Thames - The London River, artist's book (2005)

Thames - The London River

An artist's book by Peter Chasseaud and Altazimuth Press

First shown at the London Artists Book Fair (LAB’05), ICA, 25-27 Nov 2005

Peter Chasseaud is an artist, writer and photographer who has been working with maps and landscape for over 30 years. In 2004 he produced his Kings Cross artist's book, acclaimed by artists and writers, and in 2005 he continued this topographical theme with the conceptually-related Thames – The London River.

This book, dedicated to John Berger, is a personal poetic response to the Thames, in particular to the London River and the lower reaches between London and the estuary. It draws on historical, topographical, literary and artistic elements, and considers the impact of technological, political and commercial pressures and changes on the riverscape, focusing on shipping and the docks.

It incorporates an 8,900-word prose-poem text and photographic images by the artist/author, who has been taking photos of the river and its hinterland since the early 1960s, and also uses other imagery including maps, charts and a dramatic wartime aerial photograph of a German bomber over the London docks.

The text is in two sections: The first, The London River, is a three-part journey from the estuary through London to the source – Estuary to The Pool; London; The Upper Reaches. The second, Thames Themes, comprises twelve shorter pieces: The River Gods; Fragments of History; Tides; River Poets; The River’s Colours; Shoals, Deeps and Reaches; Stairs and Wharves; The Docks; London (Toil, Glitter, Grime and Wealth on a Flowing Tide); Memory, years ago from 2005; Rotherhithe Foreshore; Tidal River.

A large-format, blue-grey cloth case-bound limited edition of 50 copies, portrait-format 20 x 15 inches (50 x 38 cm), with map end-papers of the London river and dockland area, double-sided pages containing the text, 6 other maps and charts and 27 half-tone images. It is lithographically printed on 310 gsm Somerset tub-sized satin archival-quality paper. Each book is signed and numbered. It is priced at £600.