Cover to Cover - Altered Books

This module challenges you to problem solve, think creatively, reuse and recycle books and papers which may otherwise be thrown away. By understanding the anatomy of books and developing a sensitivity to their specific qualities it is possible to produce an exciting and unique work of art from something discarded. In the process of alteration, existing text or images might be kept and developed into something new or the pages and cover might be changed totally beyond recognition. Essentially, though, the existing book becomes a catalyst for ideas; a portable piece of art that can be worked on during a journey; it can become sculptural; can become a personal story or a voyage of the imagination. Historically, books and papers have been altered for centuries. Monks reused vellum manuscripts and in Victorian times old books were sometimes used as scrapbooks, but it was in the 20th Century when altered books became an art form, with Tom Philips’ ‘Humament’ a key example. Since then artists such as Su Blackwell and Brian Dettmer have specialised in this growing field, and with current emphasis on recycling, it is an opportunity to think creatively and find ways of producing an artwork from the heaps of books discarded by libraries as past their shelf-life. They can be collaged, cut out, folded, added to or even rebound. Why should they be added to the landfill?
This module will give you inspiration and practical techniques to create unique pieces of art from recycled old books.

Note

This module is at CQFW Level 4