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Jonathan Day works as an academic, a musician, a writer and an image-maker. He is Associate Professor of Transmedia Arts, Associate Director of Research, Art and Design and Co-director of the Performance Research Cluster at Birmingham City University. He has released a series of musical recordings, published four books, one of which has been translated into Chinese, numerous articles and has been anthologised on a number of occasions.
Jonathan performs internationally, most recently in Australia, Hong Kong, China, India, Finland, Thailand and Cyprus. His releases include Postcards from the Road (University of Chicago Press), Atlantic Drifter (Proper Records), The Politics of Navigation (VDM), Carved in Bone (Proper Records), The Stain of Time (Aalto University) and The Dim Lit Subterranea of the Ancient Mind (Princess Galvani Vadhana Institute of Music Press). A new recording A Spirit Library, and a new co-authoured book Art and Terrorism are out this year.
His work has been called “Seductive, complex and poetic” ARTnews magazine, New York, “Scratching at the transcendent” the Independent, London, “Expansive, intelligent and eloquent” South China Morning Post, “Breathtakingly beautiful” Folk Radio UK, “Visionary” fRoots magazine, “a voice like Scott Walker and Jim Morrison – dark as chocolate on a still night” Stirrings Magazine, “Stunning” Bob Harris, BBC.
Current Activity
Jonathan is in the process of creating a book fusing photography, meditations on journey and the road developed from Jack Kerouac's ideas around 'divine improvisational prose' and an academic analysis of Robert Frank's The Americans, to be published by University of Chicago Press in late 2013.
A performance/recorded analogue to his forthcoming book is under preparation, in association with Birmingham Conservatoire. This will be released by Niimiika/Proper Records, also in late 2013 to accompany publication of the book.
A study of the roles of The Family of Man exhibition and the Standard Oil Archive in the creation of Frank's The Americans was presented at the Second International Conference of Photography and Theory, 2012. This is being prepared for publication, with approaches from a number of journals.
Memberships
Visiting roles
Visiting professor at Silpakorn University, Hong Kong Design Institute, Academy of Design, Colombo
Conference Chairing
Visiting the Americans, Birmingham, 2011
Research
Current projects
Robert Frank’s The Americans: Tracing the Lines of his Hand. This is a book for Intellect (UK) and the University of Chicago Press (rest of world) due for publication in late 2013. The book fuses photography with meditations on journey and the road developed from Jack Kerouac’s ideas around ‘divine improvisational prose’ and an academic analysis of Robert Frank’s The Americans.
Between the Worlds. This performance/recording project relates exactly to the photographs in the above book and reflects the experience of journey which resulted in the visual work. Songs created during the research experience are being developed collaboratively with Birmingham Conservatoire. The recorded aspect will be released in 2013 by Niimiika/Proper Records.
Other recent projects
Robert Frank’s The Americans: the Art of Documentary Photography (2011), Bristol/Chicago, Intellect/University of Chicago, followed a number of approaches in the contextualisation and analysis of the work. These included extensive consideration of archival images, rare out of print interview materials from the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, detailed examination of original prints and first edition copies of Frank’s book, examination of materials from the National Gallery Washington and a thorough consideration of the extant literature. The book has been positively reviewed in the UK and America, has been acquired by a large number of University libraries internationally and has appeared many times in bestseller lists. The book is currently in its second enprint. ISBN: 978-1841503158.
Carved In Bone (2011), London, Niimiika/Proper Records.
These recordings, films and performances appeared on BBC radio, Folk Radio, Folkways, Dragonfire Mountain Music Festival, Tennessee (2011), Snelling Festival, Appleton, Minnesota (2011), All Hallows Festival, Hyde Park (2012), Smartfest, Black Country (2012), Fordhall Festival (2012) and were toured in Hong Kong and Bangkok in the autumn of 2012. A recent return to Thailand featured shows in Petchaburi and at the DCD Show (2013). A combination of works from this project and from the forthcoming ‘Between the Worlds’ are scheduled for performance at a number of events and venues for this year, including the Ratlinghope Festival, the Tarc Gallery series and the Sheinton Village Festival. ASIN: B004F76J4A
Visiting the Americans (2011), School of Art, Birmingham
Convened by Dr Jonathan Day on 25 June 2011 at the School of Art, Margaret Street, Birmingham. This featured a range of international speakers examining the legacy of Frank’s The Americans. This was accompanied by a show at the Article Gallery, Birmingham. Images from the show were featured in a group exhibition, The Gathering, at the Diemar Noble Gallery, Wells Street (off Oxford Street), West End, London W1T 3PY, alongside works by Martin Parr and others.
