JURA Eastwards/Weswards

is an Artists Book created by David Faithfull and John Burnside in 2009. It was published in an limited edition of 250 by the Scotish Book Trusrt with support from Arts & Business Scotland and JURA whisky.

Having been on a reconnaissance trip earlier in the summer David collected a supply of Jura oak galls, which he duly transformed into oak gall ink by following an old medieval recipe similar to that used to make the ink for the Book of Kells. 

The ink was then dispatched, together with a few hand crafted hebridean reed pens, to John on Jura in order to aid the collaborative process and give the writer the opportunity to reassess the writing and actual calligraphic act.

The artist and writer then met up on Jura and spent a week developing the ideas further, informed by various trips to rhe very particular mountain wildernesses of this remote island.  In addition to the Spirit of Jura publication, the project evolved into an of artists books based on the collaboration.

An accompanying book detailing the other residencies on the Writer's tretreat on JURA,arranged by the Scotish Book Trust, was published by Polygon, Edinburgh. Entitled The Spirit of Jura' it ncludes a visual chapter of drawings created by David Faithfull, recording the collaboration with John Burnside on the Isle of Jura on the west coast of Scotland, during the summer of 2008.

Links

John Burnside's Jura diary

SPIRIT OF JURA

Publication of Visual essay with writers including Will ZSelf, Janice Galloway, Bernard Crick.

Published by Polygon ISBN 978-1-84697-128-0

The Spirit of Jura