In the Forest of Grief I Grew Into a Shrub of Gold/ Delaine Le Bas

Close-up of a person's face with closed eyes and pale makeup, with the words "In the forest of grief I grew into a shrub of gold" written over the face.

For British artist Delaine Le Bas, dress is divine. Clothes appear as both mask and memorial within an expansive body of work exploring mythologies of Le Bas’s Romani ancestry. Embroidered and hand-painted textile is central to the artist’s lyrically activist practice, alongside costume, writing and performance. In a new series of portraits by the British photographer Tara Darby, directed by Jane Howard, gold leaf dances across the planes of Le Bas’s face in repose, it wraps and jangles around her wrists, glimmers across her clothes. In a notebook she has inscribed: “In the forest of grief I grew into a shrub of gold.” The grief is alchemical.

Designed by Margherita Sabbioneda.

Publisher
Archivist Addendum

Year
2024

A mixed media artwork featuring a crumpled brown paper with black ink blot and handwritten words 'Help' and 'Help' on the left, and a woman with red hair and gold leaf face and body paint on the right.

A woman loading a caravan with bags and items outside, and another woman holding a large, transparent plastic bag with handwritten messages and drawings over her face.

Close-up of a person with theatrical makeup: white face paint, blue lines running down the nose, pink and blue eyeshadow, and black eyebrows, alongside a separate page with the word 'DROIDS' written in spray paint style with red and black colors.

Left image: Woman with long gray and red hair, gold leaf on her face and neck, wearing a pale pink top. Right image: Person standing with their head and upper body covered by a white fabric with multicolored paint splatters, wearing sneakers, next to

A whiteboard with the handwritten text, 'I am moving forwards onwards I have thought about this for a long time. I am warning the ruby slippers I just need to click my heels three times I am home where I should be.' Next to the whiteboard, a woman wi

Unité

In 2018 I spent much of the year photographing different modernist buildings. I live on a 1970s estate which I document all the time. I spent the year making a book about Thamesmead. In the summer, I went to Unité d’Habitation in Marseille and in the winter to Chandigarh, India.

My housing estate, designed by John Spence Architects, was originally built for key workers. Thamesmead was built to solve a post-war housing crisis in London. Unité d’Habitation, completed in 1952, was the first manifestation of Le Corbusier’s ‘machine for living’, after ten frustrating years in which all of his project proposals had been rejected.

Despite their successes and failures, still present in all of these places is the radical optimism and vision that inspired them, culminating for me with Le Corbusier’s 28-metre-high sculpture of The Open Hand inChandigarh: a symbol of ‘peace and reconciliation, open to give and open to receive.’

Designed by Ben Weaver

Publisher
Miniature Love

Year
2019

A young girl wearing a black top, green straps, and a pink tutu with red semi-transparent wings stands facing away at a glass window or door with her arms extended and holding onto the edge. Behind her, a sign reads 'Libre Service' in red letters. Th

A young girl with red curly hair leaning on a yellow playground structure outdoors, and a modern concrete building with colorful square windows and a small group of people gathered in a courtyard.

Group of eight girls of different ages standing together outdoors near a residential building and greenery, smiling at the camera.

Two photographs of sculptures and public art installations from 2018. The left photo shows a modern concrete walkway with moss and weathering, part of Coraline Walk in Thamesmead. The right photo depicts a large metal sculpture of an open hand, calle

Two photographs of city apartments. The left photo shows a brick apartment building with laundry hanging outside, a scooter, and greenery. The right photo shows an outdoor plaza with a red kick scooter on the ground, surrounded by brick buildings and

Two photos side by side. The left photo shows a man in a suit touching a large yellow wall with textured surface, with shadows cast on the wall. The right photo features a young girl with long dark hair, wearing a yellow T-shirt with blue text, black

Photo on the left shows a man and a teenage girl sitting on a brick wall outside a house with a red-leafed tree behind them. The man is wearing a cap, black T-shirt, and shorts. The girl has long red hair, a white T-shirt, and shorts. The photo on th

Two photographs side by side. The left photo shows a modern architectural building with layered sections made of concrete, wood, and colored panels, situated under a large tree. The right photo depicts a girl in a blue dress and sandals bending over

A two-page spread with the left page containing text information about a book titled 'Tara Darby United!' published by Miniature Love, including copyright details, ISBN, photography, text, lithography, design, printing, and binding credits, along wit

Abstract geometric artwork with bold teal lines, pink accents, and a beige background.

