Book Making, the Legal Way

Definitions of "art book making" abound. Mine are only one notion  of handmade book.   Yard goods, remnants from $1.00 bin or my own clothes, usually are central to books I make.    Red fabric one on far left was attached to a body- shaped healing quilt, "Courage, My Love,"  I made  in 1995.  Next is one is wirecloth,  window screening that's  visible when you click on the the image;  made in connection with my work on kitchen composting with red wiggler worms.  This material was   used for drainage at the bottom of  both my full-sized indoor composter and the world's smallest kitchen composter I used for travel.  The image on the front was cut from the iconic photo of a red wiggler on my watch- first used to illustrate "To sleep with red worms," my 1998 environmental manifesto.

Mine are only one notion  of handmade book.  The more traditional,  elegantly crafted ones can be seen at The Center for Book Arts .  In  a class there with Miriam Schaer  I produced  a gorgeous book with just one problem:  its blank pages of white, high quality paper stopped me from finishing it at home.  Mimi,as she is known,  understood my wish to move in a quirkier direction.  She was,  at that time,  best know for her girdle books.  [News flash from Mimi:  she just sold out an edition of her doll dress books!]
 

"Is it a book?" gets discussed extensively  at  Philobiblon website.  Move around theere for a view of   book arts  developmentally--from the novel  you hold in your hands at bedtime to comics to the web.  Only missing is the Performance Book but that's the way out on the edge.  I did one in for a performance in a zocalo in Mexico; Mimi Schaer had an entire audience make a small book at a dance performance in New York .

Our friend Google offered up a link to  therapeutic aspects  of book making.  Reminds me of my own workshops in  "Women's Studies as Therapy," (have I written here about this?).

Which brings me to one of the three books I worked on during  my exceptional week  at The Folk School in North Carolina.  For a number of years  I have  not thrown away the paper hospital gowns my body has been enclosed in for doctor visits.  One of them went was in the recycling materials I took  to my Book Arts class.  Somehow I neglected to take digital photos of  the finished work, "My Body in Various States,"  on my digital camera, so that image will have to wait till 35 mm photos are in hand. 

When I returned to the City, I took a canvas bag mistakenly purchased (too heavy with just two small volumes) at Strands, "16 Miles of Books,"  for a  slipcase.  My old white gloves (remember?) will be replaced by used  red rubber ones around here somewhere.  Also, the small card instructing viewers how to handle, with gloves, the book inside will be another small book.

As much as possible, all that I use comes from what I already have in my studio.  Recycle, reduce, and re-use has become more of a mantra as the culture tries to lure me toward recreational shopping and buying.

Comments

[MotherPie]

YOu are just so ding-dang creative you are an inspiration!!!!

I'm over my head in my blog study at the moment so behind in everything. Your posts always cheer me up. ;)