Liver & Lights

Liver and Lights is the collective name for John Bently’s lifelong exploration of the book as a  unique creative medium. Constructed from  both contemporary and  cast-off reprographic technology, from  skip-rescued  photocopiers to delicate hand cut rubber stamps, they shamelessly  incorporate, infiltrate, celebrate and castigate.

 

The 67 published  editions to date have incorporated  community projects, political campaigns, vinyl records, chapbooks, fanzines, giant newspapers, books made entirely from rubbish, eccentric collections, sticker albums, deceptively ordinary trade paperbacks and more. Champion of the seldom heard voice, Liver & Lights publications are the DIY ethic personified.

 

Liver & Lights publications are collected by museums libraries and private collectors In the UK and worldwide, with complete sets being held by The V&A, the Tate Gallery, the British Library Special Collections and Winchester School of Art, among others.  Liver & Lights No 24. A Book of Fife Heroes, was the culmination of a year long residency in Fife, funded by The Scottish Arts Council.  L&L No.27. Concerning the Poetry of Lost Things (Harrow). 1999, was funded by an Arts Council of Gt Britain  Year of the Artist  award.

 

Liver & Lights No 57. One Shoe Michael, a London Song Cycle was launched with a retrospective vitrine, lecture and live performance in the Library at Tate Britain.

 

John Bently is also the co-founder, along with Tanya Peixoto, Stefan Szczelkun and Dr Stephanie Brown, of the long running academic journal The Artist Book Year Book, currently edited by Sarah Bodman at UWE.

 

Liver & Lights also encompasses a wide range of  one-off works of art and related projects,

paintings, wood carvings, and not forgetting the band Bonesandtheaft, who interpret and illuminate the books through music and live performance, augmented by hand made recordings, props, paintings, stage sets and costumes.