If anyone ever tells you books are dead, take them to the top floor of the brutalist multi-storey car park in not a very lovely (but achingly hip) part of Peckham. It’s where locals Tom Saunderson and Guy Robertson first established Copeland Book Market, inviting artists and self-publishing collectives to showcase their experimental and self-made books among the concrete pillars.
Copeland Book Market was originally founded in 2011, when Saunderson and Robertson invited a handful of friends to display at the Son Gallery in the Copeland Industrial Park in Peckham Rye, south-east London. The following year they joined forces with Bold Tendencies, a team of non-profit volunteers who repurposed the car park into an art space. Copeland’s team swelled, with artists Lewis Chaplin, Oliver Griffin, Katrina Black and Adam Murray becoming involved.
“All of us approach publishing from different perspectives and we are all active as artists,” says Chaplin. “It’s an opportunity for us to work together and imagine ways in which to promote the aspects of publishing that we consider important.”
This year, the market will display a hand-picked group of 30 publishers and will feature a programme of events, speakers and discussions. “We believe in the social and conversational dialogue that can emerge out of books,” Chaplin says. “We hope this is reflected by the range of publishers we invite to share the space with one another, stimulated by this unique architectural environment.”
Copeland Book Market will exhibit at Bold Tendencies, Peckham, London, from 25 to 27 July.
www.copelandbookmarket.com
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