This publication offers a rich and expansive visual record of Julie Brook's artistic practice, and proposes a unique collaboration between Brook and distinct voices from the nature writing and craftsmanship traditions. Situating Brook's practice in the context of critical reflections by Robert Macfarlane, Alexandra Harris and Raku Jikinyu, the publication presents a striking visual narrative of Brook's landscape and tidal sculptural work, and a sense of its timeless yet contemporary resonance. Documenting in depth a number of recent works made in the Hebrides, Japan and Namibia, their shared attention to the elements and their key pre-occupations of the fleeting, mobile forces of light, time, and gravity demonstrate Brook's coherent vision within vastly contrasting environments. Throughout her oeuvre, the balance between what Brook makes in relation to the environment and materials themselves is paramount. Including film stills, photography and drawing, which are all integral languages for conceptualising and communicating the work, plus insightful extracts from Brook's notebooks, this beautiful publication succeeds in providing the reader with a unique understanding of the artist's 'monuments to the moment'.

Shelf life is the first book dedicated to the work of the contemporary photorealist artist Neil Gall. Working outside the usual traditions and subject matter of the genre, Gall is best known for his "S & M sculpture paintings," which echo the disquiet of Hans Bellmer's dolls, and conjure the debris of everyday life (such as duct tape, plasticine and wire) into stunted, contorted, and amputated characters. Gall's technique of "layering" modeling, assembly, photography, and finally, painting reveals references to art history, from Dutch still life to Surrealism. Shelf life positions Gall within these and the Photorealist traditions, with insightful written contributions and stunning reproductions of his work bringing his trompe-l'oeil oil on canvas creations to life.