DAVID BELLINGHAM

David Bellingham lives and works in Glasgow. He is an artist who works in a number of different fields including drawing and painting, artist’s books, photography, film, installation and sound art. Much of his output is textual in form – early works being visual and concrete poetry but later introducing aspects of conceptual art.

Having worked early in his career with Ian Hamilton Finlay, David Harding, Pavel Buchler, Thomas Joshua Cooper and Rodger Palmer – Bellingham has created a wide range of works alongside the creation of a publishing house in WAX366 (named after the registration of his beloved car).
This archive of books, cards, editions and original works has been created by Paul Robertson since first meeting Bellingham in 2000. Robertson and Bellingham have worked together on a number of exhibitions and project including the highly significant TURNOUT project where Bellingham re-wrote the entire vote of the first ever Scottish Parliament election – a phenomenal effort on the part of the artist who had to draw over 2 million Xs to complete the project in Robertson’s Heart Gallery in Edinburgh in 2005.

There are nearly 150 items in this collection – many of the books are unique hand made items and some of the artist’s earliest works from 1997 onwards are included in the group.
The archive may be for sale both as a collection or as individual items – please email mail@unoriginalsins.com to discuss further.

TURNOUT. UNIQUE LARGE WORK. 2006

Metal box, hand drawn sheets of paper with 1,916,594 individually drawn crosses. Some pages framed in glass and wood.
Turnout is a 1:1 representation of the voting public of Scotland. It is a monument to those who voted in the first national election following the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The work takes the Scottish Parliamentary election of the 1st May 2003 as a model. 1,916,594 votes were cast in this election, amounting to 49.42% of the electorate.
Turnout consists of 1 916 594 individually drawn crosses, one cross for every person who voted. Groups of 1000 crosses were drawn on 1917 separate sheets of paper, the final sheet consisting of 594 crosses. The sheets of paper are housed in archival boxes which in turn are housed in an outer ‘ballot box'. The first 20 000 and last 20 000 crosses are framed. Outer box dimensions: 49cm x 37cmx 66cm
Where the traditional monument takes a partial list of proper names and sets them in stone, in Turnout voters are memorialised not in name but in action. Turnout was made at the Heart Gallery in Edinburgh between February and April 2006. Images on request.
NB - Please note Turnout is available for exhibition - do enquire.

A GOLDEN STAMP FOR JAMES LEE BYARS 1932 – 1997. 2006.

Glasgow: WAX336, 2006
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp original mail art work with the text: "A GOLDEN STAMP FOR JAMES LEE BYARS 1932 - 1997." alongside the 1st class "golden" stamp. Byars often created works in monochrome colours such as gold. A mailed copy sent to Paul Robertson - hand addressed by Bellingham on the reverse in ink. VG+ although some unavoidable marks from the mailing process are apparent.

CERTAIN TREES. 2006

London: V&A Museum, 2006
9. 2 x 9.2cm, 2pp ornate die cut announcement on thick card for an exhibition displaying works from a wide range of concrete and visual poets including David Bellingham, Thomas and Laurie Clark, Simon Cutts, Ian Hamilton Finlay., Robert Lax, Stuart Mills and others, The card is a recreation of the cover of the 1973 book of the same title designed by Simon Cutts - which is inspired by Malevich and has red, blue plus deliberate crease lines and tied cotton. One tiny mark bottom right else VG.

Ian Hamilton Finlay, LAURIE CLARK, Robert Lax, Simon Cutts, Thomas A. Clark

IHF. MAN OF LETTERS. 1925 – 2006. 2006.

Glasgow: Wax366, 27th March 2006
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp artist postcard in honour of Ian Hamilton Finlay (who was often known as IHF - hence a man of letters - and who had produced a similar work for RLS: Robert Louis Stephenson). Very limited edition. VG+.

ELEGY FOR IAN HAMILTON FINLAY (ARCADY). 2006.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2006
8 x19cm, 2pp artist's postcard with the alphabet printed white on green but with the letters of Ian Hamilton Finlay removed from the list - issued soon after Finlay's death. VG+.

END OF WEEK TWO. MORE RAGE. 2006. UNIQUE DRAWING. SIGNED BY THE ARTIST.

27 x 11cm, 1pp. Original ink on white paper drawing which consists of the word SHIT placed into a 4 x 4 matrix and some of the letters replaced by Xs. A unique concrete poem. Signed and dated in pencil on the back by Bellingham. VG+

FREE RUNNING TABLE TALK. 2006.

Glasgow: WAX336, 2006
15 x 7.5cm, 2pp. Artist's postcard with a slightly adapted image of a table salt label from a grocer's store called Costcutters (common in Scotland), The original "TABLE SALT" has bee changed to "TABLE TALK" so that the card indicates a fun meal. VG+.

END OF WEEK ONE. RAGE. 2006. UNIQUE DRAWING. SIGNED BY THE ARTIST.

