Winner: Mrs. Merryman's Collection by Anne Sophie Merryman
Mrs. Merryman’s Collection presents postcards collected by Anne-Marie Merryman between 1937 and 1980, a collection inherited by her granddaughter, Anne Sophie Merryman.
While Anne-Marie and Anne Sophie never met, both their lives were inspired by the postcard collection – a relationship that was born, and continues to flourish, in the realms of the imagination.
The work was submitted to the First Book Award as a book dummy, and the artist then worked with MACK designers to produce the book, which was published in June 2012.
The final two pages of the book are sewn together with red thread, and the reader is encouraged to discover the secret that is hidden between the pages.
Casa de Campo by Antonio M. Xoubanova
Casa de Campo is a photographic fable rooted firmly in the realities of Madrid’s largest public park. Casa de Campo sprawls, five times the size of Central Park, to the west of Madrid. Between 2008 and 2012 Antonio M. Xoubanova wandered the paths of this urban woodland examining the people, animals and objects he saw as if he was on uncommon ground. Inadvertently he found himself transforming a given reality into narrative fiction.
The work was submitted to the First Book Award as a book dummy by Antonio M. Xoubanova, one of the founding members of the Blank Paper Collective. Although the work was not chosen as winner of the First Book Award, Michael Mack decided to publish the work independent of the award. The artist worked with MACK designers to produce the book, which was published in January 2013.
Judges
Michael Mack
Michael has 20 years of art publishing experience as the managing director of Steidl and publisher of MACK. In 2011 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Plymouth for his contribution to art publishing.
Greg Hobson
Curator of Photographs at the National Media Museum, Bradford, Greg Hobson leads the Museum's curatorial team in the conception and content delivery of its curatorial programme of exhibitions, displays and associated events.
Polly Fleury
Polly Fleury is Director of Special Projects at the Wilson Centre for Photography where she works closely with museums, artists, galleries and publishers bringing historical and contemporary photography to public view.
Charlotte Cotton
Charlotte Cotton is a writer and curator. Her books include Imperfect Beauty (2000), The Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004, 2009, 2013) and Photography is Magic! (2012). She has edited and initiated books including Guy Bourdin (2003), Shannon Ebner: The Sun as Error (2009), Words Without Pictures (2010), and Phil Chang: Four Over One (2010).