Jonathan Day (2014) Postcards from the Road: Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans’ (Intellect, Bristol)
Day, Jonathan (2012) 'Why Art Matters', Bristol/Chicago Intellect/University of Chicago Press.
Day, Jonathan (2012) 'Robert Frank's The Americans: the Art of Documentary Photography, Bristol/Chicago, Intellect/University of Chicago, ISBN: 978-1841503158
Day, Jonathan (2011) 'Carved In Bone' London, Niimiika/Proper Records, ASIN: B004F76J4A
Day, Jonathan (2008) 'The Politics of Navigation: Globalisation, Music and Composition', Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Sarrbrucken. ISBN: 978-3639072082
Journal articles
Day, Jonathan (2010) 'Fifty Years On the Road: Images of the Car in Robert Frank’s The Americans', The International Journal of the Arts in Society, vol. 4, no. 5, Illinois. ISSN 1833-1866.
Day, Jonathan (2012) 'The Eviscerated Museum: bricolage, iterative hierarchy, The Family of Man exhibition and the Standard Oil Picture File in Robert Frank’s The Americans', 2nd International Conference of Photography and Theory, Photography and Museums: Displayed and Displaying, Thalassa Municipal Museum, Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
Day, Jonathan (2008) 'Kant and Zen: Intimations of the Ineffable', 3rd International Arts in Society Conference, Birmingham, July.
Solo exhibitions
Visiting the Americans, 2011, Article Gallery, Birmingham.
Aveiia: The Politics of Navigation (2008 on) This series of recordings, films and performances developed out of the similarly titled book and appeared on BBC radio, Bridge Radio, Folk Radio, Last FM, Burton Film Festival (2008), Borderlines Film Festival, Shropshire, (2008), Whealstone Festival, Dorset (2008), Design Week Festival, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2008).
Group exhibitions
The Gathering, Diemar Noble Gallery, Wells Street (off Oxford Street), West End, London W1T 3PY, with Martin Parr, Brian Griffin and others. Catalogue published.
Reviews
For Robert Frank’s The Americans: the Art of Documentary Photography: by Prof. C. Chiarenza, University of Rochester, New York, in the American Libraries Association Journal. by Dan Abbe in American Photo Magazine by Eamonn McCabe, Picture Editor of The Guardian from 1988 to 2001.
For Carved in Bone: Genevieve Tudor, BBC Sunday Folk Stirrings Magazine Maverick Magazine Living Traditions Q magazine fRoots magazine
Jonathan's work has been frequently featured on the BBC, with a number of other broadcasters and in many magazines, including R2, Q, Living Tradition, Netrhythms, Stirrings, Shreds and Patches, Taplas, Northern Sky, Crossrhythms, Johnny's Garden (NL).
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Jonathan is in the process of creating a book fusing photography, meditations on journey and the road developed from Jack Kerouac's ideas around 'divine improvisational prose' and an academic analysis of Robert Frank's The Americans, to be published by University of Chicago Press in late 2013.
Robert Frank’s The Americans: Tracing the Lines of his Hand. This is a book for Intellect (UK) and the University of Chicago Press (rest of world) due for publication in late 2013. The book fuses photography with meditations on journey and the road developed from Jack Kerouac’s ideas around ‘divine improvisational prose’ and an academic analysis of Robert Frank’s The Americans.
These recordings, films and performances appeared on BBC radio, Folk Radio, Folkways, Dragonfire Mountain Music Festival, Tennessee (2011), Snelling Festival, Appleton, Minnesota (2011), All Hallows Festival, Hyde Park (2012), Smartfest, Black Country (2012), Fordhall Festival (2012) and were toured in Hong Kong and Bangkok in the autumn of 2012. A recent return to Thailand featured shows in Petchaburi and at the DCD Show (2013). A combination of works from this project and from the forthcoming ‘Between the Worlds’ are scheduled for performance at a number of events and venues for this year, including the Ratlinghope Festival, the Tarc Gallery series and the Sheinton Village Festival. ASIN: B004F76J4A