Slipped into the State Library on Thursday after a client in the city to check out Paper Universe. It’s an exhibition of Artist’s books owned by the library.
If this had been the first time I’d seen artist’s books i’d have been blown away – they start people off with normal looking books, and ease them into the more creative ones (which are, of course, my favourites).
I was pleased (and maybe surprised) to see how many artists I know personally were featured: Liz Jeneid, Avril Makula, Sarah Bowen, Caren Florance. (i have taken classes from Sarah and Caren, been in a Caren class with Liz, and Avril is one of the Sydney Book Art Group).
I didn’t photograph everything, just some of my friends’ works, and some things which gave me ideas.
I followed it up with a quick trip to see the exhibition in the same wing about the artwork of children’s book illustrator Pamela Allen.
Darren Bryant’s Fold gave me an idea of how I might use my world book encyclopedia pages.
Always a sucker for transparency/seeing through, i liked how Lyn Ashby used the transparent paper in 20 Minutes.
On reflection they didn’t have a lot of altered books (a blackout one). Then the idea of slaughtering a book is such a terrible one for library people is maybe too much?
I always very jealous of the large format print-made pages with giant letters, I see it a lot in book exhibitions – and I will get around to making something like that myself (maybe with pochoir/templates?) with the lovely papers hiding under my bed?
