Japanese Bookbinding

 

We're super-excited to welcome Yukari Hayashida back to the Center on June 11-12 for Japanese Bookbinding, her two-day intensive in a variety of Japanese binding techniques. You'll use lovely traditional Japanese papers and fabrics to produce side-sewn binding and through-the-fold structures, as well as a folding cloth-covered case for your new creations. The end result is a beautiful, boxed set of books.  

Yukari works as a bookbinder and book conservator; she is originally from Japan and currently resides in New York City. Complete registration information is here; you can register online or over the phone (212-481-0295).

Psst!: June courses are just around the corner! Make sure to register early so you don't miss out!

Collection Spotlight: Dennis Ashbaugh, Kevin Begos, William Gibson, Carl Foulkes, and Peter Pettingill’s “Agrippa (A Book of the Dead)".

This highly prized work envisions a modern interpretation of the ancient Egyptian funerary text containing spells to assist the dead on the journey into the afterlife.

William Gibson is a science fiction writer born on the South Carolina coast. Having been abandoned by his father when young, he relocated with his mother to a small town in Virginia."The Book of the Dead"’s poetic text focuses on a fleeing role model, modeled after Gibson’s father. ("Agrippa" is the name of a photo album that Gibson’s father kept.) Throughout the poem we observe snapshots of Gibson’s relatives and childhood. We experience the simplistic plastic forms of toys and the innocence of small town Main Street, then to be transported to a secluded and extracted existence in Canada.

Gibson also focuses on the nature of photographs as physical memory capsules and how their captured history is like the resting and patient violence of a gun. Pieces of damaged, struggling, and rebuilt lives are collected and stored, then buried. Gibson provides his own visual record, recorded on a 3.5” floppy disk and stored in a holding space within Agrippa: Book of the Dead. The self destructive coding in the disk recalls the destructive path one decision can make.

“Now in high-ceiling bedrooms,
unoccupied, unvisited,
in the bottom drawers of veneered bureaus
in cool chemical darkness curl commemorative
montages of the country's World War dead,

just as I myself discovered
one other summer in an attic trunk,
and beneath that every boy's best treasure
of tarnished actual ammunition
real little bits of war
but also
the mechanism
itself.”

(Please read the full text here.)

From William Gibson’s Website:

Introduction to AGRIPPA: A BOOK OF THE DEAD
By William Gibson

"AGRIPPA, A Book of the Dead" is a longish poem written in 1992 for a multi-unit artwork to be designed by artist Dennis Ashbaugh and "published" by art-guy Kevin Begos. Ashbaugh's design eventually included a supposedly self-devouring floppy-disk intended to display the text only once, then eat itself. Today, there seems to be some doubt as to whether any of these curious objects were ever actually constructed. I certainly don't have one myself. Meanwhile, though, the text escaped to cyberspace and a life of its own, which I found a pleasant enough outcome. But the free-range cyberspace versions are subject to bit-rot, it seems, so we've decided to offer it here with the correct line-breaks, etc.

"Agrippa" is the name of the particular model of Eastman Kodak photograph album my father kept his snapshots in.”

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Dennis Ashbaugh is known for incorporating DNA designs into his artwork. Inspired by Gibson, Ashbaugh folds the merging of coded material (in this case computer code) with the self-destructive 3.5” floppy into the book, while setting up the more permanent notion of genetic coding as life's design. Genetic code serves as a record of both life and death, but code exists as a staying, unique identifier beyond mortality.

Our copy of Agrippa: “The Book of the Dead” is number 35 in an edition of 95. More information on the binding and construction of this book is available here.
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-Rebecca Kish

Collection Spotlight: Vincent Torre's "Tribute to William Addison Dwiggins."

This specially bound and printed book is part of our Fine Art Collection and contains a variety of essays about the innovative typographer and designer William Addison Dwiggins.