The Town of Tomorrow: 50 Years of Thamesmead

Rising from London’s Erith marshes in the 1960s, Thamesmead was London County Council’s bold attempt to build a new town to address the city’s housing shortage after the Second World War. Noted for its daring, experimental design – concrete modern terraces, blocks of flats and elevated walkways built around a system of lakes and canals – the town received attention from architects, sociologists and politicians throughout the world but also gained notoriety as the backdrop to Stanley Kubrick’s film, ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

In ‘The Town of Tomorrow’, 50 years of Thamesmead’s history have been assembled and preserved. The architecture of the town and its inhabitants are captured by archive material combined with newly commissioned photography by Tara Darby. Original plans, models, postcards, leaflets and newspaper cuttings are presented alongside interviews with local residents. Together with an introductory essay by John Grindrod, the images convey the story of this influential but often misunderstood town, from the dreams and excitement of its ambitious original vision to the complex realities of living there today.

Designed by Ben Weaver

Publisher
Here Press

Year
2019

A young boy wearing a white shirt and gray pants sitting on a wooden bench outside a residential building, holding a navy school bag with a red crest

Urban apartment building exterior with light gray textured walls, a blue pipe, and a covered parking garage with concrete railing stained by moss and weathering.

A young boy riding a silver scooter on a city sidewalk.

Side-by-side comparison of two photographs of Southmore Lake, one from 1970 showing the construction of towers with cranes, and one from 2018 showing the completed towers reflected in the water with trees and grassy shoreline in the foreground.

Street view showing an urban area with a multi-story residential building, parked cars, and trees. A child is walking along the sidewalk near a phone booth, with shadows cast by the setting sun.

Panoramic view of a lakeside park with trees, grassy areas, a walking trail, and buildings in the background. A few people are near the water, fishing or relaxing. The scene is captured on a cloudy day in the late 1980s.

A young girl with long blonde hair dressed in a white and pink dress, wearing pink socks and white shoes, standing outdoors on a grassy area, holding a pink purse with a small dog inside, in front of a modern apartment building.

Three women waiting at a bus stop labeled Limestone Walk, sitting on a bench outside a blue building with a small grassy area and trees in the background.

A city street scene with a person riding a horse-drawn cart on a designated bike lane, cars on the road, a modern building, trees, street signs, and streetlights under a clear sky.

A black and white photo of a lake with a tree leaning over it on the left side, and a colorful photo of a field of white daisies and other wildflowers with greenery and trees in the background on the right side.

Group photo of eight women and seven children outside a building, smiling for the photo in 2018.

Side-by-side of two photographs: on the left, a black-and-white portrait of a young girl with straight hair, wearing a blazer and a necklace, looking at the camera with a serious expression; on the right, a color photo of an older woman with short bl

Page 170 shows a woman standing in a kitchen with white cabinets and appliances. Page 171 features three photographs: a landscape with someone picking blackberries, a handwritten note, and a black-and-white portrait of a smiling woman with flowers in

Residential apartment complex with trees, a staircase, a lamp post, and a small grassy area with a wooden fence and trash bins.

A city street with a horse-drawn cart, pedestrians, cars, modern buildings, and a pedestrian bridge.

Two men in motocross gear standing next to their dirt bikes on a residential sidewalk.

A book cover titled "The Town of Tomorrow" featuring a landscape with trees and a building in the background, describing the history and future of Thamesmead.

London Uprising

London has long been a fashion-world capital, and the past fifteen years have been an especially fertile period in its centuries-long history of setting trends. This stunning book is an all-access pass into the world of designer fashion - an exclusive behind-the-scenes studio tour that calls in on fifty of the city's leading design talents - London-based global superstars - all of whom open up about their practice and philosophy, and share a wealth of images from their private collections.

