Artist’s Book

A visual journey seen through the eyes of the animal, Finnegan, and situated in the area around Kings Cross in London, as it goes through destruction and construction. Photographs of the happenings and events that Finnegan notices on his travels accompany the voices of the street life around him.

The episodes, based on real encounters, are spoken by different voices on the street. They describe smells, colours, touch, and other senses of this meta-world. Each is a separate moving scene contributing to an overall script.

This book engages centrally with language, tragedy and storytelling. Here the absurd is a point of departure, experienced alongside something rational. Finnegan, the dog, is the only named narrator, as he reveals a bizarre world of erratic images - turning us towards ambient noises, the slightest motion, or variations in light.

Narrative has always been important in Judith Cowan’s work, and this book, with its cover to cover sequence of photographs and interspersed texts, creates a duration that is rarely achievable with still images.

Finnegan’s Teeth is published by RGAP and distributed by Cornerhouse.

www.cornerhouse.org/books/info.aspx?ID=3246&page=0

Price £9.50

ISBN 9780955827341

Pages 80

Binding softback

Illustration illustrated in colour and b&w

Dimensions 180 x 135 mm

Weight 190g

Edition

Finnegan’s Teeth

Edition of 75 from the Finnegan’s Teeth Projects

A set of 5  offset lithograph prints on 200gsm Hannoart Silk paper, 420mm x 594mm

Signed and numbered by the artist

£150

All proceeds from the edition go to fund the Finnegan’s Teeth outside projects.

Please contact for more details: finnegansteeth@me.com

Kings Cross Project

Saturday 10th October to Sunday 22nd November 2009

Finnegan’s Teeth Public Project (7mins 30secs)

Double-click to play.  Click here of Fullscreen

Finnegan’s Teeth: A public project and artist’s book by Judith Cowan

Finnegan’s Teeth is a visual journey seen through the eyes of the animal Finnegan. Taking place around King’s Cross in London, it follows the area as it goes through construction and deconstruction. Photographs of the happenings and events that Finnegan notices on his travels accompany the voices of the street life around him.

Finnegan’s Teeth is the title of a recently published book by artist Judith Cowan, which has now developed into a major public Art project. This takes Finnegan’s experiences and places them back into the spaces from which they came. Images and text will simultaneously appear in three very different sites in King’s Cross, along Goodsway, under the York Way canal bridge and onto the windows of the Fish and Coal Building on the canal-side.

Visible from many vantage points, one of the centre points of the project is the ambitious installation in the old Fish and Coal Building on the canal-side. Fifteen of the old window apertures will be filled with an artwork, turning the entire building into one image. Other installations include the underneath of the York Way canal bridge, and the building hoardings along Goodsway.

The episodes, based on real encounters, are spoken by different voices on the street. They describe smells, colours, touch, and other senses. The absurd is a point of departure, experienced alongside something rational. Finnegan, the dog, is the only named narrator, as he reveals a bizarre world of erratic images - turning us towards ambient noises, the slightest motion, or variations in light. Something strange happens as these re-told tales return to their place of origin making the ordinary become extraordinary.

Map

(click for larger view)

Site 1:

Kings Cross Central

Fish and Coal Building

on the canal-side

(visible from Goodsway)

Site 2:

Kings Cross Central

Building Hoardings along Goodsway

Site 3:

British Waterways and Camden Highways

York Way Canal Bridge

For more information email:

finnegansteeth@me.com

Download Press Release

FTPress Release.pdf