Nonsuch Book

mysterious paper sculptures

One of the lovely parts of falling behind in, well, everything of late is the moment when I get to go back and read all the things I bookmarked the last month or so. At one time. The experience is comparable to sitting in front of a large stack of presents that lessens ever so slowly as you unwrap and unwrap, one delight after another. And this story, a popular one, was my favorite. Mysterious and beautiful paper sculptures mounted to books, and left as anonymous presents to libraries in Scotland. The first, found at the Scottish Poetry Library in March, came with this note:

It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree.… ... We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)

And then the National Library of Scotland received this with the following note:

For @natlibscot - A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..... (& against their exit)

And there were more.

And more. And hopefully the rumor that the creator is known is false. Who would want to know? A random act of beauty and kindness. More beautiful because it is anonymous.

book sculptures by su blackwell

Discovered the incredibly beautiful book sculptures of Su Blackwell this week and just can't stop staring. The allure of something not only wonderfully expressive, but something I can nearly feel as I look at it. In the artist's words: 

I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes.

For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.

Subject matter such as Wuthering Heights (click on any image to enlarge):

Pandora's box:

Alice:

Narnia:

Or Little Red Riding Hood:

Visit the artist's website for more images and her blog for recent updates. Or check out the greeting cards for an affordable temptation.

arc repurposing: the book wreath

 

I am really busy right now. Wasting time. Got this sudden manic motivation to find a cool way to repurpose some advance review copies and other books not wanted about the house. Books that I did not like enough to pass along to someone else. You know what I am talking about. "Hey neighbor! I thought this book an insufferable bore but thought you might enjoy it." Eeek. Soooo....

Googled a bunch of stuff like book arts, book crafts, crafts with books, etc., etc. Then stumbled upon a link for a book wreath. Lo and behold, while those of us in the book blogosphere have been busy reading books, the clever people in the crafting blogosphere have been making lovely decorative items from unworthy tomes. 

On November 2, the resourceful Lindsay of Living With Lindsay posted a tutorial that has enjoyed HUGE fame and generated lots of link love. Go check it out here. Easy. Most attractive. Even has a YouTube tutorial for those of us that need those instructions just one more time. Feeling inspired? Apartment Therapy featured Lindsay's tutorial along with a few other examples of book wreaths. Liked this:

 

Vintage French paper wreath sculpture by Laura Manis at Simple Joys Paperie. Then there was this one:

 

A 1930s medical book wreath also by Laura Manis at Simple Joys Paperie.

So. Four whole days left until Christmas. How many gifts can a bunch of book bloggers with sagging shelves crank out in that much time? Let's take some time to over-think the possibilities first. Just kidding. Get moving. To a dollar store near you. You heard Lindsay - $2 a gift. And that is if you have to buy a bad book to make it. So $1 gifts for all of us. Unless you don't own a glue gun. But there I go over-thinking again. 

book arts fair extraordinaire

SAVE THE DATE THE PYRAMID BOOK ARTS FAIR AND CONFERENCE IS COMING SOON!

WHAT: The 10th Biennial Book Arts Fair & Conference is an event connecting international artists and booksellers to collectors and scholars of the book arts through a dynamic book fair, stimulating conference lectures, exhibitions, panel discussions and events. Book artists, publishers, and dealers from all over the U.S. and the U.K. will attend.

With over 70 exhibitors, 6 featured speakers and the exciting exhibition "American Psyche," an exploration of personal and military violence, this year’s event is timed perfectly for this election year.

WHEN: Sat., November 8, 10:00 to 5:00 PM and Sun., November 9, 11:00 to 5:00 PM

WHERE: The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, 930 King St., Silver Spring, MD 20910

COST: $10, $20 and $40. Tickets are available by calling (301) 608-9101 or visiting http://www.bookartsfair.org/

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:
Mary Tasillo will reevaluate the democratic multiple through the lens of those books that directly disseminate information acting as tools for artists/activists.

Steve Woodall will present, “Book Artists at a Research Center: Experiments in the Future of Reading at Xerox PARC,” in order to further questions on the nature of literacy promoted by artists’ books.

Jana Harper looks at books that address issues of speed related to the act of walking and moving through the city.

Chris Burnett provides a study of wandering and speed through the intersections of road literature and artists’ books. Sarah Bodman and Tom Sowden, Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of West England, have a research project focused on advances in digital technology concerning the history and future of artists' books funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council.

For what seems like years, I have been on the lookout for a reasonably priced copy of The Book As Art by Krystyna Wasserman, the curator of book arts at the National Museum of Women in the Arts here in DC. Johanna Drucker, a book arts scholar from the University of Virginia, and Audrey Niffenegger, book artist and author of the best-selling novel The Time Traveller's Wife, both collaborated and are listed as co-authors. Tonight, I found one for next to nothing, and I am thrilled to be able to welcome this amazing work into the house. I am most fortunate to have access to the museum's large collection of book art right here in my backyard as well as now being able to pore through these gorgeous images whenever the want strikes, although it does seem a bit odd to view these three dimensional creations in a one dimensional presentation.

