‘Who knows what these cupboards and chests and wardrobes reveal. The only hints that suggest anything about the previous owners are the remnants that are left behind: the patterned papers which perhaps due to accelerated consumption, are discovered increasingly rarely inside old drawers. Measured and cut, sometimes accurately, sometimes less so, each one adds a further layer to the cross section of lives lived, evidence of the gestures of everyday rituals and unspoken domestic arrangements.’ Extract from Inside/Outside

Inside/Outside is an edition of thirty A1 fold-out books containing photographs of drawer-linings removed from cupboards and wardrobes at David Lay Auctioneers, Penzance, Cornwall. A narrative runs through the thirty copies, which can only be read in full when the edition is complete. The book is designed to appear so precious as to be simultaneously intriguing and repellent to the viewer, mimicking our own instincts when faced with a stranger’s cupboard. It was printed on thin paper to reveal images over several layers, occasionally interrupted by hidden extras.

Exhibited at:The Show, The Royal College of Art, London; Domestic Sphere, Arthouse Gallery, London.

Inside/Outside: A Book in Thirty Parts installation view

Original drawer lining photographs

Original drawer lining photographs

Letterpress detail from inside spine of book jacket