(Photo from the Nicholas Jones website).
I love doing things with paper, so this weekend I decided to spend some time transforming two books myself. I would probably never be able to use a 'good' book for this, but really, some books are just not worth keeping. These are two that I got at a carboot sale for about R2 each. (Not that the price of a book determines its value, but that is another issue.) One I bought because it had a nice hard cover, and I intended using it for a journal. The second, a paperback, was bought for light reading, it was supposed to be a thriller, but not very thrilling (actually, it was quite bad), so I never finished it.
Some pics of my final products:
I quite like his statement that this type of book art is as much about the process as it is about the form. I found folding the pages very meditative, in a "fold-top, fold-bottom, turn; fold-top, fold-bottom, turn" kind of way. Do a couple of hundred of these mindfully, and you're meditating, baby! So I placed them with my buddha sculptures ...
And apart from altering books, I read some too. Finished Niall Williams's Four Letters of Love, and The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman. Both really beautiful. Now those I could never use for the above!
9 comments:
These look amazing - great idea, and great execution.
They would look cool mounted on a wall, too ...
These look beautiful anairam! A very good use for otherwise unwanted books.
When we were kids my mum used to encourage me and my 3 siblings to do this with old telephone directories - I'd forgotten all about that until I saw your post :o) I wonder if she was using it as a technique to gain a few hours of relative calm?! I do recall it being very absorbing...
Oh yes, meant to say... I also read Niall Williams' Four Letters of Love earlier this year and loved it! Will seek out the Alice Hoffman... Thanks for the mention - always on the look out for a good recommendation.
stephanie - what a good idea about mounting it on a wall! Am going to try it with the hard cover one.
kendalee - never thought of using old telephone directories, and I have two stashed away under my desk! PS The Ice Queen is definitely worth reading - it is a bit of an adult fairytale ...
Brilliant idea! It looks wonderful...and I admire your patience in making them...that's one virtue that just passes me by:)
bronwyn - Oh, patience ... I work VERY hard at it, I must admit. It certainly doesn't come naturally to me!
Great work!!!
I love your Buddha!
I remember doing this back in elementary school, of course not as well!
Like his work.
Le 'usband says: Wow, great, two phone directories will keep La Blogeuse out of my hair for a few(?) hours so I can at last finish War and Peace in peace, now, where did I put it down? I'm sure it was right here on the coffee table ...
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