Altered Books Part 4: Ex 1 Exploring artist's books (research)

Find two artists’ books that you feel demonstrate an interesting relationship between their form and content through the materials that the artist has chosen to use. 

Looking through the Smithsonian Library and referring back to previous research I had already done on these artists books I found a few different ones from the first time around that I really liked. 

 

Glenna Robin ^

Laura Davidson ^

  Barbara Tetenbaum ^

Mary Hark ^

 Arnott Lauryn ^

 

Narrowing it down to only two Artists I picked the books I felt had the most unusual designs or reflected a similar style to what I imagine I would do. Features that intruige me the most is the use of something interactive like this Pull down paper blind with written words on and paired with a wooden frame with shutters also with written numbers on. Or something with 3d qualities. 

This book Called Storm Sequence by Alisa C Banks. Here is a suammary/notes about the piece.

"Storm Sequence is a shrine-shaped sculptural book that outlines the spirit of a protection ritual. The book is loosely patterned after the homemade shrines observed at some of my relatives homes. The numbers on the inside of the doors are years of documented significant damage caused by storms in the area. The blinds contain sequence steps and open to show a rainy view."

 I love the handmade feel to this book, the fact you can close the hinges as if it was a window with shutters, how the inside of the frame extends back abit allowing for some grass and dark background to replicate the outside as if you were looking out of a window during a strorm. The handwritten words make the book personal. It reminds me of being a kid and writing or engraving your name somewhere. The Instructions written are postioned in a way in which you would need to pull down the blind to reveal a new line. The material being wood makes it look like a window, it is strudy, solid and a box you can open. Its like a personal memory thats been captured in box, a visual represetnation of  time in the author/ designers life.

 

Smoke in my dreams by Mark Wagner is a simple but intresting design, I love the hand drawn illustrations, different coloured text and the off white card/paper material. The red on this paper looks ancient its similar to a scroll but it has been folded as a zig zag that can be extended. The blue cover has a 3D centre with a camel with a stamp head which is quite inviting, it odd and makes to see whats inside. I think it relates nicely to the 'dream' theme because it's so random. The oval in the middle is like the other book above is like seeing a little glimpse into a dream. As for the shape of the paper inside theres a circular cut out which fits well with the oval on the cover, I dont know what the purpose it maybe it is just a quirky stylistic choice. The paper appears to also be taped together to other pieces which I like cause I can tell its been handmade rather then manafactured.

 References all taken from The Smithsonian Libraries:

Evenhaugen, A. (2015). Smithsonian Libraries Artists’ Books. [online] library.si.edu. Available at: https://library.si.edu/collection/artists-books.

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Evenhaugen, A. (2015). Smithsonian Libraries Artists’ Books. [online] library.si.edu. Available at: https://library.si.edu/collection/artists-books.

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Altered Book

There are a host of approaches to making artists’ books; these could include
manipulating the found book form, both in terms of its structural
three-dimensional form and textual and image-based content. In other words,
finding and altering existing books.
In the mid-1960s, the artist Tom Phillips altered the content of a Victorian novel
by cutting, pasting, removing and adding imagery into the existing text.

 ​http://www.tomphillips.co.uk/humument​ 

Examples of his reworking of the victorian books.

 

Philips as you can see creates new sentences and words by working over the page of the book with imagery, landscapes and leaving specific words readable to communicate some other message than the origina l books content.