“Spineless material is as difficult to pigeonhole aesthetically and intellectually as it is to house on traditional library shelves” shares co-curator Chris. “Often hidden in stores and boxes, this exhibition brings this material to the fore and explores the relationships between format and content.” The shape and form of the ephemera on show allowed many creators to urgently respond to current affairs cheaply and efficiently such as: “an anti-fascist pamphlet produced in 1959 to fight against Oswald Mosley, which is not even folded, just held together with staples”, or Raging Woman: In Reply to Breaching the Peace, a pamphlet that addressed the women’s peace camp at Greenham Common. Other works in the library’s collection consist of limited-edition artists’ works or conscious experiments that have pondered the construction of paper and traditional forms of print over the 500 year period.
Many of the objects on display were, due to their very nature, created outside of mainstream publishing structures – birthed by counter cultures, independent activist groups or self publishing ventures. And so, they provide an alternative, and more rebellious telling of the history of political movements and cultural or creative expression in their contents. “One of my favourite sections of the show focusses on community publishing, showing works published in the 1970s and 1980s, from publishers including Centerprise (London) and Commonword (Manchester) – these gave voice to writers who might otherwise be excluded from the mainstream publishing world.” shares Leila.
“Spineless Wonders offers an exciting opportunity to explore how publishing without the ‘support’ of a spine challenges ideas of permanence, authority, and voice, both historically and in contemporary contexts”, shares Chris. As diverse in format as they are in subject matter, these published pieces offer a snapshot into the eras they were circulated in and provide “a rare insight into the materiality of early printed works and how they were first encountered and read”, ends Tansy.
Spineless Wonders: The power of print unbound is open until 15 November 2025.