Our Story
The concept for ED.EM as an imprint of the Societe Jersiaise Photographic Archive was born out of admiration for Emile F. Guiton and his work; and the desire to keep the collections alive through new contexts.
The quality and breadth of the archive is in a large part thanks to the work of Emile, contributing not only his life’s work photographing Jersey’s heritage but also playing an instrumental role in the collecting and cataloguing of photographs by other photographers. The Société now holds a unique collection of photographic materials dating from the 1840s to the present day.
Founded in 1873, the objectives of the Société Jersiaise are to study the history, archaeology, geology, natural history and antiquities of the island; the dissemination of knowledge about them through education, publication, exhibition and by other means; the preservation of the ancient language, of antiquities and of significant relics and records; and the conservation of the environment.
Photography has been an essential tool in this endeavour.
The Founder
EMILE F. GUITON
(1879-1972)
Honorary Curator of the Museum and Editor of the Annual Bulletin, he is considered to be the founder of the Photographic Archive at the Société Jersiaise. Emile was also an excellent photographer making use of a rapidly expanding medium in the early 20th century to record important historical sites, events and objects.
In honour of Emile and his legacy, we have launched Éditions Emile, with each issue of ED.EM. we take a fresh look at a specific collection within the archive, pairing it with either another collection or contemporary work, in order to re-contextualise the images, keeping the collections active and relevant for new audiences.
The Editors
Patrick Cahill
Patrick is an archivist at Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive and the founder of PARRIIC. He studied Documentary Photography at UoW Newport, before taking an MA in Book Arts & Publishing at UCA Farnham. Whilst his personal practice is in small runs of hand-bound artist books, his professional career has been focused on the management, presentation and distribution of knowledge and experiences. Patrick also runs workshops advising on production and teaching basic bookbinding skills for students, educators and creatives of all descriptions.
societe.je / parriic.com
Martin Toft
Martin is a photographer, photo book artist and educator. His practice combines documentary and fine art approach to explore social, anthropological and cultural themes, underpinned by archival research. Recent publications include, Atlantus (2015) a multi-functional newspaper in collaboration with Dr Gareth Syvret and Kummer & Herrman which has been exhibited widely in the UK, Europe and USA. In 2016 it was nominated for the Prix du Livre Author Book Award at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles. His recent book Te Ahi Kã - The Fires of Occupation (2018) was shortlisted for the Kassel Dummy Award 2018 and 2019 Best International Photography Book of the Year PHotoEspaña. It was published under the imprint of Dewi Lewis Publishing and designed by Ania Nałecka-Milach.
martintoft.com
Contact us.
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