“ep’s” is the first in a series of artists books generated through studio research into “representation by touch” and “the haptic touch” terms found within discourse of the field of print culture. These touches are employed by the artist in the production of the book and in pursuit of vocabulary that can articulately engage with tactile experience in our reception and evaluation of works of art. The need for such a vocabulary has been identified within the literature, as has the book as medium imbued with the cultural expectation for touch, to draw out a vocabulary within the literature of the field. “ep’s” was produced through studio research into indexical printmaking processes integrated into the sheet forming stages of hand papermaking. This technique generates considerable ambiguity within the imagery in the paper, compelling the viewers to touch the pages of the book made with that paper. The content of the book relates the seven explorative procedures (ep’s) of touch, identified within the field of perceptual psychology, to the ambiguous imagery that moves between convex and concave interpretations. The images draw the viewers touch, their touch however raises more questions than it resolves, and the ambiguity drives a continuing haptic engagement with the book.

“ep’s” was selected for the 2018 Libris Award exhibition, a nationally significant survey exhibition of contemporary artists books practice in Australia. Works were selected by the judges, Roger Butler AM (Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Australia) and Helen Cole (former Coordinator of the Australian Library of Art, State Library of Queensland). “ep’s” was also selected to be shown at the IMPACT 10’s Open Portfolio Event in Santander Spain 2018.