Our Story
David and Ping co-founded Henningham Family Press in 2006 making handmade artists’ books that are collected by some of the world’s most prestigious libraries and museums. Since 2018 our studio has had global distribution through Inpress Books and Ingram, placing our paperbacks in high street bookshops. Our novels have been shortlisted for The Goldsmith’s Prize, Republic of Consciousness Prize, British Book Awards and longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize.
2006) Interdisciplinary Artists
Our artists’ books have been acquired by National Galleries Scotland, V&A, Tate, National Poetry Library, the Bodleian Library and Stanford University. David has also taught bookbinding at Morley College and Central St. Martin’s School of Art.
2009) Performance Publishing
We devised a process called Performance Publishing, where the entire process of creating and distributing a publication takes place in a single public event. These shows included several prestigious touring commissions such as Borealis, Ultima, London Word Festival, The British Council and an Arts Council England Award for The Maximum Wage (left)
Photo Harpreet Kalsi
2018) Split Editions
Our next ambition was to get our artists’ editions out from behind closed drawers and onto the high-street. We became members of Inpress Books Ltd., a sales and marketing group that promote more than 50 of the best Independent UK publishers. We also formed a partnership with the crowdfunding publisher Unbound in 2019. We were awarded several grants by Arts Council England to produce Split Editions, where we bound the same printed pages were as paperback editions and limited edition, handmade artists’ books.
2022) Unlimited Editions
With books like Mr. Beethoven by Paul Griffiths (US rights sold to NYRB Books, audiobook rights sold to Orange Sky, and multiple prize listings) many first editions are selling out. Beginning with Dedalus by Chris McCabe, we have begun publishing our Unlimited Editions; second editions available globally via print on demand through Ingram’s Lightning Source.
Environment
We use pulp-dyed papers, which are much more durable that printed white paper, cutting out the plastic lamination big publishers depend on to protect their books. Our suppliers G.F Smith, Munken and Fedrigoni are FSC certified and either Elemental or Totally Chlorine Free. Our partners at Short Run Press use vegetable based inks, and are carbon neutral.
CV
David Henningham
2004-2006 MA Slade School of Fine Art, London
2001-2004 BA (Hons) Sculpture, Chelsea College of Art, London
2000-2001 Foundation Diploma, Central St Martins School of Art, London
Ping Henningham
2006-2007 MA Modernist Literature, Queen Mary University of London
2001-2004 BA (Hons) History of Art, University College London
2000-2001 Foundation Diploma Central St Martins School of Art, London
Selected Awards
2022 Society of Authors TA First Translation Prize: The Lost Spell by Yismake Worku (tr. Bethlehem Attfield), shortlist
2022 Arts Council England Award £3,700 for Foulness: a novel in three editions
2021 The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction: Mr. Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, Longlist
2021 Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses: Mr. Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, Longlist
2020 Nominated for Gmund Awards, Book Design
2020 Nominated for Gmund Awards, Artists Books
2020 Arts Council England Award £15,000 for Metamorphic Fictions
2020 The Goldsmith’s Prize: Mr. Beethoven by Paul Griffiths, Shortlist
2020 The British Book Awards Small Press of the Year: Shortlist
2019 Arts Council England Award £12,500 for Historiographic Fictions
2019 Arts Council England Award £15,000 for Split Editions
2019 Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses: Dedalus by Chris McCabe, Shortlist
2019 The British Book Awards Small Press of the Year: Regional Finalist
2018 Accepted as member of Inpress Books (a group of 50+ top UK small publishers)
Selected Collections
Victoria & Albert Museum
Tate Gallery
National Galleries Scotland
The National Poetry Library, London
The Bodleian Library special collections
Stanford University, USA
UCLA, USA
Chelsea College of Art, London
University College London Library
Winchester College of Art
Selected Exhibitions/Performances (in London unless indicated otherwise)
2022 Performed in Sweeney Agonistes by T.S. Eliot, (a Zoom-based production)
2022 Ulysses 100 In 18 Stationen, Gallery Wechselstrom, Vienna
2020 Performed The Ballad of Persse O’Reilly (James Joyce), Finnigannight, Paddington
2019 Performed three ballads from An Unknown Soldier at A Leap In The Dark, Paddington
2019 Performed in Moby-Dick Rehearsed by Orson Welles, The Tin Tabernacle
2016 A Line of Five Feet, UK/Russia Year of Language and Literature, British Council Russia, Moscow
2016 The Maximum Wage, Utopia, William Morris Gallery
2016 The Maximum Wage, Urban Village Fete (HemingwayDesign), Greenwich Peninsula
2016 The Maximum Wage, (Awarded Arts Council England Grants For The Arts), St Paul’s West Hackney
2015 Performed three songs from An Unknown Soldier at The New Concrete, (Hayward Publishing book event curated by Chris McCabe & Victoria Bean), The Whitechapel Gallery
2015 An Unknown Soldier: an exhibition by Henningham Family Press, The National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall
2014 Active Service Gospel Replica launch, The Guards Museum, Wellington Barracks
2013 Keynote artists at Free Verse Poetry Book Fair, Conway Hall
2013 There Will Be New Rules Next Week (Sister Corita Kent Exhibition), Dundee Contemporary Arts
2012 Poetic Censorship, The National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall
2012 French Fiberboard, Rowhill Books, Charlottesville VA
2012 Monday School (with Half-handed Cloud), St. Barnabas Church, Dalston
2011 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (invited artists)
2011 Multiplied Art Fair, Christie’s Auction House
2011 King James Bible Bash, London Word Festival
2011 Evolving English, British Library
2011 Printmaking Today, Black Rat Gallery
2010 Multiplied Art Fair, Christie’s Auction House
2010 Chip Shop, The Verb, BBC Radio Theatre (BBC Radio 3)
2010 Keep Printing and Carry On, London Word Festival (resident artists)
2009 InterInterInter, Ultima Festival, Oslo
2009 InterInterInter, Borealis Festival, Bergen (resident artists)
2008 InterInterInter, De Bijloke, Gent
2008 Bookish, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis
2008 The 12? vinyl experiment (with Half-handed Cloud), Foundry
2008 InterInterInter, Rational Rec, Bethnal Green Working Mens’ Club
David Henningham (author), Selected Publications
2023 Foulness: a novel, Unbound (forthcoming)
2022 Kittiwake, Exacting Clam Issue 4
2015 Grand Eagle (capitals and columns, The New Concrete (Ed. Chris McCabe & Victoria Bean), Hayward Publishing
2014 Four Illustrations for Active Service Gospel Replica, SGM Lifewords (1 million copies)
2014 Letters Home, The National Poetry Library/Southbank Centre
2011 Trench (bold, italic), Special Works School (Ed. Heather Ring and James Wilkes)
2010 An Unknown Soldier, Henningham Family Press
2007 Untitled screenprint, Shytstem Issue 3
2007 Hard Wood Lesson, Henningham Family Press
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