Children by Markéta Luskačová
For the very first time, renowned photographer Markéta Luskačová’s much-celebrated explorations of childhood have been collated into one volume. Children accompanies the eponymous exhibition at Stills gallery, Edinburgh – the first in Scotland to exhibit the Magnum nominee’s images.
Beginning in the 1960s, Luskačová dedicated large periods of her career to chronicling the experiences of children. Working in her native Czech Republic as well as across Slovakia and the UK, the photographer turned the documentation of play, friendship and worship into one of her career’s most prominent themes.
Designing a catalogue can be challenging, it has a document of the show that also has a life of its own and stood the test of time. Often catalogues for shows are done quickly and without too much thought, resulting in lifeless publications which are forgotten about.
So keeping the cost low, to aid accessibility, whilst still making something exciting was the goal. After many rounds of testing different binding styles we settled on the final result which is bound in an unusual way on purpose, with both the top and outside edge being untrimmed. As a result this creates little pockets between each spread, this causes the paper to double up reducing show through, but creates a hidden page which is where the image captions are placed. So the viewer can know more about the images without having them disrupted by captions on the page.
Once the images were all scanned and corrected by us, and collated together with the captions text into thww finalised the design discussions began with the printer, PurePrint, who are based down in Uckfield, UK. They had never made a book like this befor,e so being on press was extremely important since the construction was so complicated.
Children aligns with Bluecoat Press’ commitment to making photobooks more affordable and accessible, helping a wider range of people to engage with and access them.
Beginning in the 1960s, Luskačová dedicated large periods of her career to chronicling the experiences of children. Working in her native Czech Republic as well as across Slovakia and the UK, the photographer turned the documentation of play, friendship and worship into one of her career’s most prominent themes.
Designing a catalogue can be challenging, it has a document of the show that also has a life of its own and stood the test of time. Often catalogues for shows are done quickly and without too much thought, resulting in lifeless publications which are forgotten about.
So keeping the cost low, to aid accessibility, whilst still making something exciting was the goal. After many rounds of testing different binding styles we settled on the final result which is bound in an unusual way on purpose, with both the top and outside edge being untrimmed. As a result this creates little pockets between each spread, this causes the paper to double up reducing show through, but creates a hidden page which is where the image captions are placed. So the viewer can know more about the images without having them disrupted by captions on the page.
Once the images were all scanned and corrected by us, and collated together with the captions text into thww finalised the design discussions began with the printer, PurePrint, who are based down in Uckfield, UK. They had never made a book like this befor,e so being on press was extremely important since the construction was so complicated.
Children aligns with Bluecoat Press’ commitment to making photobooks more affordable and accessible, helping a wider range of people to engage with and access them.
Year: 2023
Pubisher: Bluecoat Press
ISBN: 978-1-9169054-5-0
Printer: Pureprint, UK
Printing: CMYK + Duotone
Pages: 96
Images: 37
→ Available to purchase here
In the press:
→ The Guardian
→ The Telegraph
→ British Journal of Photography
Pubisher: Bluecoat Press
ISBN: 978-1-9169054-5-0
Printer: Pureprint, UK
Printing: CMYK + Duotone
Binding: Saddle stitched
Size: 165x220mmPages: 96
Images: 37
→ Available to purchase here
In the press:
→ The Guardian
→ The Telegraph
→ British Journal of Photography
“Over time, Markéta’s pictures have gained in historic significance as many of the subjects of her photographs – people, places, communities and ways of life – have changed or disappeared. Our exhibition will be made up of photographs that depict children – a subject that permeates much of her work.”
→ Ben Harman, Stills’ Director
In more than 30 images, carefully selected from an expansive archive spanning 1967 to 2004, Children presents adolescence as a universal experience, one which remains fundamentally similar across time and place. The volume offers a unique collection of previously unpublished images from Luskačová’s half-century long study of youth, celebrating her dedication to the subject, and her contribution to the history of humanist documentary photography.
Born in 1944, Luskačová was just 20 years old when she first began taking photographs of children – images that would go on to form part of her most celebrated body of work, Pilgrims. In 1975 she relocated to London, where she became a Nominee Photographer with Magnum Photographic Agency. Her work has been exhibited at Tate Britain, London; Stills Gallery, Sydney and Leica Gallery, Prague.
