Paris-based artist, architect and filmmaker Marc Johnson was awarded 15,000 AUD for his book fecund lacuna / lacune féconde, published by French publishing house Analogues, at an announcement on March 16, 2017 at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Philanthropist Caroline Cornish announced the winner of the inaugural Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing as part of the Melbourne Art Book Fair.
fecund lacuna / lacune féconde is the product of more than a year of research into the field of archaeology, supported by the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research. Photographs of archaeological sites from the Institute’s collection, and of a site-specific art installation by Marc Johnson, are presented alongside anthropological and philosophical essays in a project that questions the world today and anticipates the future. The judging panel commended fecund lacuna / lacune féconde for the way it weaves complex ideas about art, science and archaeology into an engaging, well-designed and high quality publication.
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, "fecund lacuna / lacune féconde is an outstanding example of art book excellence and innovation, and we are pleased to recognise this achievement through The Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing.
"The NGV sincerely thanks the Cornish family for their support of this unique prize, which enables us to celebrate the art book publishing sector at an international level."
fecund lacuna / lacune féconde was selected as the winning book from close to 200 entries from countries across the globe, including Australia, India, China, Spain, The Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom and Russia. Five finalists were also announced, each winning 1,000 AUD.
The finalists of The Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing, 2017, are:
–fecund lacuna / lacune féconde, by Marc Johnson, published by Analogues, designed by Baldinger Vu-Huu (winner)
–Episodic Urbanism, by Peter Elliott and contributors, published by Uro Publications, designed by Stuart Geddes
–Nicholas Mangan: Limits to Growth, published by Monash University Museum of Art and Sternberg Press, Berlin (initiated with the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane and Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art Berlin), designed by Žiga Testen
–The Gentle Hand + The Greedy Eye: an everyday baroque practice in architecture, self-published by author Rachel Hurst, designed by Catherine Griffiths
–SPECIALISM, by David Blamey and contributors, published by Open Editions, designed by Jonathan Hares
–House is a House is a House is a House is a House: Architectures and Collaborations of Johnston Marklee, by Reto Geiser and contributors, published by Birkhäuser/Johnston Marklee/Reto Geiser, designed by MG&CO., Noemi Mollet and Reto Geiser