William Addison Dwiggins (1880 – 1956)  was originally a designer focusing in advertising. As time went on, this typographer and talented graphic artist became particularly interested in the integrity of trade-books and  innovation in type design. An early publication of his called “An Investigation into the Physical Properties of Books”[1] (1919) made it clear that he was fed up with the book industry compromising the aesthetic role of the book in order to market it and profit from it. Believing the kingpins of the designing forefront were ill informed and unable to grasp the importance of design in trade paperbacks, Dwiggins formed a creative partnership with Alfred Knopf and created over 280 books for him.[2] Dwiggins is credited with coining the term “graphic design.”[3] A type enthusiast, Dwiggins is responsible for the production of 5 complete typefaces: Metroblack/Metrolite, Electra, Caledonia, Eldorado and Falcon.[4]

According to Torre’s Amazon Author profile: “Vincent Torre is an author, designer, and artist living in New York City. His books are in the collections of the New York Public Library, British Library, Yale Library, University of Sydney, Australia, and elsewhere.” Torre has contributed other works to our archives. Titles and images are available here.

Contained within this book is a compilation of essays in tribute to Dwiggins on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Authors include:  W.A. Dwiggins, Dorothy Abbe, Warren Chappell, Charles E. Skaggs, Meyer Miller, Harry F. Howard, John O.C. McCrillis, Dwight Agner, Robert D. Scudellari, Paul Shaw, Mary M. Ahern, and Vincent Torre.

In the full text provided to "Extracts From an Investigation into the Physical Properties of Books as They are Published" we can see Dwiggins's concerns about the book industry's sacrifice of art in order to expand on production (i.e. plating all books with the chance they might be re-printed) and making the book conform to a rule of thickness. Dwiggins's background in advertising led him naturally to apply his visual sensibilities to the work of typography, resulting in affordable book design available for the average reader. Dwiggins's dedication to excellence in the book form is continued by the Center's work in the present. 

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[1] Full text provided at the link.

[2] A Time Line of American Typography

Lorraine Ferguson and Douglass Scott

Design Quarterly
No. 148, The Evolution of American Typography (1990), pp. 23-54

[3] Livingston, Alan and Isabella., 'Dictionary of graphic design and designers'. London: Thames and Hudson, 1992

[4] http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1979/?id=264

-Rebecca Kish

Center for Book Arts Poetry Chapbook Competition

Congratulations to Nehassaiu deGannes, the winner of this year's Poetry Chapbook Competition. Her manuscript, Undressing the River, was chosen from a pool of over 350 entries by Kimiko Hahn to be produced in a limited edition of 100 hand bound, letterpress printed chapbooks this summer. Hahn said about the work: “Nehassaiu deGannes' version of history, both personal and social, is as fervent as it is elegant. Undressing the River is a unique collection of inspiring voices.”

We have also selected two other manuscripts for honorable mention: Bulletproof by Sue D. Burton of Burlington, Vermont and ABCs of Endangered by Mark McKain of Altamonte Springs, Florida. A poem from each of them will be produced as a letterpress broadside by artists at the Center. All three, along with Kimiko Hahn and her co-judge and founder of the series, Sharon Dolin, will join us in early October for a reading to celebrate their publications. 

The Center's Poetry Chapbook Competition has been going strong since 1996; past winners have included  Ailish Hopper, Jeffrey Skinner, L.B.Thompson, and Rachel Zucker. You can see examples of past books in our bookstore here. 
 
Poets! Submit your work for this year's contest; the deadline every year is December 1; current guidelines are up on our site here.  This year's judges are Phillis Levin and Sharon Dolin.

Collection Spotlight: Janice Hartwell's "Chromosome Consideration."

Janice Hartwell’s “Chromosome Consideration” utilizes the style of an accordion book to provide a continuous flow of both text and images. In this piece, Hartwell examines the variations in X and Y chromosomes, commenting on characteristics and traits that are possible in chromosomes gone awry. Deviation is not Hartwell’s main focus though- her work brings about the questions concerning complications that genetic engineering, eugenics, and human interference with inherited qualities provides.

“Chromosome Consideration” offers a good example of the interdisciplinary works involved in bookmaking. Hartwell has previously taught printmaking and has always demonstrated interest in implementing and developing new technologies. Particularly intrigued by the photograph,  Hartwell received a grant in the 1970's to develop a technique for a high intensity photographic enlarger.[i] In this book, we see photos manipulated through computer technology available in the early 1990’s. The work is also laser printed, making the outcome of the image low resolution. Considering the subjects are portions of human faces, we are able to be loosely interpret features and otherwise defining characteristics by that lack of definition in the dot matrix.  The accordion style allows the viewer to pan over a more unified composition. The eye is manipulated into seeing the photos hugging the text and negative space. The wrap-around cover delivers “Chromosome Consideration” as a conceptual completion, a contradiction to the open ended nature of the work contained.

