Francesca Albini

The Boulevard – Francesca Albini

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Francesca Albini returns with another beautiful and evocative chapbook. The journey that she leads us on defies the normal rules of time and space. The simplicity of her writing catches the unsuspecting reader in shimmering pools of sentiment. Albini’s images dance on the page, they play Venice’s heat induced mirages against its succulent dark shadows.

Francesca Albini divides her life between literary and artistic endeavours. She is a PhD in Classics, and has worked in publishing for her entire adult life, as a translator, author and editor. She is a self taught artist and photographer. Her work is inspired by folk art, but also by design. Albini is a collector of memories, and uses any medium that allows her to remember and share, express feelings and narrate stories. From line drawings to plastic cameras, from collage to upcycled jewellery and dolls. “My work is playful and dreamy, child-like but also philosophical. I fall in and out of love with many styles and tools, but I’m always me, whatever I do.”

The Boulevard
Francesca Albini
Published May 2019
ISBN  978-1-912960-18-7
A6 Size,
16 printed pages,
Colour,
Dreamtime Chapbook 5
SLB0130
Limited print run of 100
Price – £2
BUY The Boulevard (£2 + £1.20 P&P to UK Address) 

Small World Futures – CollectConnect at the #unsettledgallery

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Small World Futures
Small World Futures is the title of an exhibition which took place in Bermondsey, London, in February 2018.
The exhibition comprised 38 miniature sculptures depicitng what life could look like in years to come. Each of these small artworks was placed in public spaces (#unsettledgallery) around London Bridge. Every day throughout February we featured one of the Worlds on the CollectConnect website alongside a piece of writing inspired by the artwork.
http://collectconnect.blogspot.co.uk/

As with all CollectConnect ventures, Small World Futures was a non profit making collaboration. Sixteen artists provided the Small World sculptures and six writers provided the words.

This chapbook includes an art work from each of the sixteen artists alongside the words from the writers. Copyright remains with the individual artists and writers.

Lesley Cartwright (art) Ed Arantus (words)

Small World Futures
Jill Hedges, Alban Low, Alan Carlyon Smith, Kevin Acott, Sara Lerota, Lesley Cartwright, Ed Arantus, Stella Tripp, Natalie Low, Bryan Benge, Dean Reddick, Wayne Sleeth, Bethany Murray, Rebecca Lowe, Tracy Boness, Francesca Albini, Melanie Ezra, Ann Kopka and Jenny Meehan
Published May 2018
Edited by Dean Reddick
ISBN 978-1-910578-80-3
A6 Size
32 printed pages
Colour
Chapbook 24
SLB088
Print run of 250
Price – £3.70
BUY Small World Futures (£3.70 + £1.20 P & P)

Scala B – Francesca Albini

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Not everything can be translated.
One of them is: Scala B

Francesca Albini divides her life between literary and artistic endeavours. She is a PhD in Classics, and has worked in publishing for her entire adult life, as a translator, author and editor. She is a self taught artist and photographer. Her work is inspired by folk art, but also by design. Albini is a collector of memories, and uses any medium that allows her to remember and share, express feelings and narrate stories. From line drawings to plastic cameras, from collage to upcycled jewellery and dolls. “My work is playful and dreamy, child-like but also philosophical. I fall in and out of love with many styles and tools, but I’m always me, whatever I do.”

Scala B is the fourth chapbook in Albini’s dreamtime series.

Scala B: A Departure
Francesca Albini
 Published March 2018
ISBN  9781910578766
A6 Size,
16 printed pages,
Colour,
Dreamtime Chapbook 4
SLB084
Limited print run of 100
Price – £2
BUY Scala B (£2 + £1.20 P&P to UK Address) 

Theatre of Rags – Francesca Albini

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A theatre of scruffy dolls performing on an eternal stage.
Francesca Albini is back with another mysterious episode from her dreamtime world. Bagpuss meets Tales of the Unexpected in a patchworks adventure that stretches the stitches of reality.

The origins of this new chapbook have a twist in the making.
Francesca decided to take her ragdolls to the Virgin Money Lounge where she could photograph them on their white piano ready for the book. Peter Cook of Human Dynamics and the Academy of Rock was in the lounge with his famous burnt guitar (it was burnt at IBM during an experiment in creativity. Amazingly, it still works). Intrigued with Francesca’s ragdoll diorama Cook very kindly lent her the guitar and allowed her dolls to play on it. They were very gentle of course, no burning, dropping, scratch marks or broken strings.

