Fe et ex provides the artists invited to take part in this project with the means to display and distribute artists books.

Fe et ex displays shareable ‘mini books’, or ebooks, in PDF format which anyone can download, print and bind – for free.  These books can exist anywhere, digitally or in print and can be shared or they can be added to collections.

Mobile and flexible, the PDF is to ebooks what the photocopier was to fanzines. It’s easy to access, create and disperse.

Full instructions on how to turn the downloaded PDFs into book can be found on the Diffusion blog . Indeed, this project has been very much inspired and informed by the work distributed by Diffusion and by Proboscis, the independent, not-for-profit artists studio which explores how networks and connections can build communities, both on and off-line.

Fe et ex aims to bring together the works of a diverse group of artists who have a shared interest in the history and development of artists books and photobooks.

The title for this project comes from the practice established in the nineteenth century of signing lithograph editions under the Latin “Fe et ex” followed by the artist name. Fe et ex is the abbreviation for Fecit et excudit, which translates as Made and executed, performed or published.

The Fe et ex project is part of an on going inquiry into the past, present and future of publishing and how artists have been able to ‘self publish’ over the years. It aims to connect artists with audiences as well as with other artists.