Description
Devlin, who is known for using the library as his studio, often finding his material in the margins of long forgotten tomes, has for the first time turned to the written word himself. His prose reads like snatched reminiscences, fleeting observations of human adventure where characters incidentally connect and find meaning. Martin Holman describes his style in the afterword as an: ‘ungloved but affectionate portrayal of communal celebrations, economic tribulations, everyday frustrations, bureaucratic intrusions and nocturnal piss-ups that unite his cast of life-bruised and chance-repulsed characters.’
Mackintosh’s stream of consciousness drawings, like Devlin’s writing, elevate the detail of chance to art. Holman again: ‘A scuffle on the page? For that song that must be written or the stage act that is looking for material; the story that is waiting to be dressed in vocabulary or the sardonic grin the artists yearns to wipe off an expanse of bare canvas.’
Together in the book the two artists support each other’s position, their personal take on the world¬¬, one does not illustrate the other, rather than points a finger in the direction of the individual’s ideas.
Angela Carter –
A beautifully written book that when finished does not leave you feeling bereft but asks you to go back again to each sentence or saying and examine why it stayed with you.
From the laugh out loud prose that is The List to the deeply touching ending of Man on a wall, Joe has connected to human life and takes the ordinary glimpses of everyday conversations and interactions and immerses you in their sense of character and uniqueness.
To mix this concept with an artist that has complemented so well the text enhances the feeling of wanting to go back and see and understand more.