An exhibition running throughout next week's Campus Book Festival at the University quadrangle will be celebrating the art and the creative process of book cover design. Organised by the National Book Council in collaboration with Għaqda tal-Malti - Università, 'Minn taħżiża għal qoxra' ('from sketch to book cover') will be part of a programme of events packed with rich literary and academic encounters that address modes of publishing, translation, creative writing, language usage, the editing process, the empowerment of readers and more.
We may very well be taught not to judge a book by its cover, but it is indisputable that covers have the primary function to lead readers to skim through a book's pages. Once conceived to protect hand-bound pages, book covers would make use of luxurious materials such as leather and precious metals. With the invention of the industrial printing press in the nineteenth century, mechanically-produced paper covers could also be printed on. Book covers would became more than just a protection for the pages, as they would take on the function of advertising and communicating information about the book content. The twentieth century would stimulate a modern renaissance in book cover design and art would infiltrate the growing mass book industry.The contribution of artists and graphic designers has eventually lead to the idea of book covers that we've come to recognise today.
The exhibition at the Campus Book Festival 2019 seeks to shed light on a significant aspect of the publishing process. Book covers are designed, commissioned and produced every year by publishing houses, and sometimes born through a spirit of collaboration between a writer and a fellow artist. 'Minn taħżiża għal Qoxra' will feature sketches and illustrations by local artists as they make their way from a rough drawing into the fully-formed book cover featuring the artist's illustration or piece of art. The respective books, comprising of novels, poetry collections and children's storybooks, will also be exhibited besides the artworks, providing for an appreciation of the artists' creative process as well as the final product. In addition, the public can expect to gain an understanding of the array of artistic media employed by local artists. These are Raymond Dominic Agius, Marisa Attard, Steve Bonello, Jon Grech, Julian Mallia (Julinu), Steven Scicluna and Marco Scerri, and Moira Scicluna Zahra.
Works by illustrator Steven Scicluna feature the woodcuts used for the prints that illuminate Antoine Cassar's book-long poem Erbgħin Jum (EDE Books, 2017), a collaborative process that also includes graphic design work by Marco Scerri. Steven Scicluna is a graphic artist that operates in the space between fine art, illustration and graphic design. Originally from Malta and having studied in the UK, he is currently based in Valencia, Spain. Marco Scerri, an independent graphic designer based in Glasgow, Scotland, was born in Toronto, Canada, and was raised in Malta. His father and grandfather introduced him to graphic design. After graduating in graphic design from the Edinburgh College of Art, he went to Glasgow School of Art to study photography and visual communication. He designed a number of prestigious books and now teaches at the University of Edinburgh and the Glasgow School of Art.
Behind Marisa Attard's illustrations of numerous children's books, including Bdotu fil-Maltemp and Skrapp u Skrapp & Co. Ltd, is mostly pen, ink and watercolours. Marisa studied art under Esprit Barthet, Harry Alden and Anton Calleja. After years of plein-air painting, life classes and generally hanging out with like-minded, art loving, free-spirited artists, Marisa found herself immersed in the world of book illustration, particularly children's books. She has illustrated numerous books and has twice been awarded the Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb for Best Illustrator of Children's books.
The visual style of Moira Scicluna Zahra, the illustrator of Fittixni (Merlin Publishers, 2017), often involves characters and patterns. Moira is an Edinburgh-based freelance Illustrator and graphic designer and her work is partially inspired by classic fashion illustration, but with a playful, witty and contemporary approach. Moira is mostly influenced by people and culture, through the observation of everyday life with a sketchbook in hand and a healthy amount of people-watching.
Julinu, the designer of the cover of Rokit (Merlin Publishers, 2017), offers a window into the interaction between more traditional forms of illustration and digital design tools. He is a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and fine-artist specialising in meticulously-executed visual ideas. Using both traditional and digital media, his most representative work is typically concept-driven, characterised by atmospheric and surreal imagery and occasionally laced with dry humour. Originally a psychology graduate he now combines a range of skills to create thought-provoking imagery for advertising, animation, publishing and editorial contexts.
Steve Bonello, a veteran cartoonist, artist and environmental activist, explores the existential absurdity of man. He is the artist behind the cartoons in No Man's Land: People, Place & Pollution, written by Marie Briguglio (Kite, 2018). A self-taught artist with a bent for quirky, humorous and sometimes dark themes, he has held two solo exhibitions of his work locally in 1988 and 1991. Bonello has a firm mental picture of the shape he wishes his final work to take on before embarking on his incisive black and white illustrations. When working as an artist Bonello feels freer to explore his own creativity.
Of Flesh and Blood (Kite, 2018) features the figurative art of Raymond Dominic Agius and the poetry of Walid Nabhan. Raymond was born in Żejtun and emigrated to Australia, where he was a draughtsman, engineer and eventually an Industrial Designer. At the pinnacle of his career he headed the prestigious Experimental body design department at GM Holden Australia. In 2007, he retired to pursue his art. Known for creating realistic and semi-abstract works, his subjects include portraiture, figurative, historic, marine and aviation subjects. He shares his time between Australia, Europe and the United States.
The painting on the cover of Trojan by Alex Vella Gera was created by Jon Grech. A world-class visual artist working with pastels, oils, pencils and ink, Jon is a polyglot, a graduate in Latin and Greek. He possesses a mathematical brain, working out complex calculus with impressive ease of thought. He is also an excellent chess player and a master story-teller. He is currently working on a long-term new project involving his complete transformation as an artist, starting from the very principles of aesthetics that have governed his art.
The Campus Book Festival 2019, organised by the National Book Council in collaboration with Għaqda tal-Malti - Università, will open its doors on 27 March at 9 am. It will take place at the University of Malta's quadrangle in Msida from 9 am to 4 pm on March 27 and 28, and from 9 am till late on March 29. The exhibition 'Minn taħżiża għal qoxra' will be running on all three days. For updates, further details and the full programme of events, visit the NBC Facebook page and the festival's page on the NBC's official site: www.ktieb.org.mt