Cursory-Cleaning for the imminent arrival of visitors,
or
How to Give the impression of a Clean House in under 20 minutesThe book 190mm x 125mm, pink stitched binding.
The cover is satin card backed with pink patterned paper.
It contains 18 pages on 130gm cartridge paper.
Produced in editions of 10 - First Edition produced in 2001
Anxious Homes, is the antidote to all the 'Life Instructions' that surround us. Far from being outraged
at the patronising tone of 'How to do it' books, I have always found them funny. This book provides a
step-by-step guide of how to appear like you're doing everything properly. It contains explanations in
detail of how-to-get-away-with-it.
It is a manual for people with better things to worry about than housework.
There are sections on; anxiety and the home; nearly cleaning floors; the bathroom and kitchen; washing clothes; dealing with emergency visitors; and a chart of serenity and anxiety. Anxious Homes seeks to
take away the homemaker's feeling of inadequacy by promoting shortcuts as if they are perfectly normal
Anxious Homes was inspired by my childhood experience. As a 10 year old, I remember being amazed
at how my mother used to frantically tidy the house before visitors arrived. When I asked her what was
wrong with letting our relatives see us how we usually lived, she was horrified at the idea.
When I started living in my own home I noticed I had inherited 'pretending to be tidy' from my mother.
When my parents (or especially parents-in-law) visit I rush round picking piles of papers off the floor and
making sure the bathroom taps are shiny. Cleaning-up thoroughly is a long job and despite my collection
of Good Housekeeping Manuals there's just not enough time to be the ideal woman, when you have two
jobs and a freelance career.
So I created Anxious Homes for the busy woman.
For more about this book, read my conference paper about it...
The Arthur and Mata Jaffe Collection, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
The V&A Museum, UK
Tate Britain, UK
Golda-Meir Library, UWM LIbraries, Milwaukee, USA
Sallie Bingham Center, Special Collections Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
The Culture Archive, UK
Eton College Library, UK
Chelsea Library, UK
Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, Chicago, USA
Center for Fine Print Research, UWE Bristol, UK
Modern British Collections, The British Library, London, UK
St. Peter's House Library, Brighton, UK
The Ministry of Books, University of portsmouth, UK
Exhibitions:
Shelter Artist's Book Exhibition, at Lasell College, 1844 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, MA 02466, U.S.A. Anxious Homes and Headroom have both been accepted for exhibition due to open in late April - May 2008. This is a touring exhibition:
April 10 - 22, 2008 - Wedeman Gallery, Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center, Lasell College, Newton, MA, USA
May 9 - June 19, 2008 - Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA
July 9 - August 15, 2008 - Fleet Library, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, USA
Oct 6 – 31, 2008 - Montserrat College of Art’s 301 Gallery, 301 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA, USA
April 8 - May 3, 2009 - Wells College, Aurora, NY, USA
January - February 2009 - Holy Cross College Art Gallery, Worcester, MA, USA
Sitting Room has continued on to the Alsager Arts Centre, 4th December 2006 – 26th January 2007
MMU Cheshire, Alsager Campus, Hassall Road, Alsager, ST7 2HL
Box Office: 0161 247 5302
www.alsagerartscentre.org.uk
http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/sitting07.htm
New Orleans Bookfair - Babylon Lexicon - 28th October - 30th November, 2006
Selected Damp Flat Books, incuding Anxious Homes, will be appearing at the New Orleans Bookfair - Babylon Lexicon. Selected books and my catalogue will be on display in this showcase of artists' books and
book-related art.The New Orleans Bookfair opens Oct 28th, 2006, from 10am - 6pm,
Barrister's Gallery
1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.,
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A
Link to the bookfair here...
Sitting Room - 20th May - 15th July 2006
Manchester Craft and Design Centre, UK
A touring show - This will be a handling show of artists' books held in environments that have been created to allow the books to be freely read. The exhibition areas of each venue will become a sitting room, complete with soft armchairs, standard lamp, coffee table and wallpaper.
Link to website...
Small Works Show - November 2005 - January 2006
Leonardo Gallery, Toronto, Canada
The Safe Cigarette
Solo Ph.D. Showcase exhibition, Brighton University South Gallery, Brighton, September 2003
Images of Foyer Show...
Pink as a Soft Idea
Anxious Homes Book exhibited in the University of Brighton North Gallery as part of the conference
LIAM:3 living in a material world, 2001 I also presented a paper see link above to view the presentation.
Pink as a Soft Idea Images of the exhibition...
London Artists' Book Fair
ICA Galleries London - I have exhibited Damp Flat Books here 1998-2004
All books can be purchased directly from me at: Damp Flat Books
Also for sale in BookartBookshop - 17 Pitfield st, London N1 6HB
