Collage artwork from UK artist Martin O'neill, produced for the Guardian Weekend last September.
Occupy Book Art: Richard Minsky’s House of Cards
Pop DelusionsA House of Credit Cards(backed with Chinese money)Richard Minsky, 2012 10" x 13¼" x 13¼" Minsky's credit cards, Chinese paper money, 23K gold leaf, binders' board, bookcloth, felt, linen tape, wood, J. B. Green handmade paper, acrylic, US$10 bills.It is the glory and good of Art, That Art remains the one way possible Of speaking truths, to mouths like mine at least. - Robert BrowningThe latest work from book art master Richard Minsky solidifies his position as one of the granddaddy's of political book art.With a powerful combination of credit cards, Chinese and American currency and copies of Charles...
Edinburgh’s Phantom Book Artist Takes a Detour
“Remember Edinburgh’s Mystery Sculptor? She has sent me 17 small paintings for my birthday, each one from a Rebus title.” - Author and subject of many of the pieces, Ian Rankin on Twitter.It has been almost a year since a slew of Rankin-themed book art pieces began popping up at various literary destinations around Edinburgh. The story received worldwide attention yet the artist continues to remain a mystery.Now this "Banksy of the Book Art World" takes a slight turn. Instead of a book art piece being left around town the artist changes direction and sends Rankin a birthday present of...
Stories on the Skin
How close is body art to book art? Pretty darn close if you follow the reasoning of Arthur Jaffe. Jaffe, the founder of the seminal Jaffe Center for Book Arts at Florida Atlantic University, "saw tattooed people as walking books, because, after all, what is tattooed skin if not printed narratives, illustrations and designs? They are also telling a story,"Jaffe goes on to remind us that "prior to paper, books were printed on parchment and vellum – the skin of animals – so the book metaphor is not a stretch."So why not study the art of the body? Here lies...
Springing to Life: An Exhibit of Movable Books and Mechanical Devices
Currently on view at the University of Rochester's Rush Rhees Library Rare Books and Special Collections Department is "Springing to Life," an exhibit of over 50 pop-up and moveable books spanning nearly 500 years.These are books "that spring to life before our eyes" and showcase the amazing work of paper engineers. David Carter's "One Red Dot: A Pop-up for Children of All Ages" (2005) Exactly what is the difference between a "pop-up" book and a "moveable" book?Well, a "pop-up" book features collapsible paper devices that elevate off the page into three dimensional structures, while the "movable" book contains mechanical paper devices...