Book arts as presented here offers such an interesting set of questions or some would say challenges to the bibliophile. To what extent is a book simply the words it holds, the vessel somewhat irrelevant but necessary? Or, on the other hand, how does the physical form of the object contribute to its meaning? To those that believe that the codex form will never be replaced by some digital cousin, this art form honors the belief that the aesthetics of the publication yield greater insights into the meanings of the text, that word and image walk hand in hand to a higher artistic expression.

Now until November 30, you can catch a new exhibition at the museum called A Movable Feast: The Book As Art. Check out the website for more details. If you are able to attend, make sure you queue up at the computer kiosks that allow you to page through some of the exhibit pieces on the screen rather than being limited to the one page of the work featured in the stationary exhibit display.

On Friday July 11th, 2008 at 5:00PM , Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center opened its first ever retail store in the heart of downtown Silver Spring at 924 Ellsworth Drive. Pyramid Atlantic: A Community Arts Store showcases affordable prints and artist books, handmade paper, and the work of local painters, ceramicists, jewelers and as well as other artists and crafters. Profits from sales at the store will benefit local artists and the arts programs at Pyramid Atlantic, the awesome community arts studio on Georgia Avenue near the DC line.

"You will be able to get things here you won't find anywhere else," says Jose Dominguez, Executive Director of Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center. “More and more, visitors to downtown Silver Spring are looking for a broad experience, for things that are unusual or offbeat. Shopping is more sophisticated now and we are glad to be here."

 

I took the kids yesterday afternoon, and this place is both beautiful and inspiring. The only thing we did not like about our trip was that we did not have more time to spend there. On my next visit, I am definitely going to pick up one of these gorgeous book cover purses pictured above. The kids said they would like to spend more time in the kids' art and crafts area featured below. What we did pick up was a blank book with handcrafted paper for my son to continue writing his "The Warrior Darkness" stories, some hair fasteners with beautiful glass baubles for my daughter's shiny, dark mane, and a can't-put-it-down paper engineering book for Mom, The Pocket Paper Engineer: Volume 1 - Basic Forms. I said it was for the whole family but I lied. It is MINE! Pick one up and you will see why. Before you know it, you will be blocking out the world around you and channeling your inner Sabuda.

the book as art for a song

For what seems like years, I have been on the lookout for a reasonably priced copy of The Book As Art by Krystyna Wasserman, the curator of book arts at the National Museum of Women in the Arts here in DC. Johanna Drucker, a book arts scholar from the University of Virginia, and Audrey Niffenegger, book artist and author of the best-selling novel The Time Traveller's Wife, both collaborated and are listed as co-authors. Tonight, I found one for next to nothing, and I am thrilled to be able to welcome this amazing work into the house. I am most fortunate to have access to the museum's large collection of book art right here in my backyard as well as now being able to pore through these gorgeous images whenever the want strikes, although it does seem a bit odd to view these three dimensional creations in a one dimensional presentation.

Book arts as presented here offers such an interesting set of questions or some would say challenges to the bibliophile. To what extent is a book simply the words it holds, the vessel somewhat irrelevant but necessary? Or, on the other hand, how does the physical form of the object contribute to its meaning? To those that believe that the codex form will never be replaced by some digital cousin, this art form honors the belief that the aesthetics of the publication yield greater insights into the meanings of the text, that word and image walk hand in hand to a higher artistic expression.

Now until November 30, you can catch a new exhibition at the museum called A Movable Feast: The Book As Art. Check out the website for more details. If you are able to attend, make sure you queue up at the computer kiosks that allow you to page through some of the exhibit pieces on the screen rather than being limited to the one page of the work featured in the stationary exhibit display.

Pyramid Atlantic: Community Arts Center

On Friday July 11th, 2008 at 5:00PM , Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center opened its first ever retail store in the heart of downtown Silver Spring at 924 Ellsworth Drive. Pyramid Atlantic: A Community Arts Store showcases affordable prints and artist books, handmade paper, and the work of local painters, ceramicists, jewelers and as well as other artists and crafters. Profits from sales at the store will benefit local artists and the arts programs at Pyramid Atlantic, the awesome community arts studio on Georgia Avenue near the DC line.

"You will be able to get things here you won't find anywhere else," says Jose Dominguez, Executive Director of Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center. “More and more, visitors to downtown Silver Spring are looking for a broad experience, for things that are unusual or offbeat. Shopping is more sophisticated now and we are glad to be here."

 

I took the kids yesterday afternoon, and this place is both beautiful and inspiring. The only thing we did not like about our trip was that we did not have more time to spend there. On my next visit, I am definitely going to pick up one of these gorgeous book cover purses pictured above. The kids said they would like to spend more time in the kids' art and crafts area featured below. What we did pick up was a blank book with handcrafted paper for my son to continue writing his "The Warrior Darkness" stories, some hair fasteners with beautiful glass baubles for my daughter's shiny, dark mane, and a can't-put-it-down paper engineering book for Mom, The Pocket Paper Engineer: Volume 1 - Basic Forms. I said it was for the whole family but I lied. It is MINE! Pick one up and you will see why. Before you know it, you will be blocking out the world around you and channeling your inner Sabuda.