 *We urge you to click these photo to enlarge them for a closer look.

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An excerpt from accompanying text: “XXX Chromosomes: This individual appears to be a normal female, but with the extra X chromosome exhibits unusually high libido and is predisposed to behavior commonly prescribed for women in XXX rated films and video. This individual is performing a role inherently created by males bearing XY chromosomes. This individual is probably susceptible to socio-sexual hypnosis, is malleable and seeks domination by members of the XY chromosome group."

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[i] http://www.1020art.com/artist-hartwellj.php

-Rebecca Kish

Instructor Spotlight: Barbara Henry

Coming up in a few weeks, we're looking forward to Linoleum Prints with Barbara Henry. Barbara has been printing special projects at the Center since 2004, and was for over 20 years the curator at Bowne and Co. at the South Street Seaport. She is a letterpress printer, typography, type historian, printmaker, poet and artist who publishes her own work under the Harsimus press imprint, and also collaboratively makes artists books with Barbara Mauriello. 

Her class on June 4 and 5 will explore the medium of linoleum carving and its myriad uses, from simple patterns to complex color compositions. Linoleum is a perfect accompaniment to type, and a great way to add color to the page. It can be used to tell a story, to illustrate or to decorate, and can be printed on the Center's Vandercook Proof Presses or at home on a kitchen table. The class will look at historical examples and learn techniques for transferring images, for registration, color mixing and layering and combining linoleum with other media such as watercolor, gouache and acrylics. Join us for a fun and informative weekend of printing! Registration is here; class size is limited.

 

Collection Spotlight: Guy Laramee's "Archaelogy I."

Another highlight of the Center for Book Arts Fine Art Collection is Guy Laramee’s “Archaeology I.”

“Archaeology I” is an altered book which has been sandblasted to create new topographies and textures. Called into question are: man’s quest for finding his roots, man’s need to map and hold visual reassurance over his surroundings, as well as the way that books lend themselves to these disciplines (cartography, archaeology, and higher learning), and the unity of these fields as a personal and public history.

Laramee (Canadian, 1975 -) draws from many creative disciplines to express himself. His fields include, but are not limited to: instrument construction, sculpture, musical composition, dance, painting, and writing.[1] With such a wide variety of inspirations and outlets, the unfolding interpretations of “Archaeology I” seem to fit the idea of harnessing many mediums to increase the potential for what the viewer can take away.

Laramee’s creation method for “Archaeology I” is a hands-on method of sandblasting. Through his choice of which books to alter, and his work with each particular book,  new meanings appear for consideration. Laramee changes the meaning of the original narrative by rendering them forever physically changed.

 The subtle textures that seem naturally rooted in the leaves of text urge us to consider the organic origins of paper, the use of ink on paper, and how we as humans take from the earth to document both it, and ourselves. The reference to the respected discipline of digging and unearthing seems to urge us to excavate a meaning that suits our personal narrative, or proverbial unwritten book. Furthermore, our texts are not concrete in their existence. The ability to alter core texts and render ourselves understandable is a concept that Laramee makes present and tangible.

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Guy Laramee recently had an exhibition at The Center for Book Arts called: The Great Wall which ran from January 19, 2011 to April 2, 2011

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[1] http://www.philasculptors.org/globalwarming/bios.htm

-Rebecca Kish

Friends of Bowne

On Thursday, May 5th the grassroots organization Friends of Bowne held a party/exhibition/organizing meeting at the Arm in Williamsburg, to raise awareness about the current and future state of Bowne & Co., Stationers, the irreplaceable re-creation of a small nineteenth-century printing and stationer's shop in Lower Manhattan. As part of the financially troubled Seaport Museum New York, it was closed on February 14th of this year by museum leadership. The future of Bowne's historic collections is unclear and the evening was an opportunity for former employees, volunteers, friends and interested parties to come together to raise awareness about the shop's situation. Friends of Bowne has this to say on their website:

