Swell

Our project is SWELL: the art of Judy Millar, a pop-up book for children.

Actually, we are creating an artwork for children that is a pop-up art book! We hope it will be the first art work/art book in many children's lives. Although we suspect many parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles will be buying copies for themselves too. 

"We", the people making the book, are the artist Judy Millar, writer Trish Gribben and paper engineer Phillip Fickling. You may have heard of us.

Judy Millar is the artist who represented New Zealand in 2009 at the Art Biennale in Venice; she has studios in Berlin and Auckland. Trish Gribben has written for children ever since her Pyjamas Don't Matter days; her last art book for young people was BLAST! Pat Hanly the painter and his protests. Phillip Fickling, born in Seattle and now resident in Auckland, has "popped", folded and made paper works out of all kinds of figures, from hobbits to characters from Star Wars.

We have been working together on this book for more than a year. Judy has made new paintings especially for the book, Trish has written a poem and text, and Phillip has found new kinds of folds to make it all tumble and swirl in radical new ways.

Lopdell House Gallery (soon to reopen as Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland) is supporting us as the publisher.

We want to make this book special. It is a labour of love that will be expensive to produce. So NOW we're asking for help with the printing costs, to keep the book within reach of families.

Of course, being a "pop-up" means that each book will be handmade! With original art by Judy Millar, these books really will be a work of art.

If we meet our BOOSTED target of $7800, we'll be able to cover most of our printing costs. If we raise any more than that, then we can also donate copies of SWELL to art teachers in low-decile schools. So please give generously and tell all your friends.

Judy Millar's gallerists in Sydney, Zurich, Berlin and Auckland are so excited about SWELL they're supporting the project by advance purchasing 200 books each. But we still need a little more to get it off to the printers.

Please BOOST us. Every dollar will help.

Video thanks to Black Box Productions.

www.lopdell.org.nz