School of Art, Design and Media (ADM)

I joined Portsmouth in 1995 and teach Illustration. My background is in Illustration and CD-Rom design, web design and illustration. My PhD research focussed on the capacity of imagery within advertising to encapsulate the problems of visual representation in commercial illustration and design, e.g. the ways in which the states of mind are to be represented (delight, gratitude, despair and relaxation).

My practice is creating handmade limited edition artist’s books under the brand name of Damp Flat Books. These are held in many permanent collections such as the V&A Museum, Tate Britain, The Getty Institute in Los Angeles and the Joan Flasch Collection, Chicago. I am featured on the V&A Website as an example (one of 6) UK Book Artists. I am also interested in zines and have recently set up a collection called Zineopolis within the Illustration Course.

Current Research^{[Back to top]}

Damp Flat Books

I use my own photography, illustration and hand drawn type within my books along with writing the text, designing, printing and binding. Full details and examples can be viewed on my website at www.dampflat.com and exhibitions and news can be found archived on my blog at http://dampflat.blogspot.com/

Zineopolis

http://www.zineopolis.co.uk
A zine collection at the University which now has over 90 zines from around the world plus student work. As part of this I have created my own limited edition zine - Future Fantasteek! – distributed on request to libraries including the V&A, British Library and Getty Institute.

The Ministry of Books

http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/illustration/minweb/maze/bookbind/index.htm
Visual Guides on How to Bind Books – I designed the instructional pages, took the photos, made the books, created the PDF pages and built the webpages.

ImageXchange

http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/illustration/IMAGES/index.htm
All three of the above projects and more are featured on ImageXchange. I maintain this site with Dr Maureen O’Neill. It consists of research visits, presentations, lectures, web design and construction, project planning, report writing and dissemination alongside my own artist book production. We hope to develop a project focused on the site with Sookmyoung Womens University in Seoul.

Publications

PhD Thesis^{[Back to top]}

Batey, J. (2004). The safe cigarette: visual strategies of reassurance in American advertisements for cigarettes,  1945-1964. Unpub. PhD thesis. Brighton: University of Brighton. This was a practice-based PhD and the practical element (9 artist’s books) are now held in various special collections worldwide.

Articles^{[Back to top]}

Batey, J. (2010). Make a zine. Zine World, 28. 00-00.

Batey, J (2008). Interview for V&A website, representing Bookarts in the UK.

Batey, J. (2007, Oct). Evil Pet Shop, artist’s page. The Blue Notebook, 2(1).

Exhibitions

Solo^{[Back to top]}

Batey, J. (2011-12). Future Fantasteek! First 10 issues tour. UK and USA: Various locations.

Click on the image to view contents of no 10. A catalogue of issues 1-5 and sketchbooks is now available.

Batey, J. (2008, Nov). Visual Diaries. Portsmouth: SPACE Gallery.

Batey, J. (2008, Jan-Feb). Damp Flat Books. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth Library.

Group^{[Back to top]}

2010 (June-August) Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. In order to promote Book Arts at the Summer Show the RA contacted me to request I submit one of my books (via a free entry), Consequently, Battered will be in the exhibition. In addition, selected Damp Flat titles will also be available in the RA Shop for the duration of the show.

2010 (Apr-May). The International Postal Art Project. Bristol: University of the West of England, F Block Gallery.

2010 (Mar-May). The Secret Library of Solihull.

2009 (Oct). 2nd Sheffield Artist's Book Prize Exhibition. Sheffield: Bank Street Arts Gallery. Work featured: Battered.

2009 (Aug-Sept). The Southern Cross University Acquisitive Artists’ Book Award. Lismore, Australia: Southern Cross University nextart Gallery. Work featured:  Damp in Ditchwater.

2009 (Aug-Sept). Closure 2009. Northampton: University of Northampton, The Gallery. Work featured: We're Sorry_.

2009 (May-June). Place, Identity and Memory. Dumfries/Stranraer. Works featured: Headroom and Damp in Ditchwater.

2009 (May). Where Have All The Rich People Gone - Kiss The Crisis. Copenhagen: Banko. Work featured: Million Squid Note from Future Fantasteek! 6.

2009 (Jan-Mar). Compilation: Three Exhibitions on Books. Shelter Artist's Book Exhibition. Worcester, MA: Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery. Works featured: Headroom and Anxious Homes.

2009 (Jan). Zine Fest. London: The Women's Library (London, UK). Work featured: Future Fantasteek!

Dec 2008-Jan 2009. The Ministry of Books. Newport, IoW: Quay Arts.