BOOK ¾ AIR

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Film time!.

A book, hand bound in Studio 5 in 2015. Hung in a Spruce tree in Norway for some 2 and a half years, open to the elements. Honey applied to some of the pages. Nature creating. Please follow the link..........

 

BOOK ¾ 'AIR' 

 

A book, hand bound in Studio 5 in 2015. Hung in a Spruce tree in Norway for some 2 and a half years, open to the elements. Honey applied to some of the pages. Nature creating. I feel that bookbinding is about control, precision, and deliberation. It can take many hours to make a book, let alone the content. In most cultures it is still considered abhorrent to destroy books. In the last century regimes actively encouraged the destruction of certain books as a form of control and as part of a systematic and deliberate prelude to ethnic cleansing. However, some books are not wanted, or are considered out of date, so what does one do? .... Perhaps a very famous example would be the Dead Sea Scrolls... Left or abandoned in a cave only to be found centuries later. Most, if not all, of the materials to make a book are derived from the natural world. So, what has this to do with books?.... As a bookbinder/printer and artist I cherish the book. And, with my book arts hat on, I consider the possibilities of what the book is and could be. As mentioned, the book is made from materials found in the in the natural world, so how does burying the book or books form part of my oeuvre? First I have to say that I only bury books I have made, therefore it could be said that they are mine to do with as I wish and as a book artist I want to explore the book in full. In 2009 I was invited to participate in 'Pestival' a celebration of the Insect. I collaborated with forensic entomologist Amoret Whitaker, then working in the Natural History Museum, London. Instead of making books to be cherished, I produced a series of books to be returned to nature (buried) and to be eaten by insects! This was an exercise in the interaction of the natural world (insects and larvae) and the book. The control I had in the making of the books was given over to the non control of nature. After being buried and eaten the books were isolated and treated to ensure that the books were/are stable, then going on to be exhibited. I have continued the exercise with books being buried in different parts of the world, exploring different soils and climates. The amount of time in the ground or exposed to the elements can vary. The outcomes are unpredictable, however, my collaboration with nature can result in creating, for me at least, the beautiful and intriguing. I consider myself to be a very deliberate artist/maker and embracing the loss of control continues to be a cathartic and inspiring experience. Indeed one of my books was buried in New Zealand, surviving two earth quakes, only to be dug up with a garden fork! The Buried Book series is ongoing with examples being in public and private collections and libraries. One buried book forming part of an installation piece Through the Looking Glass now in the collection of the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In short the Buried Book series is an exploration, collaboration and realisation of one aspect of book art that I embrace along with my more formal work, design binding, restoration etc. 

 

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies/ doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts