Keith A. Smith created this book titled book 91, this was a 50 book limited collection. known as the string book,
This book forces the reader to move from one page to another, forward or back, this movement, thread and cut outs in each page encourages the viewer to explore more and move Forward through the sting to the next open page. this also makes it more of an interactive sculptural form. there is a clever use of light as the effect of the string shaddows on the pages.
“The sound, cast light and shadows and their focus and movement are not part of the physical book. They are physical but they only come into existence during the act of experiencing the book, that is, turning the page.” JONATHAN A. HILL, BOOKSELLER, INC. 2020. Book 91 By Keith A. SMITH On JONATHAN A. HILL, BOOKSELLER, INC. [online] Available at: <https://www.jonathanahill.com/pages/books/7178/keith-a-smith/book-91> [Accessed 30 November 2020].
I think light will play a strong roll in the book form I am creating. I want to create a book that explores isolation, enclosing the man between layers of translucent papers will allow me to create depth an context and the light will be beneficial to exaggerate the negative space.
Skien’s work explores “What is achieved through the process of poetic imaginings is the instigation of a primal condition of non-knowing, not as a form of ignorance but as a complexity of associations arising above rational thought and structures of knowledge”. the work lends itself well to be bound into a book, as well as the binding that surrounds the books creates a sense of the hidden being an unidentifiable, creating a powerful sense of the forms being their own identities, “Resourcing photographs devoid of any fixed historical narrative, the outcomes are mixes of hybrid artist book forms that incorporate photographic etching, collage and thin thread bindings”. GLATTAUER, S. and GLATTAUER, S., 2020. GLEN SKIEN — Baldessin Studio. [online] Baldessin Studio. Available at: <https://baldessinpress.com.au/affiliated-artists/glenskien> [Accessed 29 November 2020].
This work inspires me as the combined use of imagery and printmaking as a way of storytelling creates a sense of identity and preciousness of the text within the book although the viewer cannot read it the impression we get that it is precious and protected from sight. this is effective with the binding both on the spine and the binding of the whole book.
looking into artist books I came across bound : unbound, it is a members collective of artist made books, often exploring printmaking, lettering installation, painting and textiles.
Wilson explores print, collage and paint through the book structure, giving her freedom to explore a sculptural response to the themes she explores within her work, the hidden and the seen. She sees her work as deeply personal through the exploration on the hand held form revealing the hidden each time the page in turned, creating an intimate experience for the viewer.
“I am interested in this sense of revelation. Layers of translucent paper, stitched and cut into, obscure the forms and images creating a tension between the various areas reflecting the delicacy, fragility and subtlety of the subject.” Susie Wilson Book Artist Printmaker. 2020. Books. [online] Available at: <http://www.susiewilson.org/books.html> [Accessed 27 November 2020].
I am drawn to her work as she uses print to explore the ephemeral fragility of the hidden and seen, combines material qualities to create a interactive artist piece. The aim to create a personal connection to the viewer. This intrigues me and has made me consider what I want the purpose of my books to be or how they will portray a theme or a feeling.
I like the idea that the book form carries a sense of intimacy. This is the same feeling you get if you have a personal book, a journal or a diary. It is interesting how this ideas of privacy forces the reader to use an explorative way to move through the book. The use of the book structure effectively portrays this as the significance of a tactile personal object holds a sense of privacy for the reader.
Continuing the theme from the bowl project, I want to make an artist book for my second artifact that responds to similar ideas of covid 19, loneliness, vulnerability and isolation. using materials and processes explored within the bowl project. I will continue to explore printmaking methods, paper making and will introduce binding to create a book structure that explores the above. I would also like to continue with the use of paper, ink, printmaking and tracing/tissue paper to emphasise the vulnerability and isolation. I am hoping to enclose this elderly person within the book so the feeling of isolation resonated from the form and the sense of being overwhelmed and vulnerable is evident. I want to explore my options with the form of the book, this could take shape as a concertina book, a zine style fold out form or a book structure with a sewn spine, this is something I will explore as my printing takes place.
MOVING FORWARD I have booked to have a meeting with Doreen from the special book collection at uni to discuss my ideas and book within the collection. I have also booked to use the print studio this week so I am hoping to continue my exploration into dry point printing, possibly collagraph and letterpress. As I have limited access and time i may have to come up with simplified alternatives to some of the print process I wish to explore so that I can continue my exploration at home.
Thinking about my final major project, I want to incorporate printmaking and papermaking with bookbinding as my interests lie with the sculptural form of the book as the skill for me lies in the combination of tradition and print using individual processes, structures and paper manipulation and paper cut in order to create a book form that explores these processes, this may take the form of a usable journal or, sculptural form an artist book.
I quite like the idea of a book being a passage for the imagination and the form of a book forces the viewer to consider its own concepts and ideas through the form.
This is a definition I found from UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES…
“An artist book is a work of art that plays with the book in some form. Usually these artist books are either produced in limited editions or as singular works. These books are different from fine press books, high-quality books printed in limited editions, because they break away from the traditional book form to play with it in new and interesting ways. Book artists expand the boundaries of what we think a book should be and look like”.
I have been thinking about what I want to achieve by the end of this year, where my interests lie and how I want to move Forward into the final major project. I have come to the conclusion that I want to continue to explore multi disciplinary ideas and have spent some time brainstorming ideas and possible ways of progressing forward. i have booked a teams meeting with Doreen (who manages the artist book collection at the library) to discuss the collection and show me some of the books. I am hoping this will inspire me to explore the possibilities of combining my traditional binding skills with my love of printmaking, paper making, and other process base techniques to form into an artist style book that celebrates my slightly unique skills in binding and printmaking.
Notes taken during the discussion with the group and Ingrid :
Interested in process and tradition, skills and process, technical knowledge and understanding. does the bookbinding become its own content? Make a book about binding? History Understanding contextually. Material samples, binding into decorative art, 3D object. Paper letterpress and binding. Look at heritage craft association . Cultural differences. Traditional tools, Methods and materials. Pure formalism. Look at special book collection at uni. Sculptural form, film and photography to document, materiality, process, scale. Film and sound. Projection. multi dimensional, Empty book making sound of own making. Put the focus on the process not the content of book. Truth and purity. Focus on beauty of material process.
Bowl one, I wanted to encapsulate the old man in his feelings as an overwhelming confusing time many vulnerable people have found themselves in. I feel the strength of this piece comes from the use of the covid material to make the paper as well as creating repetition using the letterpress, the meaning becomes more significant as the material qualities exaggerate the isolation and vulnerability. The use of paper mache allowed me not only to make a very handmade outcome as I was able to use paper created from covid newspaper clipping but I have also been able to pursue my interest in traditional methods by using paper mache to form the bowls. I illustrated the man to look hunched and cold, I did this as a result of numerous visits around the lake vulnerable older people tended to walk alone or early in the morning to avoid contact with other people. This started to form the significance of the man.
Bowl 2, I wanted to explore the other feeling created as a result of this loneliness, a fear and darkness. this is why I had places the man within repetitive “covid” and “isolation” letterpress and foil prints to exaggerate the isolated darkness. This is similar with the illustration, for much of the time the lake visits were gloomy and most of the time quite depressing when visiting in the worst weather, this inspired me to illustrate the man to be wrapped up in a coat hat and to clasp an umbrella as for much of the time it was drizzly. For both these forms I decided to illustrate the man within the form to trap him within the environment as the walls of the bowl allowed the illustrations and prints to bouncy the feeling around and to make the feeling of isolation (as he is the only one in the bowl) stronger. the news paper hand made paper gave a beautiful grey tone with flex of text within in and also allowed for subtle translucent areas to emerge from the paper mache making the form seam almost more fragile and vulnerable. The organic torn edge of the paper creates quite a beautiful border and allows for a strong sense of handmade fragility.
I have animated this character to walk around the lake, be movable so that his limbs and umbrella are movable. during the one min clip I want him to walk to a bench, sit, pop up his umbrella and carry on his walk ALONE.
I wanted the video clip to portray a sense of overwhelmed loneliness, to do this i illustrated the paper man to be introduced to the video through drawing him and setting the scene in the park. I also wanted to exaggerate the time by overlaying news clippings and covid headlines to create a sense of being overwhelmed. The man then wanders through the park, this I overlaid my own recordings of related covid 19 words to make the viewer aware of the vulnerability of the man. along with a ominous ticking sound effect and recordings of bird noises from the lake. this then cuts to short clips of both my bowls where I used my phone to move around the interior void of the bowls, I did this to push the sense of being trapped.
moving Forward: if I were to have a chance at editing the video i would make the stop motion project the sense of loneliness and isolation further, perhaps by making him reflect on his thoughts while watching or feeding the birds and make it more obvious why i kept the exterior of the bowel plain and had him set within the bowls.
I wanted to express a sense of haptic fear using lettering. Using the letterpress and repetition I wanted to create a sense of depth and loneliness as an expression of someone’s mind during this time. Where many of the thoughts and feelings are surrounded by covid. this is a process I have undertaken in previous projects but I have never ovelayed lettering in this way before.
Lara Hoad Artist Designer: Maker 