to hold or to be held

The purpose of this publication was to coincide with Mark Garry’s exhibition, to hold or to be held, hosted at the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, January –March, 2024. The publication integrates a range of texts that respond to the broader research subjects that informed the exhibition. The body of work produced for the exhibition investigated forms of empathy and altruism and the complicated nature of how these elements are understood, felt and experienced in social situations. Modest elements are combined, the work is simultaneously contained and a container, shapes or materials sustain each other. The fold is a persisting element in the body of work curated for the exhibition and served as a methodology and means of reflection or consideration for the artist. The design solution elicits direction from the synthesis of these themes and those articulated within the texts, considering commonalities and indirect interactions relating to the artist’s work.  

The is the second publication that archives the artist’s research and practice to coincide with an exhibition. The original publication size was maintained, Super Octavo, a format used in early choral song sheet music, reflects the ongoing influence of sound and music in Mark Garry’s practice. 

The title to hold or to be held references human bonds and connection, this is pursued in the ornate typographic treatment on the cover, the viewer must interact, turning the publication to reveal the title. The copper foil block and pearlescent paper echo characteristics of varied materials utilised in the works and their interactions with light in the gallery space. The open binding reveals the processes of production—the delicate material that holds pages together and held in place by the protective cover. The digital pattern utilised in the endpapers references early artist experiments with shape and development of complex systems from simple forms. The fold is made explicit through cuts or inserts that either reveal, conceal or protect dispersed through the content. 

Images selected for the publication are an amalgam of: investigations; experiments; observations; and visual archive of completed works—functioning as a platform to extend discourse of themes embedded within the research. They form visual echoes of the artist’s creative motivations and complement the textual contributions. Images appearing at the start of each essay fold around the foredge, exposing the haptic act of turning the page.  

The visual hierarchy and typographic treatment elicit direction from the synthesis of topics articulated within contributors’ texts. This is made visible in the subtle layering of content that builds and recedes across the document to create a composition that considers research commonalities. The layout is also cognisant of indirect interactions of topics that take place within the artist’s work. Facilitated by the substrate, shapes and shadows from previous and subsequent spreads subtly collide at various junctures within the publication. Heavy and large type sizes emphasise the research that informs the varied texts, revealing narratives within narratives. These design interventions capture the explorative nature and the collision of ideas that emerged within the research process.  

Text contributions: Mark Garry, Barbara Knežević, Michael O’Hara, Stephen Doyle, Sharon Phelan and Louise Reddy. Photography: Padraig Cunningham, Louis Haugh, Mark Garry. Print production: Impress Printing Works.

Super Octavo threadsewn swissbind, digital print publication. Typefaces: Main text: Martina Plantijn, Kris Sowersby, Klim Foundry. Footnotes and bibliographies: Acumin Pro, Robert Slimbach. Cover: Compendium Alejandro Paul  

Substrates: Munken Lynx 100gsm, Sirio Pearl 300gsm.