Envelopes 2 And Things

Unique Book, commercial wire binding comprising the envelopes of John Bennett (USA).  Some of his sendings are interspersed between the opened envelopes (including the days of swopping shopping lists...).  Other envelopes are partially opened to form pockets for his TLP's.  Book 2 in the series.

This book was inspired by Karl Friederick Hackers work MA Book Object - Edition Footura black – see: http://newalexandrianlibrary.blogspot.com/2019/10/ma-bookobject-edition-footura-black.html

Karl had opened some of his mail art envelopes, saddle stitched them in a cardboard cover and posted them to me as a Book Object. But, if I was going to use these envelopes to make a second envelope book, what would become of all the work sent? So I bound it all together – and SO happy it is.   John makes good use of his envelopes, using them as a whiteboard on which to scribble/stamp/draw some of his current ideas. 

So! Back to the history of envelopes…

Around 200BC, the Chinese developed the first envelope made from paper. But rather than messages, these simple protective wraps were used to send monetary gifts. At around the same time, wealthy Japanese men used early versions to send gifts to relatives after a death. Both the Chinese and Japanese versions at the time were believed to be rather crudely made by hand. For more information, you’ll have to read the book…

Step into England's Story - Dean - Artist in Seine

Unique artists book. No 1444 dated 26th February 2017.  I don't think 1444 represents the amount of books Dean has made, and I always have to chuckle when I type Deans name-game - it resonates so well... Accompanying the story of England  was a note which said he was taking a break from Mail Art for a couple of years. Mail Art is a demanding task master, as those of you who have been held in its thrall understand. Its compelling and compulsive; the free exchange, the over flowing post box, the spawned ideas, but, being so demanding, it requires large storage space,  a special postage account and loads of time. I can see the time Dean has taken to tell the story of England. Its a small collage book which I know took a LONG time to make. It's humorous, witty and I think has a taste of home sickness.  Dean, many thanks - your mail has always charmed - thanks for taking the time to make a parting gift - you're in the company of C T Chew, who as I'm sure you know has also retired from  The Game. Take care and yes, I'm keeping your details :-)X

The Disembodied Book - Marie Wintzer, Japan

I'm clearing - again. As Marie knows, this process is continuous, like breathing, except breathing achieves some success.  I found this treasure from back in the day.  It was accompanied by this note:
"no particular concept behind it, but I wanted to make a "disembodied book", with chapters independent from each other but still part of the same book, hence the loose binding.  The text is a kind of mockery of the praite one finds about certain books.  They are all cut from The Well of Lost Plots".  This was a novel I chatted to Marie about - a weird one, but the concept of characters existing as unformed shadows until written into use was an interesting one.
Unique book, various folds of Japanese calligraphy paper, thread, loose chapters, cloth.

Process.

Process.  Collaborative artists book. Edition of 6 unique books. Mediums include Inkjet prints, lazar prints, painting, drawing, sewing.

 

A collaboration between 3 American artists – Phillip Peterson, RCBz, Warren Smith and 3 South Africans Jeanette Gilks, Lesley Magwood Fraser and myself.  Process was intended as an investigation into each artist’s thoughts on the concept of process in their particular genre of work. These multiplicities of thoughts were distilled into a single sentence which provided the text of the book:

Phillip Peterson – Process, the successive steps necessary to produce.

RCBz – Process, for me, is the imposition of order on chaotic anxiety which has neither rhyme not reason – only urgency.

Warren Smith – The process, as shown here, are inkjet prints of digital manifestations of penciled lines.

Jeanette Gilks – The seamless process of the world we see utterly escapes the meanings attached to the words.

Lesley Magwood Fraser – Process is a procession.

Cheryl Penn – Process is all that is static and all that pulsates between a beginning and an ending.

Stains. PC (tictac) (Germany)/Cheryl Penn (South Africa)

STAINS (documented Book 37).

1 of 2 unique books dated November 2011. 

Colophon:  Cheryl Penn:  Mixed media on 200grm Fabriano paper, including thinners prints, text, photographs, painting.  Mediums include ink, oil paint, shellac, thread.

Ptrzia (tictac):  Mixed media on 200 grm Fabriano paper, including inkjet transfer prints, metal, plastic film, packing paper, text.  Mediums include ink, acrylic paint, enamel, pencil.

I was SO pleased when TICTAC – a conceptual artist in Germany agreed to collaborate on a book with me. I sent her two books, each hand done. I left a spread in between each of my pages and tictac completed them.  She also completed the book, adding the colophon and designing the 'look' of the book. The Perspex binding was her idea – with a little help from a Plexi-Man.  Hence, the book has a beautiful perspex cover and spine.   It’s a while since I took this book out, but its still a thing of beauty.

A Book for Marie. Cheryl Penn/Marie Wintzer

A Book for Marie

Cheryl Penn(South Africa)/Marie Wintzer (Japan)

Unique Book made from the Mail Art of Marie Wintzer from paper collected and posted from Japan. Marie has managed through her correspondence and photographs to create quite a surreal vision of Japan - it even has a place called “booktown”.  The book is handmade from paper garnered from various shops and markets in Japan, and using it was - well, difficult.  But what was the point if it just lay in a drawer? I created sewn pockets into which her Mail Art is inserted.  Some pieces are cryptic, some are fun, some tell stories.  There are postcards, notes, letters, drawings, small books, and photographs only Marie could have taken.  Our correspondence goes back to 2010 - that’s many Tokyo Moons ago.  Cherry Blossom is travelling another path now, but the places this particular fork in her journey took me are very precious.