Transition's first Tranzine is Cosmographia by Rachel Cattle and Steve Richards. It's launch coincides
with the opening of their exhibition, also called Cosmographia, on 22 Jan 2010 at Transition...

‘Cosmographia is a continuation of work we've been making together using the cut up idea to connect diverse sources. We collect philosophical quotes, song lyrics, bits that we’ve written ourselves and mix them all together. The zine acts as its own thing but also relates to the film we made at the same time, which was influenced by Kubrick’s The Shining and how he uses pattern to give visual clues. We started talking about how we’re trapped by these myriad images and patterns, which influence our lives without us realising it. The drawing of the lightning flash from David Bowie’s face, for instance, comes from a teenage obsession. It’s not just about pop stars, but governing patterns and psychological patterns that we endlessly repeat.

While we were making the film I spent a lot of time at the British Museum and was reminded that every culture and society is obsessed by pattern and design, whether in carpets and furnishings or symbolically. Pattern has been really important to human psychology. Our working process is part of the piece and visible in traces of rubbed out pencil in the text. We’re not trying to be slick. Drawing the text by hand gives it warmth. It’s also that idea that you’ve got so much of an obsession with something that you sit down and bother to draw out the text instead of just printing it out on a computer. Obviously its also tongue in cheek because the ideas are big, philosophical and in capital letters. It’s important to both of us that even though the slogans might seem grandiose, there is an emotional communication there, which is positive and humorous.’

Rachel Cattle and Steve Richards talking to Alli Sharma at Transition Gallery on 14 January 2010

Cosmographia by Rachel Cattle and Steve Richards


20 Pages, 143x203mm, b/w laser print, Edition of 100

© 2010 Transition Gallery, Rachel Cattle and Steve Richards
ISBN 978-0-95489-547-1
design: chicken www.herechickychicky.com

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