Influenced by works at the library I decided to use printmaking in my book. Which isn't radical... printmaking and books of course go hand in hand. After tossing out a few ideas I settled on a series of small lino cuts with painted elements on the theme of storm and movement. It will be in a concertina book format.
Before I settled on the contents of the work (still settling actually) I got a bit carried away and made the fold around book cover pictured below for my sister's cherished children's books.
To make these I used stiff cardboard from an old box, PVA glue, material offcuts, and a length of wool for the fastening tie. It was suprisingly simple to make.
The ever-helpful YouTube was there with some pointers. I got some ideas and practical help from the following video:
Bookbinding - Japanese style
I initially planned to make a Japanese "stab" book like the one created in the video but decided on a concertina format for my project instead... a versatile format that can be read like a book or folded out full length for display. I'm leaning towards making a wrap around cover like my prototype above. The concertina will either be unattached, or attached by the front so it may still be stood up and seen in full.
The artist's book is a peculiar object. While they may be, and increasingly are, exhibited publicly, they seem out of place on a pedestal or in a glass box. It is not their natural habitat. A coffee table or lounge room shelf would be more suitable; they belong to the private world, where they may be handled and leafed through, shown to friends. And at the same time as having this everyday and social element, their fineness, rarity, and often arcane methods of production lends them exclusivity (only a small percentage of the Australian population would be aware of artist's books at all) and preciousness (you wouldn't let the kids near them).
I'll let you know how mine goes.
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