Chapter 12: Interdisciplinary Arts: Books, Installations, Performances Internet Exercises

Visual books are rich in creative potential. Use any of the following sites:

Margaret Beech's Books and Paperfolds (http://www.beeches13.freeserve.co.uk/bookintro.htm)

Wendy Fernstrum's Artwerk Informed by Nature Artist Books (http://www.fernwerks.com/index.html)

Look at the examples on the first page and then click on Recent Werk and then Books Arts,

Homage to Trees (http://www.fernwerks.com/HTTIntr.html)

Read the artist statement

AbeCedarium-Exhibition of Alphabet Books (http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/gallery/abecedarium/abc1.htm)

Beth Lee's Calligraphy and Book Arts (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/callibeth/)

Look at the Artist Books and the Five Book Swaps,

Miriam Schaer's Artist Books and Wearable Texts (http://www.colophon.com/gallery/mschaer/mimi.html)

Emily Martin (http://www.emilymartin.com/gallery.htm)

Eric Alstrom Bookworks (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ealstrom/bookworks/gallery/artistbooks.shtml)

Best of the Best Exhibitors - Book Arts (http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/gallery/bestofbest/exhibitors.html)

Central New York Arts: Traditional to Innovative (http://web.syr.edu/~pdverhey/cnybookarts/index.html)

Find examples of visual books that illustrate the following criteria, and answer the following questions.

a) Find a visual book that uses a format other than the codex (pages, cover, spine). How does the format or construction of the book relate to the concept? How does the viewer interact with the book? Describe the 2D and 3D elements used and how it was constructed. What are the strengths of the book? How could it be improved?

b) Find a visual book that focuses on the integration of text and image. How does the text placement, size, orientation, and opacity affect the meaning it conveys? Is the book narrative or non-narrative? Discuss the relationship of the image to the text. Is the text poetic, descriptive or something else? What do you find to be the most interesting aspect of this book?

c) Find a Visual Book that focuses on an emotion. What formal elements does the artist use to help convey the emotion? How does the construction of the book support the intent? How is text used in the book? Describe how the stylistic choices (both text and image) affects the interpretation of the book.