Designed by DJA

Publisher
Phaidon

Year
2016

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01 Mathew Williamson_06._LondonUprising__1.JPG

35 Simone Rocha_06._LondonUprising__1.JPG

A Literary Journey: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Darby’s Literary Journey series recounts her travels through towns and cities used as settings in books of American 20th century literature. The journey featured in this publication takes her to the American South to follow the plot and locations of Carson McCullers’ 1940 novel “The Night is a Lonely Hunter”. The story centers on the experiences of a deaf man, John Singer, and the people he meets in a 1930s mill town. It was the first in a string of works by McCullers to give voice to the rejected, forgotten, mistreated and oppressed.

Darby’s poignant images are accompanied by bursts of her own diaristic text which connect the experiences she has on her road trip with the text of the novel.

Designed by Ben Weaver

Publisher
Miniature Love

Year
2011

A pink abandoned building with a sign reading 'CARE' on the roof, single story with large windows, brick foundation, and a small front door, under a blue sky.

An elderly man with a long white beard, wearing a beige cap, gray jacket, blue jeans, and brown boots, standing beside a red bicycle with baskets on a grassy field with trees in the background.

A young Black man wearing a cap and a work uniform with a name tag, standing outdoors on a street with parked cars and buildings in the background.

Photo of an old storefront with large windows and colorful neon signs that read "Love," "Faith," "Youth," and "Center."

A man wearing a red hat, white shirt, and sunglasses stands on a sidewalk in a small town with old white and pink buildings in the background.

Yellow and white dress displayed on a clothing rack near a window with mannequins in the background.

A photograph of a peaceful pond surrounded by trees with green and orange foliage, reflecting in the calm water.

Waves

In ‘Waves’ I tell the story of my maternal grandparents, of their lives and losses and the lasting impact they have had on me. It is a story about family and the symbolic significance a house can have; of family history, the enduring power of love and the changes brought about by death.

Designed by Damien Poulain

Publisher
Oodee

Year
2011

A two-page layout with a pink background on the left page and a white page with black text on the right.

A black and white collage of two vintage photographs and accompanying captions. The left photo shows a young girl and a man sitting outdoors on a stone step garden with a house in the background. The right photo features a woman and a shirtless man s

Black and white photos of a family vacation in 1980: one photo shows an elderly man at a lakeside with a small boat, and another features three women and one girl on rocky terrain, all smiling.

Cluttered workbench with tools, boxes, and miscellaneous items near a window in a workshop.

A wooden windowsill with a framed photograph of a woman with red hair, a rolled-up piece of paper, and a photograph lying flat, overcast outdoors visible through the window.

A cozy bathroom with a large window, yellow curtains, a pedestal sink, a wooden chair with a towel draped over it, and a corner bathtub with a glass shower enclosure.

Image of a white medicine cabinet with shelves containing various medication bottles and boxes, partially open door.

A cluttered wooden desk holding two older computer monitors, a large gray computer tower, a small speaker, and various cables. There is a wall behind the desk, a framed photo of a group in front of a building, and a window on the right side.

A woman and an elderly person with pink hair playing on a lawn in a garden, with the woman sitting and the elderly person lying on the grass, raising one leg in a playful pose, during late afternoon sunlight.

Photo of an elderly person lying in bed, with a broken photo album on a table nearby.

The left side shows a wooden dresser with framed photographs and small decorative items on top. The background features a wall with exposed wooden beams and two portrait paintings. The right side displays a wooden chair with three pairs of shoes on t

An elderly man with white hair and glasses is sleeping in a cozy living room, seated on an armchair with a blanket draped over him. The room has a large window with curtains, a fireplace, and various decorative items on tables. There is a caption bel

A photograph of a corner of a room with sunlight coming through a window. There is a wooden table with objects on it, including a hat, a bottle, and some other small items. A window with curtains, a framed artwork, and a black tray or box are visible

Movers in blue shirts unloading a moving truck in a garden with trimmed bushes and a small pond.

A cozy window seat with curtains and a stuffed animal, overlooking a garden outside.

An elderly man with gray hair lays back in a recliner with his eyes closed in a sunlit living room with large windows and various chairs and furniture.

Sunlit hospital room with a bed, medical equipment, and large windows overlooking a grassy outdoor area.

A page from a book with a paragraph of text about the author's grandfather passing away, the family gathered at his bedside, and feelings of grief and remembrance.

A group of six people and a dog gathered around a bed, with some holding hands and others resting on the bed, in a dimly lit room with a beige curtain and a small light on the wall.

