Jack Davison book signing for A is for Ant

A is for Ant is a multi-faceted project by the photographer and film maker Jack Davison that exists as a surrealist celebration of children’s alphabet books with costumes by set designer Shona Heath. There is a short film, accompanied by two books and The Ant Bus, a touring live performance which sees each letter represented by an animal, and performed by a cast that have been selected by Davison for their embodiment of their given letter.

The two books have been designed in collaboration with the graphic designer Matt Willey. Book 1 is a more of a traditional monograph, whilst Book 2 has been playfully designed for children utilizing newsprint to encourage children to work into, collage with and remake their own alphabet.

“I was always drawn towards alphabet books as a child, and I often spent car journey’s listing various creatures in alphabetical order much to the delight of my parents. I remember seeing the Dali museum in Figueres for the first time. That level of surreal bizarre artifice really shook my adolescent brain - there was something triumphant in its surreality and I remember being both thrilled and mildly terrified,“ Jack Davison

Uncovering the surreal and the sensual in everyday life, Jack Davison’s use of chiaroscuro, framing and exposure as instruments of abstraction draws on a photographic tradition that extends through figures like Saul Leiter, Shoji Udea, August Sander and Man Ray. His playful and curious approach is shaped by the equally formative space of online platforms like Flickr and Tumblr, where he first developed his craft as a young man taking pictures in the Essex countryside.

Shona Heath is a Set Designer and Creative who is responsible for creating some of the most memorable fashion photography from the past two decades. Her links with the fashion, art and film world continue to grow, making her an in demand creative collaborator. Born in Scotland in 1974 but brought up in the English countryside, Worcestershire. She studied fashion and textiles at Brighton University before moving to London.

To pre-order a SIGNED copies of either A is for Ant by Jack Davison Book 1 or Book 2