An exhibition by Jamie Murphy entitled Albert, Ernest & the The Titanic will take place from November 15 until November 27th at the Copperhouse Gallery. The exhibition is based on images from the book by Jamie Murphy about the story of Abraham “Albert” Mishellany and Ernest Corbin, the printers onboard the Titanic.
Jamie will also partake in an Artist’s Talk on November 16 between 6-8pm, giving a presentation on the making and binding of the book ‘Albert, Ernest & the Titanic’ Tickets are limited but can be reserved by contacting Orla at the Copperhouse by emailing Orla@fire.ie or calling 01 4784088.
Here’s the info:
The book is the product of two years of research conducted by Jamie Murphy while studying for his MA in Design at NCAD. It tells the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated on board printers, Abraham “Albert” Mishellany and Ernest Corbin as they embark on the ship’s maiden voyage. They acted as both designers and printers for items produced on board the liner, such as menus, stationery, etc. Today, such items sell for tens of thousands of euro at auction.
Printed at Distiller’s Press in NCAD, Murphy has used only the type of equipment and materials available to Mishellany and Corbin to produce this beautiful limited edition book. All the text for the 36 copies was painstakingly set and printed by hand using traditional letterpress methods. Forty hand cut linoleum illustrations portraying the working men and the vast, luxurious liner, were also created to complement the publication. Murphy said: “One special component is the use of coal salvaged from the Titanic’s wreck site to make an ink for the book. This means there is a little bit of the Titanic in each copy.”
Author Colm Tóibín writes in his foreword for the book: “As we mark the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, we are reminded of the amazing gallery of prose and poetry prompted by the events of 1912. However, as well as the passengers, we cannot forget the skilled craftsmen who worked on the ship.”
The exhibition is complemented by an artists talk by Jamie Murphy on the making and binding of the book.
Tom Duffy of Duffy Bookbinders will be present to explain the special exposed glueless binding used as well as other specialist binding techniques
The exhibition launches at 6pm on November 15th, further details from Copperhouse Gallery