Sam Winston’s practice is concerned with language not only as a carrier of messages but also as a visual form in and of itself. Initially known for his typography and artist’s books he employs a variety of different approaches including drawing, performance and poetry.
Operating at the intersection of visual culture and literature he has exhibited his work in museums and galleries around the world. Tate Britain, the British Library, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C and J. Paul Getty Museum, among others, hold his artist’s books in their permanent collections. Projects involving drawings, and installations have taken place at institutes such as The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Barbican Centre, and The Whitechapel Gallery.
On the work offered here, Winston says "First published in my bedroom at the ripe old age of 22. At the time I had this to say: “When we read, words take on an existence unto themselves – what would happen if words could do this without our help. The result is what I call A Dictionary Story, a tale where the text decided to take on its own personality and character even before it was read.”
As there was no colophon or other descriptive information, I still class this iteration as a prototype. It is dubious if the edition made it all the way up to its labelled “/50” as large packs of paper were expensive for me, a broke art student. That said, I do have a delivery note saying that 12 copies were dropped off to The Institute of Contemporary Art for sale in their shop at £12 (I was yet to find out that selling out at the shop didn’t equal making a living)."