Now, as its parent institution, the Seaport Museum New York, struggles financially, the future of Bowne and its significant collection is uncertain and potentially at risk of disappearing altogether.
Friends of Bowne is a group of individuals who care about what happens to Bowne & Co. It is a public platform for sharing news, ideas, and support, in an effort to ensure Bowne receives the stewardship it deserves. Mainly, it is a way to keep the idea of the shop open, even as its doors are closed, because we believe the survival of Bowne & Co. will help make New York City a richer, more interesting place.

 The museum includes a variety of iron hand presses, jobbing platens, various small pieces related to 19th century job printing and stationery, specimen books, and a large collection of foundry type. Most presses are operational and are used in the production of everything from invitations to limited edition fine press books. You can sign a petition, find sample letters to send to local representatives, learn more about Bowne, what you can do to help, and the ongoing state of the Seaport on the Friends of Bowne website.

Collection Spotlight: Nancy Morejon's "Ana Mendieta."

Among other things, we're currently preparing for this summer's exhibition of highlights from the Center's collection of artist's books.. We thought it would be nice to post occasional highlights from the collection, to raise awareness about the collection in general and the upcoming exhibition in particular. Our online collections database, an indexed, searchable online resource that contains the Center’s historic, eclectic (and growing) collection of approximately 2,000 artists' books and prints created by artists and publishers of regional, national, and international significance is available online here. Our new workstudy Rebecca Kish had generously volunteered to pen the occasional article focusing on specific books for us on our news page.

The Center for Book Arts is the proud possessor of  book created by Cuban poet and literary icon Nancy Morejon in homage to the earth and body works artist Ana Mendieta in our archive, one of several Cuban artist books donated to the Center in recent years.

Nancy Morejon, (1944-) poet and creator of this homage to Ana Mendieta, lives and works in Cuba. She was the first Afro-Cuban woman to earn a B.A in Cuba and has had ongoing interest in voicing the situations of women within her society. She has written poetry about Mendieta (2003) celebrating her as an outspoken and unbroken spirit who has inspired the lives of many with an understanding of the female and human condition spirited from an almost inexhaustible palate. [1]

Ana Mendieta (1948 – 1985) was a Cuban  multimedia and performance artist who flourished during the late 70’s and early 80’s, but met with a tragic fate after falling 34 stories to her death in 1985. An immigrant from Cuba in 1961 at the age of 12, Mendieta struggled with her exile and trying to find her rightful place in society by communicating  mindfully and bodily with different landscapes and varied terrains. She symbolically took on the struggles of women often silenced in her era, turning her body into an instrument for creation.  Mendieta’s focus on drawing from the earth and within was an inspiration to many women who had struggled with identity, abuse, and alienation.

In this particular work, Morjeon uses the book form to open a new chapter of understanding and homage. The silhouette on the cover harkens back to Mendieta’s expression of vitality and the feminine through the female figure. In conjunction with natural elements, this piece aims to reclaim both land and physical space. The materials used in the creation of this book are those which Mendieta was in constant communication with during her lifetime. Her name blazes above a silhouette with a thin layer of heavily ground earth pigment applied to each letter. Yarn, a common and versatile fastener that transcends economic strata, holds the light silhouette fast to a dark background. Photocopied cutouts of “sacred heart” style illustrations of a heart, branch, dove, cross, leaf, lantern and butterfly hover near the joints and over the chest of the silhouette. Crushed eggshells reside on the perimeters of these cut-outs and coupled with the recycled paper lends itself  to the cyclical nature of ongoing female struggle.

Inside the book, Morejon has provided the viewer with a fold out poem that ruminates on the alleged suicide of Mendieta. The poem is dark and full of a reverent melancholy that celebrates Mendieta’s vitality. Whether Medieta’s spirit was at the height of celebration and fueling her art, or experiencing some of the lowest oppression, Morejon seems to call on the viewer to celebrate the memory of Mendieta through an variety of materials, its assemblage itself an homage to the deceased artist.

-Rebecca Kish

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[1] http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?3300