27 x 11cm, 1pp. Original ink on white paper drawing which consists of the word FUCK placed into a 4 x 4 matrix and some of the letters replaced by Xs. A unique concrete poem. Signed and dated in pencil on the back by Bellingham. VG+

READING. 2006. BOOKMARK.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2006
17 x 5.3cm, 2pp bookmark printed white on silver with a text on the front: where the word READING is split into two lines which each iteration bringing a different meaning to the text. VG+.

OPENING. 2006. BOOKMARK.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2006
17 x 5.3cm, 2pp bookmark printed white on silver with a text on the front: where the word OPENING is split into two lines which each iteration bringing a different meaning to the text. VG+.

AGNES WESTON THE SAILORS’ FRIEND. 2006.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2006
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp - an hommage to Stuart Mills (1940 - 2006) the publisher of the art journal Aggie Weston's and other items - often in the field of concrete and visual poetry. The front of the card is an appropriated image of sailors but the name "Aggie Weston"has been altered to read "Agnes Weston" - Agnes being a common Scottish name. VG+.

TURNOUT. 2006.

St Andrews: St Andrews Festival, 2006
30 x 21cm, 2pp announcement card and artist's card - the second showing of the TURNOUT project originally created in Paul Robertson's Heart Gallery in Edinburgh between February and April 2006 where Bellingham re-wrote 1,916, 594 Xs to represent the entire voting population in the first Scottish Parliamentary elections in 1 May 2003.
The work consists of the entire A3 drawings of the Xs shown in part on the walls and the rest in a ballot box in the space.
This card has a new related work on the inside - "A cross has two arms and two legs" equating the voting symbol with a human being. VG+
JOINT:
21 x 10cm, 1pp leaflet announcing a talk by the artist. VG+.
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NEW MOON CLOSE BRACKETS. OLD MOON OPEN BRACKETS. 2007. SIGNED BY BELLINGHAM.

Glasgow: Wax366, 12008
Year gift to friends and colleagues - a visual poem comparing the new and old moons to parentheses. Signed "best David" on the back cover. VG+. Scarce, small limitation.

RETURNING. 2007. SIGNED BY BELLINGHAM.

Glasgow: Greater Easterhouse Arts Company, 2007 25.5 x 20cm, 48pp plus wrappers and printed dust jacket. Afrtist's book of concerete poetry with the dominant form being a word where the first letter is detached and placed on the line above (such as if a return had been entered on a typewritter after it) and below the rest of the word. This allows a variety of interesting visual poems to be made. Illustrated throughout in colour by Bellingham's photographs. This example is unusually signed on the inner back dustjacket by the artist. Vg+.

WE ARE FREE DOOMED. 2007. ONE OF 250 SIGNED & NUMBERED EXAMPLES.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2007
4 x 3cm, printed backing board with an enamel lapel badge in the shape of an equilateral triangle with the text "WE ARE FREE DOOMED' on it. One of 250 examples each initialled and numbered on the back of the card. In original plastic bag. VG+.

DAYS. YEARS. 2008. SIGNED BY BELLINGHAM.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2008
16 x 10cm, 6pp . Artist's postcard issued as a New Year gift to friends and colleagues - there are six visual poems in different colours all based around vertical or horizontal lines. Signed "best David" on the back cover. VG+. Scarce. JOINT: Hand addressed mailing envelope from Bellingham.

A FEW WORDS IN THE PLACE OF A FEW OTHERS. 2008.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2008
10 x 15cm, 2pp artist postcard printed letterpress black on orange thick card with the text "A FEW WORDS IN THE PLACE OF A FEW OTHERS" on the front. VG+.

2003, 20004, 2005, 20006, 2007, 2008. 2008.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2008
10.5 x 10cm, 2pp artist postcard with a b/w image of a protest march which Bellingham has altered two of the banners to read: "STOP LOOK LISTEN" and "WAIT SEE HEAR". On the reverse there is a handwritten note - "Dear Paul, herewith the books as promised. best, David". VG+.

MONUMENT. 2008.

Stirling: The Changing Room, 2008
15 x 21cm, 2pp. Announcement card for a solo show by Bellingham - with a b/w photograph of a pile of Stirling Journals from the early 1900s on the front and verso gallery details. VG.

FRESH FRUIT & TABLES. 2008.

Stirling: The Changing Room, 2008
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp announcement card for an exhibition and the artist's book created by Bellingham which was given away for free at British Libraries as part of the Off The Page Festival. VG+. Hard to find.

LICENCE TO PRINT. 2008.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2008
10.5 x 10.8cm, 16pp (self cover). String bound. Artist's book published on the anniversary of printing being available in Scotland (1508 being the first licence for printing in Scotland issued by King James IV). alternative pages are printed in black or white backgrounds and the texts "LICENCE TO PRINT/LICENCE TO READ" are also repeated. Small limitation. VG+.