Jake Tilson is an English artist, graphic designer, writer and publisher. Author and designer of A Tale of 12 Kitchens, he published the arts magazines Cipher and Atlas, taught in the Communication Design department at the Royal College of Art and also works as a journalist. A retrospective exhibition of his art work was held at the Museo Internacional de Electrografia in Cuenca, Spain, part funded by The British Council. He was an early adopter of the World Wide Web as a medium for art, using his website TheCooker. As a graphic designer he has produced work for companies such as Paul Smith, Haworth Tompkins, Royal National Theatre and Warehouse plc. He is a trustee of the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery. "Rooted in everyday culture and a pervading sense of place, Tilson’s practice spans publishing, cultural commentary, photography and audio work and often focuses on the unremarkable and the everyday whilst purposefully avoiding any sense of spectacle." "Jake Tilson has always been one of the more original voices in graphic design, his playful, multilayered work defying both convention and easy description."
Early life and education
Jake Tilson was born in London, the son of Joe Tilson and Joslyn Tilson. His grandfather was Alastair Morton, who ran his father's business the Edinburgh Weavers, commissioning artists such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. Jake studied painting at Chelsea School of Art from 1976–79, and at the Royal College of Art from 1980–83. He won the Royal of Art Major Travelling scholarship and spent a year working in Paris, where he had his first one-person exhibition at Galerie J et J Donguy.
Work
In 1979 he set up the small independent press, The Woolley Dale Press, which enabled him to publish limited edition book works and the arts/literary magazine Cipher, helped by a grant from the Greater London Arts Association. After leaving college in 1983 he continued publishing, including the trilingual arts magazine, Atlas, which sold in 15 countries. Atlas became the name of his next independent press in 1993 which published his audio works and books such as 3 Found Fonts. Throughout the 1990s Tilson exhibited widely and had a commercial dealer, the Nigel Greenwood Gallery in London. During this time his work was primarily collage based wall pieces and sculptural dioramas. He was Erna Plachte artist in residence at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University where he developed his website TheCooker as well as designing websites for the Laboratory at the Ruskin he designed websites for the Royal Institute of International Affairs and the Royal College of Art. His most recent exhibition was at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2012, commissioned by Haworth Tompkins Architects as part of the Common Ground exhibition.
Selected bibliography
No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism, Rick Poynor, 2013, Laurence King,. How To Survive Modern Art, Susie Hodge, Tate Publishing, 2009,. The Fundamentals of Graphic Design, Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris, AVA Publishing, 2008,. The Designer and the Grid, Lucienne Roberts, Rotovision, 2005,. Influences: a Lexicon of Contemporary Graphic Design, Anna Gerber and Amy Lutz, Gestalten Verlag, 2006,. New Media Design, Tricia Austin and Richard Doust, Laurence King Publishers, 2005,. Elizabeth David – Her Life, Work and Influence, Eddie Cass, Portico Library Gallery, 2007, OCLC 747321710. All Messed Up – Unpredictable Graphics, Anna Gerber, Laurence King, 2004,. Restart: New Systems in Graphic Design, Christian Küsters and Emily King, Thames & Hudson, 2001,. Vision: 50 Years of British Creativity, a Celebration of Art, Architecture and Design, Melvyn Bragg, Thames & Hudson, 1999,. New Media in Late 20th-century Art, Michael Rush, Thames & Hudson World Art series, 1999, .
Selected bookworks
Light & Dark, Woolley Dale Press, 1979,. Exposure, Woolley Dale Press, 1980,. 8 Views of Paris, Woolley Dale Press, 1980,. The V Agents, Woolley Dale Press, 1981,. Excavator-Barcelona-Excavador, Woolley Dale Press, 1986,. One World – A Guide, Warehouse PLC, 1987, ASIN: B001OQ29O4. Breakfast Special, 5 books, Woolley Dale Press, 1989,,,,,. The Terminator Line, Woolley Dale Press, 1991,. 3 Found Fonts, Atlas, 2003,. A Tale of 12 Kitchens, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Artisan, 2006,,. In At The Deep End – cooking fish Tokyo to Venice, Quadrille,.
Selected audioworks
City Sounds of the Everyday, podcasts, Atlas, 2012 City Picture Fiction, audio CD, Atlas, 1996 Hungerford Bridge, tide and trains, audio cassette, Atlas, 1998 Hannahsleeps, audio cassette, Atlas 1998 Gate 23, audio cassette, Atlas, 1993 Foundsounds, audio CD, Atlas, 1993
Public collections
Tate Gallery Collection. Chase Manhattan Bank. Arthur Andersen & Co. BBC World Service. The Principal Financial Group, USA.
