BABE - Bristol Art Book Event at the Arnolfini

Also in Spring this year p's & q's press exhibited at BABE at the Arnolfini in Bristol.


BABE gave us an opportunity to show Leonie Lachlan's new books. The latest books, City Cypher: Paris and City Cypher: Sao Paulo were completed in the week running up to the fair.

Here they are drying at p's & q's studio in Thame. (Most of the letterpress equipment in the studio was bought from Geoffrey Trenamen's Snake River Press in Brighton thanks to a tip off from Ron King and Dennis Hall).

Leonie worked on the City Cypher Series directly from her Paris and Sao Paulo sketchbooks. Her 4 month research trip to Brazil in 2008, having been granted the Bartlett Travel Award, was documented in her blog Sao Paulo Sketchbook.

Leonie uses her drawings from high vantage points in cities (the Centre George Pompidou in Paris and Edificio Italia in Sao Paulo) to recreate the experience of trying decypher the architectural language. The books are relief printed on Arches from lino-cuts and are letterpress printed in Gill Sans.

Leonie is currently working on the third book in the series, City Cypher: Berlin.

Two other of Leonie Lachlan's books about cities were on show at BABE. Metroscillations (above) is an exploration of urban earthworks in a map format.

Inhale: Exhale is about the experience of cannibalising the light and space of Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia.