Time to Make | Bookbinding

Between 1955 and 1964, American artist Wallace Berman published nine iterations of Semina. “It was this loose-leaf journal he posted to people. This complete work of art, but in the form of a periodical,” explains Ira Yonemura, one of the co-founders of the London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA), an open-access studio in east London. Introduced to the series by a professor at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, where he was then studying Painting and Drawing, today Ira credits the work with recalibrating how he understood the visual arts. “It triggered something, I'm not sure what exactly, but the possibilities outside of the norm.” At the same time, zine culture was expanding around him, and Ira began to consider publishing as an alternative to gallery representation. “It’s slightly more democratic,” he suggests.

LCBA builds on this way of thinking, established in 2012 as a space open to anyone seeking affordable access to printing equipment, resources and the relevant expertise to create and edition books and other types of publication (in practice, this means memberships, workshops, and both a physical and online store). A year before its opening, co-founder Simon Goode embarked on a research trip around the States, where this kind of studio is more commonplace. Taking in 17 cities, including New York, Minneapolis and San Francisco, here he met Ira, and the idea for the centre became more defined. “But it wasn't until 2013/14 that it really took shape,” notes Simon, referencing the chaos that accompanied their first six months. “We never made a plan, we didn’t really know what we were doing.”

“When we moved in, it was literally one empty room with a couple of presses in the corner – just enough equipment to make a print or a book,” offers Ira. “But I think it was to our benefit that we didn't have a clear plan, because we were able to grow with the people that use the studio.” Based in an Edwardian warehouse in Fish Island, a former industrial hub that once served Fleet Street, LCBA’s collection of apparatus has since grown (largely sourced on eBay or occasionally gifted), while the space, which underwent a cosmetic and structural transformation earlier this year, also includes the shop, a recently opened gallery, and a library.

“I like to spend time in the library when we’re closed, researching, not for any particular purpose, just things I'm interested in,” shares Simon. Predominantly filled with reference and history books about printing, typography and bookbinding, the library also has copies of their own publications – 2017’s Making Books: A Guide to Creating Hand-crafted Books by the London Centre for Book Arts and BOOKS: ART, CRAFT & COMMUNITY, published in 2021 – as well an archive of some of the works made on site.

Their workshops, like foil blocking, letterpress printing and bookbinding, are primarily taught by Simon, or an external tutor, and have become a core feature of the centre’s programme, but their membership – the studio passes – remain central to what LCBA is about. Though it fluctuates, there are currently between 10-20 people who regularly come in to make use of the resources (including Christine, who’s been signed up since 2012), plus an additional 80 whose appearances tend to be more project-specific. “We try to take a very broad church approach, letting people decide on their own what book art is, and we've been lucky with our membership – everyone's really kind and open to sharing ideas and skills,” notes Ira. “It's a real mix – artists, designers, students, recent graduates, hobbyists, retirees. It's an overused term, but it’s community.”

While they welcome everyone, certain relationships have informed the shape the centre takes more than others: two of Simon’s old teachers, a married couple who were instrumental in his career trajectory, are among them. “I did an art foundation [in Walsall, West Midlands], and one of the printmaking tutors was really into small press and artist books. She suggested I take my prints and consider making books – she is the reason I did it. And he was the fine art drawing teacher; they were very supportive, and we're still in touch. They did a project here once and they’ve done some printing.”

A degree at the London College of Printing (now London College of Communications) followed, and after graduating Simon worked in the publications department of the university. “I was speaking to printers every day, choosing paper for books and liaising with photographers, designers and writers. All these things were somewhat related to books, but not actually what I wanted to do. It gave me a lot of experience in those sorts of scenarios, though – I learned a lot about proofreading, for example, that I don't think I ever would have.” It also made a sabbatical more feasible, which ultimately allowed him to spend three months in America.

“That was where the idea was sort of distilled into this more concrete idea of an Open Access Centre for Book Arts,” he says, reflecting on 2011. The notion alone that something like LCBA could exist, independently of an institution – and without prohibitive financial obstacles – was a further catalyst. “That's a real driver for us, making it as accessible as possible – not everybody can put a guillotine in their spare room,” says Simon. “There isn't a formal system for people to learn these crafts anymore. So it's breaking down this idea that you have to be a very skilled craft person to be any good at it: anyone can try their hand at making a book, and it's really rewarding – you get excited, it opens up possibilities.”

Time to Make | A Three-Hole Pamphlet

Materials

Text paper: two sheets of A2 paper.
Cover paper: an A4 sheet of colourful or decorative paper that is thicker than your text paper.
Waste paper.
Linen thread, approximately 60cm.
Scissors.
Pencil.
Ruler.
Needle.

Additional materials, though these are not essential

Bone folder
Shoe knife
Awl
Scalpel
Cutting mat

Method

1. Using your text paper, prepare two octavo sections, and combine the two sections by inserting one inside of the centre fold of the other. This will give you a 32-page section.

2. Fold your cover paper in half and insert your sheet paper so they are collated and ready to bind.

3. Using a template to create three evenly-spaced holes, pierce the book through the spine using a sharp tool like a pin or an awl. Take care that the holes sit right on the spine fold, to ensure neat sewing.

4. With a needle and piece of thread approximately 60cm, or two and a half to three times the height of the book, begin a pamphlet stitch starting with the section from the centre hole as illustrated in below.

5. Finish the binding by tying with a flat knot, and trim any excess thread neatly.

Simon wears the TOAST Arlo Garment Dyed Herringbone Jacket and Theo Cotton Stripe Short Sleeve Tee. Ira wears the Arlo Garment Dyed Herringbone Jacket.

Words by Zoe Whitfield.

Photography by Marco Kesseler.