Book-in-a-Day 2: Abyss

Abyss, 2013

This week has been crazy, but I managed to get the book done on Thursday as planned. The camera and the transferring of the video did not go as well. I've got to get a new camera! That's my first epiphany for the week.

Again, this week's book was an amazing experience. I realized that for the short time I've been making books (2 years), I have thought of book art as a precious product made over time, so this adventure of making one book each week and doing it in a day causes me to really take another look at my relationship to the book art world. Like most subcultures, it has its own set of unspoken rules/ideas/ideals. For a time, I thought I wanted to live right in the heart of those rules, ideas, and ideals, but I'm not sure that's my path. I think I'm more inclined to spread the word about book art and the power of the handmade book. I want it to be accessible to everyone, especially to those who otherwise would not have access to it. A bit idealistic, I know. 

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Abyss, (full page spread)

The book I crafted this week is more along the lines of an "artist's book" in the sense that there isn't any text. The images relay the narrative and just like any good narrative, the story unfolds (literarily). My vision for the book was something different when I started out, but it morphed as I folded and creased each section. Eventually, the book was much more than I had hoped. 

The color scheme was inspired by my first look out the window at 6AM on Thursday when I woke to start the book. I ended up LOVING these colors together and found them tranquil and invigorating at the same time.

I remembered learning this folded structure from one of the teaching assistants in the Mills College Book Art program. Then I saw it again on this YouTube video. It reminded me how much I loved the outcome of the fold and the potential for the 21 "panels" -- the possibilities are endless. 

But I had to remember my lesson from last week -- Keep It Simple Sweetie!!! So I did. No text, just art. And I could not love it more. 

In the end, I created a narrative with the images by mixing and matching the triangles from the original squared paper. Of course each "reader" will bring their own experience to this book and that is one of the things I hope will happen. Click here to watch the video and see my process. 

Other epiphanies:

• time for a newer digital camera that records video
  
• Thursdays will be the day for BIAD, schedule it and make it so
  
• still shots can be just as effective as live video (sometimes more effective)
  
• inspiration can come from the most mundane places
  
• book art can be both precious and accessible
  
• week two was easier than week one
  
• I'm not supposed to be teaching in the videos, I'm creating. It's okay to stay silent :-). 
  

Next week I return to teaching at the college and I'm excited to meet my students, but I'm also really afraid of what that will do to the BIAD time. It's an experiment right!? And my goal is to prove (to myself) that art and living can happen in the same life.

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please post them to the flickr group or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site (where you can view the list of materials I use). See you next week!!

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