Georgia Russell transforms books, maps, and music scores into these fantastic sculptures with her scalpel. I am so drawn to these objects because of the amount of work and detail that they contain. I love work that immediately conveys dedication to craft and work that is so tedious that
that quality -amount of concentration and time working- is palpable. Oooooh, this just makes my palate water it's so delicate and interesting! It reminds me of a book jacket graphic designer I once met who cut out all the lines from the book,
My Antonia, and contructed a box or some sort of paper house...I had the same feelings about that piece...it was the tedious, delicate and intricate nature that struck me. And another artist that comes to mind (I'm so terrible with names. They are written down somewhere in one of my notebooks) did a piece where they cut out all the masculine words, pronouns, possessives and all the feminine ones and quantified them in mason jars. It would be more telling if I could remember what book/document/manuscript they were dissecting and commenting on. There is also something about book arts, art made from books, the printed word that engages me, yet I am personally reluctant to tear/cut apart a book. A book is somewhat sacred...I know how to make one, fix one, not take one apart. I have been recently contemplating using my journals and letters and receipts in artwork but the fear that once the objects/paper/books are used, the content, the words on the page will be lost for good! It is what my memory relies on, these saved and horded relics as informing me of my past selves, reminding me of things I need to remember (or do I?). I suppose someone would say to me if I did use them as actual material, that the material, that is the content, would be immortilized in the piece created.
And I ramble...I'm having such an inspired thoughtful morning!!!