People dressed in black attending a funeral service around a wicker casket decorated with flowers.

A group of people holding umbrellas gather around a woman who is leaning over a green casket outdoors on a rainy day.

A woman sits on a bed in a bedroom with orange curtains, looking out the window. A wooden nightstand with a lamp, a clock, and personal items is next to the bed. A small teddy bear is on the bed.

A woman holding a black-and-white photograph of a man and a woman in a rural setting.

A pink background with small text 'oodee' at the bottom center.

We Are Only Humans

Tara began carrying her camera around when she first moved to Hackney in 2000, engaging with a succession of neighbours and local characters. These documentary portraits, collated under the title ‘We Are Only Humans’, are an unsentimental pictorial celebration of a unique borough in one of the most vibrant cities in the world at a pivotal moment of transition.

Tara’s pictures are about the connection between human beings and their landscape; about society functioning and malfunctioning at an instinctive level with its surroundings. Text by Heidi James and John Welch.

Designed by Damien Poulain

Publisher
Miniature Love

Year
2009

A barber shop with a barber holding a red cape, standing next to a vintage barber chair. The barber is thinking, with a hand on his chin. The walls are decorated with posters and various items.

A construction site with a partially built house covered in blue netting on the left, and a woman with short black hair wearing a white striped shirt sitting near a white brick wall and holding a phone on the right.

Side-by-side images: a vintage black car abandoned in a junkyard with overgrown weeds and debris, and a man with a beard wearing a red beanie, black suit, and dress shoes, sitting on a small red stool against a brick wall.

A photograph of an apple tree branch with small red apples and green leaves.

Three people standing outdoors in front of a tree and residential houses. An elderly man with a cane on the left, a woman in the middle, and a young girl on the right, dressed in vintage clothing.

Left: a broken window with boarded-up and cluttered interior; right: a burnt-out car wreck in an open field with city buildings in the background.

Left side: a crowd of people outdoors in a park with trees and buildings in the background. Right side: a young woman with long brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a black dress, standing on a city sidewalk under a tree, holding her phone in one hand.

Five men sitting on a bus, smiling at the camera. The bus interior has patterned seats and large windows.

A young girl stands barefoot on a concrete staircase wearing colorful tie-dye clothing, looking at the camera. An adult is holding her hair. Next to her is a gray wall and a door. On the right, there is a building with a sign for Africa House Legal A

Left image shows a dog indoors on a tiled floor, being held on a leash by a person near a window, with shadows on the floor. Right image shows a person sitting alone at an outdoor table with a white checkered tablecloth on a concrete patio, with a dr

Four children playing on the roof of a brick building in a residential area, with parked cars and an apartment building in the background.

The left side shows a close-up of a wooden restaurant or café interior with a window, a mirror, posters of vintage fashion, a telephone, and a curtain made of wooden sticks. The right side depicts a woman with red hair and a black headband, sitting o

Three children and one woman in a parking lot near a brick apartment building decorated with Union Jack flags and bunting for the English flag. The woman has a blue bucket, and the children hold a shopping bag. A small car is parked, and some soap or

A black-and-white photo of a young woman standing in front of a store, with a bicycle leaning against the wall, and a woman lying in a bathtub filled with water.

Side-by-side images: the left shows two men sitting on a park ledge, one shirtless holding a drink, the other wearing a Nike sweatshirt, smiling and joking; the right shows a collection of flowers and candles, likely a memorial site.

A narrow sidewalk beside an old building with a wooden door, vintage streetlights, and a tree in the background.

Saville

Tara was commissioned to go to Sicily to photograph paintings and notebooks in Jenny Saville’s studio for her first monograph published by Rizzoli. These details intersperse between Saville’s work and show an incredible insight into her influences and inspirations.

Designed by David James Associates

Publisher
Rizzoli

Year
2005

Delaine Le Bas: Room

As part of the Room project, Transition commissioned photographer Tara Darby to document Delaine's life in Worthing during the period leading up to the show. These photographs and a series of letters written by Delaine to the artist Alex Michon are included in the publication along with written essays by Colin Rhodes and Alex Michon.

The Room publication contains 40 pages of photographs and 32 pages of text. Its soft cover and exposed binding add to its unique raw aesthetic.

Designed by David James Associates

Publisher
Transition Editions

Year
2005