a simple book

So, without further ado, in today's session we discovered how to make our first little book!
I say 'discovered', because although the very paper we were given to make the book had the instructions of how to put it all together printed on it (pretty nifty concept in my opinion), some slightly skewed photocopying/enlarging meant that a little trial, error and adjustment was needed to come up with the final result. But hey, that's all part of the fun, isn't it!

The instruction sheet/book pages:

my pile of neatly folded pages. thorough folding= crisp results!

'taping' the joins of my book pages together with cut up strips of stickers, as cellotape had been missed off the list of materials needed! But perhaps this was purposeful...? After all, it forced us all to 'innovate' new ways to get round this step....hm! Innovation comes out of needing alternative, new solutions sometimes, it seems!

This is a concertina/french fold book. Here you can see the structure of the folds, just before I attached the cover to the pages. We discussed how the expanding shape of the book almost makes it object-like - it isn't simply a flat surface, it can be manipulated and played around with, and has interest and significance in it's own right, even if the pages were blank...

 My first finished book of the module! (plus additional sticker reminding people to smile!)

 I think it was a good point that Pete, our tutor, raised about the books becoming objects themselves. I think that investing the time in actually making a book for yourself allows the journey/thought processes of a project begin before you even begin to physically work into the pages. In my current project in textiles, I'm exploring the bonding and joining of plastics with a view to creating jewellery pieces. If I was re-creating my sketchbook for that project, I'd give it plastic cover...that way I'd always have a plastic surface that I could quickly test/scribble/try fusing things onto- the outside of the book itself could be a site for experimentation.

It feels like an exciting world to be diving into. We watched a few videos about book binding in this session, too, and suddenly even techniques such as hard-backing and coptic stitching seem accessible. It's actually quite odd to think of how detached many people are from the process of how books are made, in light of the fact that we are mostly just used to purchasing a ready-to-use version from a shop. It's nice to feel connected into the art of making these containers for art, ourselves! And also...if making my own books saves a bit of money in the long run- nothing to complain about there, either!

ps- now I know what a bone fold is, and how to use it! I feel like I have attained a special realm of new knowledge :)