Francesca Albini with Peter Cook’s guitar

Theatre of Rags
Francesca Albini
 Published February 2017
ISBN  9781910578476
A6 Size,
16 printed pages,
Colour,
Dreamtime Chapbook 3
SLB056
Limited print run of 100
Price – £2
BUY Theatre of Rags (£2 + £1.20 P&P to UK Address)

Francesca Albini is still a translator, writer and mixed media artist. She is also a doll-maker.
She has published 3 books with Sampson Low and edits/compiles the Dreamtime Chapbook series

Francesca Albini – Dreamtime Chapbook Series

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Francesca Albini

Francesca Albini

In the past few months we’ve been lucky to sign several new editors here at Sampson Low. They have all embarked upon their very own chapbook series, and these will be stamped with their unique vision and design. Francesca Albini has been publishing with us since December 2015 when she released Dreamtime Reflections into the world. It proved a popular choice and subsequently reached Number 1 in the UK Chapbook Chart. It also inspired the name for Francesca’s new series, Dreamtime Chapbooks.

“Dreamtime, words as maps, maps as distances, rhythm and images, jazz, memories, dreams. And space, empty to fill, full to empty. A series for all the word travellers and the imagery explorers.”
Francesca Albini, 2017

Francesca Albini was born in Venice, Italy in 1959, and has been living in London for over 30 years. Her father was Umberto Albini, professor of Ancient Greek at the University of Genova, Italy, scholar and prolific writer and translator. She has translated fiction and non-fiction books for more than 25 years, from classics, like Anne Bronte, to modern alternative authors, such as Will Self.

9781910578360_garden_Francesca_AlbiniFrancesca’s first chapbook in the Dreamtime series was Garden which is typical of her ethereal and whimsical style. Her second will be Altogether Elsewhere, a collection of poems from Jazzman John Robert Clarke. We think Francesca has a beautiful flavour to her chapbooks and we hope you enjoy reading them over the coming months and years.
Follow the series at Dreamtime Chapbooks.

Garden – Francesca Albini

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9781910578360_garden_Francesca_AlbiniSome gardens grow flowers.
This one grows treasures, flotsam and jetsam washed ashore from far away.

Francesca Albini is a collector and curator of memories, with pockets full of pebbles.
Her job is to write and make pictures.
http://www.franvisionsworld.com/

Also published by Francesca Albini for Sampson Low.
Dreamtime Reflections (December 2015)

Garden
Francesca Albini
Published November 2016
ISBN  9781910578360
A6 Size,
16 printed pages,
Colour,
Dreamtime Chapbook 1
SLB045
Price – £2
BUY Garden (£2 + £1.20 P&P to UK Address)

The Exchange at Brunswick East

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On Tuesday 16th February 2016, 6pm we’ll be showing 5 of our creative chapbooks at the Official Opening of the Independent Artist Bookstore in Gillett Street, Dalston, London.

25%_The_exchange_feb_2016The Exchange is an independent artist bookstore formed from an (ever growing) collection of independently produced artists books, zines and comics from over 50 artists and arts collectives. All items within the collection are available for sale with all proceeds going directly to the artists (it’s important to know that not only do artists receive 100% of the money collected on their behalf from works sold, but that artists are not charged any fees to display/sell through The Exchange.It’s a rare Exchange for us artist folk, especially in the cutthroat capital.

Some of the Sampson Low authors will be there so come and join us. Afterwards why not visit The Vortex on Gillett Square to experience the  inspirational Michelson Morley in concert.

Our chapbooks will be selling for £1 and include –
Dreamtime Reflections by Francesca Albini
Murmurations: A visual exploration of individuality and community by Stella Tripp
Vertical Prose by Peter S Smith
Adam’s Story by Bryan Benge
Pasta Prose 2016 by Robin Hutchinson and the Hungry Poets

Dreamtime Reflections – Francesca Albini

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Francesca_Albini_ChapbookThe reflections photographed on a rainy day in Oxford Street became a map for a dreamtime story, a walk between reality and its mirrors.

Francesca Albini is an explorer of dimensions. Sometimes she gets lost, but not for long. When she is over here, she is a translator, writer, videographer, and a very mixed media artist. She usually has a sense of humour. And a very inactive website that you are welcome to visit, because things are always changing.

BUY Dreamtime Reflections (£2 + £1.20 P&P to UK Address)
Francesca Albini
Published December 2015
ISBN  978-1-910578-19-3
A6 Size, 16 printed pages,
Colour,
Chapbook 5,
SLB028
Price – £2

Review
“It strongly resonated with me, the observing of everyday things, the already-there, but being open to its strangeness and wonder. The Greeks had a word for it; qaumazien –thaumazein – to stand in radical astonishment towards being-in-the world.”
Giovanni Cerbiatto ‏
05/12/2015